Decorate a Frame

Materials needed:

A small wooden frame, easily obtainable from most craft shops - for this project, I used a frame sized 5" x 7". It need not be made of an expensive or a very durable type of wood. Acrylic paint in two colors - in the example I used Touch of Lilac and Blush Pink. A thin paintbrush. Fine sanding paper. A sheet of old newspaper. A few suitable scrap book embellishments. Quick-drying glue. Quick-drying spray varnish.

Instructions for making the project:

1. Sandpaper the whole frame thoroughly. Dust well with a dry cloth before starting to paint. Start off by giving the frame a wash with the lilac paint. The paint should be applied unevenly all over the frame. Allow the paint to dry thoroughly.

2. Apply a second wash, this time using the Blush Pink paint, again ensuring that the paint is distributed unevenly all over the frame. Again, allow the paint to dry thoroughly.

3. Lightly wash lilac paint over some areas of the frame again. Wait for the paint to dry for at least 2 hours before continuing with the next step of the project.

4. Once dry, turn the frame around and lightly sandpaper any excess paint off the back of the frame, so that the project will have a neat finish. To protect the paint from wear and tear, apply one coat of the quick-drying spray varnish.

5. Arrange the embellishments on the frame and then glue them to the frame. Remember to use only a small drop of glue for each embellishment.

NOTE: To view a photo of the finished product, you can visit http://craftersworldonline.com/Craft-Photos/Decorate-a-Frame.jpg ~ you are welcome to add the photo to your site or newsletter, but DO NOT link to the photo. Save it to your computer as a jpg file and upload it to your site.