I Love You Picture Frame Tutorial

I was at the Craft store the other day (it's called Craft Warehouse).  I was really excited when I found these cute MDF frames for 1.50 each!  I bought 4 and wasn't really sure what I would do with them, but when I got home, my creative juices started to flow (love it when that happens!).

I call it a picture frame, but I didn't really use it as one.  Here are the supplies you need:

-frame

-mod podge

-craft knife
-brayer
-sand paper
-brown chalk ink pad
-pencil
-paint brush
-cute scrapbook paper (I used 1-12 x 12 piece, Bittersweet from Basic Grey)
-embellishments to decorate outside of frame

First, trace the shape of your frame on the paper.

This step looks kinda weird, but I am pressing my hand around the shape of the cut out in the frame on my paper, so I can cut it out with a craft knife.

Next I cut out the opening in the paper with my craft knife.  It actually worked pretty well the way I did it.  I wasn't sure how just pressing around it would work, but yay it did!  Sorry, I get excited about little successes.

Here is what it looks like cut out. 

Now is the fun part!  Coat that baby with lots of mod podge.  I just kinda slapped it on there with my brush.  Oh...look, I even left the price tag on!

This is a really important step.  This brayer is AWESOME!  It is the only way I have found to get all the air bubbles out from under the paper.  I just rolled it over the whole frame several times and no air bubbles!  Brayers are pretty cheap, especially with a coupon at JoAnns or Michaels.  Totally worth it if you use Mod Podge very much!

I have to apologize, because here is where I stopped taking pictures!  I got distracted doing the project, sorry! 

When the mod podge dried, I sanded around all the edges with sandpaper.  You may find that some of the paper hangs over the edges.  No biggie, just take your craft knife and cut it off, then resume sanding. 

After I sanded, then I took my cute little cats eye chalk ink pad.  The color I used was chestnut brown.  I love this little guy! I went around all the edges, including the opening in the center of the wood for the picture.  It's a little tricky, but you can just wipe off any ink you get on the window.  

For the striped paper in the center, I just traced the paper that was already inside the window on my cute scrapbook paper and replaced it with my paper.  Then I pushed it inside the frame opening and inserted the plastic frame cover that came with the frame.  

The hearts I used came from the Target dollar bins last year.  I just attached them on the outside of the plastic frame opening.  They are 2 dimensional, so were too bulky to stick on the inside.

The I and You were also chipboard letters from the Target dollar bins last year.  They matched perfectly!  I love how it turned out.  Super fun and easy.  It only took me about 45 minutes total to make!  

 

Have a wonderful Monday!!