Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Crackled Frame Tutorial

Oh HEY!!! You were not forgotten, I promise!  Ash and I have been crazy busy this weekend.  Ashley is my daughter's cheerleading coach.  Here they are with my other sister who also coaches her.



This last weekend we competed at Nationals and guess what...




Woohoo!! So... Needless to say, Ashley worked close to 3214012 hours over the weekend and I was there for much of that.  Sorry to keep you guys waiting but again... WOOHOO:)

Now to frames!  I had several questions about my frames I used on this wall here.




This is a "pre-blog" project I have never shared.  I was creating a wall of pictures and wanted to alter my frames to coordinate and help it flow.  I purchased all of my frames at Big Lots for under $20 but you can also find great cheapos at Wal-Mart, Dollar Tree and Hobby Lobby.  I tried to find frames that were very different in style.  You start by removing the insides of your frame like this.




These are the products I used to create my frames. 




First I painted the frame with two coats of the Americana Burnt Umber.




After letting that dry I applied one generous coat of the crackle medium.




After that dries it is time for the top coat.  Your top coat will be the color that cracks open and reveals the bottom coat through the cracks.  *IMPORTANT* !! When you are applying the top coat you can't paint over where you have already painted.  I do one line of paint at a time.  If you do go over it, the crackle will not work.




As the top coat drys it will crackle.  Make sure to use a good amount of paint on your brush for the top coat.







And all finished up...




At this point you can put your glass back in and add a cute picture...




...Or you can also take it one step further. Soon, I will be showing you a super cheap but so chic way to mat your own pictures.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  We've missed you guys and I'm glad to get back in the swing of things.  Have a great Thursday!!

~Whitney


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32 comments:

Anonymous said...

love it! i have used that same crackle liquid and it just didnt work. but now i know why. i painted more than once with the top coat! silly me! i guess i will be trying it again! thanks for the info! and wahoo! for your little cutie!

Anonymous said...

LOVE this and PERFECT timing as I was JUST thinking my frames needed a little pick me up!! THANKS!

Alana Jo said...

Love it! I think I found my next project.

Gypsy Heart said...

Thanks for the info, esp about painting the top coat with a once over! Congrats to your little one ~ she is adorable.

Sleepyhead Designs Studio said...

Love the blue! I've used that product and it does give a great finish.

Becky@Beyond The Picket Fence said...

Very cute! Great color too. I just posted a frame (and Gorilla Glue) project and I am hosting a linky party. Please join me :)

Sadie said...

I think that princess needs a tutu. :) Very nice tutorial.

Jill said...

Love it! Can't wait to try it!

Caroline @ The Feminist Housewife said...

Congrats on the championship win!! I was a competitive dancer and I can relate to the excitement of a championship competition!!

Thanks for the great tutorial. It was great to see it explained!

Sara said...

Ok, what color blue did you use? Love these!

Miss Mustard Seed said...

I just painted a pair of lamps that exact aqua color. Love it! The frames look great.

By the way, congrats to the champ!

Treasia Stepp said...

Really nice. Thanks for explaining how it's done.

Heidi said...

What a sweetheart your daughter is! Very exciting for her, I'm sure!
I'll have to try that crackle finish again because I must have been doing it all wrong. I think I gave up and just threw mine away last time. Thanks for the tip!

Tempest Ahoy said...

Very cute! Look forward to the mat tutorial!

Reese said...

Your daughter is adorable! Congrats on winning Nationals! I cheered and coached for an All-Star gym in Florida for 7 years and I miss it so much since I've moved. Best of luck on the rest of the season! Any comps in FL?

Leslie said...

I already have the stuff to make one of these frames. I should give it a try. I was wonedring where you guys were! LOL Love the frames and congrats on winning the Nationals! My daughter used to be in cheer and I am thinking about getting her in it again.

Bobbi & Noe said...

Thank you!!! I painted my living room/entry this weekend and when I saw this idea I got really happy :) Now I'm going to move all my crosses and frames together like you did. I can't wait to crackle the frames.

And Congrats on the championship. She is ADORABLE!!!

Candise said...

Oh my goodness...I just had some frames made this week and stained part of them yesterday...I was deciding what design i wanted to do with them and then i got your updated post!! Yay...i have crackle stuff in my craft closet!! I've attempted crackle once before with acceptable success, so thanks for the tutorial...my frames are sure to turn out great now!!!!

Anonymous said...

Very nice! Thanks for the tutorial! :)

Lisa@Pickles and Cheese said...

Thanks for really showing us how to do this and for all the tips of what to look out for. I bought some crackle finish but have been afraid to try them out. You have made me brave!!!

Robyn Crumby Photography said...

Love this idea... I'm going to have to try this.

Amber@Munchkin Land said...

Yup! I'll be doing this this summer!

StepherB said...

Cute frames! Thanks for the tutorial! And I feel ya on the weekends of competitions! My daughter has been in competitive dance for 4 years now and even competed last year with her first solo! Congrats on the Nationals!

http://stepherb.blogspot.com/2009/03/my-babys-first-solo.html

One Cheap B*tch said...

Love them! But then what don't I love on your blog?! =)

Elder Esplin said...

Yay, I'm so glad you girlies are back! I didn't know what to do with myself;) Congrats to your sisters and your little cutie pie...that is AWESOME! Thanks for the fun frame idea. LOVE IT!

Jennie Esplin @ Cinnaberry Suite

Denissa said...

Cute!! Thanks for sharing :) I love the whole wall with all the different crosses..may need to copy this one :)

beth said...

I love these! I had no idea this look was so easy to do. Thank you!!!

Jeanette said...

What a good idea. It is a very impressive look.

Amanda said...

This is so pretty. i was wondering if it's ok to use the crackle when it's raining out. i've heard that it won't work if you do, but haven't actually tried it. do you know if this is true or not.

Michelle @ Sweet Something Design said...

What a great job! Super cute and easy to do!

Laurie said...

Just GORGEOUS! I have to put this one in my back pocket...I can't wait to find the time to do this! Thanks for sharing!

Niki Jolene said...

I...LOVE...YOU! For sharing this post, anyway..LOL

I am not the greatest painter ever and this crackle stuff is going to change my projects, I can feel it!

:)

 
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