I’ve been framed!!
Well, I should say, I’ve been framing!
I had a very definite look in mind when I was planning The Kitchen Counter designs. Retro, bright & a unique frame – something to pop… in a subtle way.
My local frame places are having a difficult time right now getting in the bright, painted frames (ugh..the dreaded ‘supply chain’ issues). Ginny (owner of Shanty Stitchers) suggested that she order some unfinished frames (from Huneywood Frames). Perfect!! The rest was up to me!
I’ll walk you through the process of how I got exactly the look I was going for.
The raw frame is 1.5″ wide. I spray painted the 3, 8 x 10″ frames with a red, chalky paint. The whole idea was to get a very matte finish…no shine, no sparkle just yet.
I used a blank stencil to create my own for a not-so-random polka dot look! (you can purchase these in the stencil dept of most craft stores – vellum & or blank quilting stencils would work) – I created the stencil pattern 1st on the computer – hand drawn would work too!
I cut the frame shape out of the stencil & began drawing dots to punch out. I used a large scrapbook circle punch.
So you will notice the circles I ended up with are larger than the circles I drew… long story into one short story that includes several trips back & forth to the craft store because my original punch broke & then the store didn’t have the same size & then I bought 2 bigger punches to be sure & then took 1 back because it didn’t work…hmmmm!! 😉 I settled on the 2″ punch.
It might look a little like swiss cheese, but it was exactly what wanted!
I put a bit of spray adhesive on the back of the stencil, placed it on the frame, then sprayed several coats of clear gloss spray!
The frame for the series bonus piece is 3/4″ wide. I used the same treatment for this frame as well but I made the dots a little smaller (1″)
Of course I sprayed outside – left the stencil in place between coats (I applied 2-3 coats) & used the same stencil for all 3 frames!
A little texture, a lot of color…the subtle pattern doesn’t take away from the stitching! Give it a try.
If you are a shop or a vlogger & use this technique, please credit this post & Hands On Design as the original source.
I hope that you enjoy The Kitchen Counter series – little life lessons while we gather in the kitchen.
Enjoy the stitch,
Cathy, Hands On Design LLC
Did you tape off the edge of the frame to prevent overspray, so the gloss is only on the front?
Helen-
I had the frames laying flat on the ground (well in a box so I wouldn’t spray the concrete red) so I really just sprayed on the top. The gloss did not overspray to the sides. I did 3-4 light applications so I wouldn’t get ‘blobs’
Have fun – Cathy