DIY | Campaign Inspired Frame

Hello! 

How was your weekend? We had a great time celebrating Mother's Day (and my birthday month, of course!) over the weekend.

We headed over to Lilac Festival on Friday to kick off the weekend (unfortunately, many lilacs were yet to bloom), 

and we had an amazing Mother's Day dinner over at my sister- and brother-in-laws. 

After a weekend of pampering and relaxing, I finally feel rejuvenated. I am now ready to be creative again!  

Today, I'm going to share with you a super easy DIY: How to transform a retail black metal picture frame into a Campaign style frame.

It all started with this crafty art project I tried my hands on today, inspired by one of Hope*ologie's DIY tutorials. When I started this project, I had no idea I would be DIY upgrading the frame. My inspiration always comes as I work through a project.

Just in case you're curious, this Home-Hope artwork reflects my purpose statement of our home: 
I want our home to be...
      filled with our hopes and dreams.
      a safe place to take risks, make mistakes, and become who we truly are.
      a place of comfort and inspiration even during challenging times.  

A home full of hopes...

I used this oil based gold paint pen and washi tape from Michaels. I believe I purchased the feather from Jo-Ann Fabrics a while back. 

washi tape & oil based gold paint pen

After many trials and errors, I finally got it right.

Then I shopped the house for a frame. The only frame I could find was this standard metal frame I purchased from A.C. Moore a while ago. 

I guess the artwork looked OK in the frame, but I knew something was missing. It was calling for some sparkle and personality.

So, I pulled out my trusty Frog Tape, and used the same oil based gold paint pen I used in the artwork to spruce up the boring black frame. 

Instructions: 

1) Tape each corner of the frame. I taped a little less than a 1 ½ inch from each corner for a 11½ x 9 inch frame. 

2) Paint the corners using the paint pen. The fewer strokes you use, the smoother the finish. 

3) Allow the paint to completely dry. 

Do you see the gold paint on the bottom right corner is a little messed up? That's because I'm impatient and I didn't let the paint completely dry before framing the artwork. I did a little touch up with the paint pen but that part remained bumpy. 

Keys to achieve a sharp, beautiful Campaign look.
1) Firmly attach the Frog Tape to the frame in order to avoid bleeding. 
2) Use fewer strokes while painting. 
3) Allow the paint to completely dry before peeling the tape off and framing.  

I've learned that I can be more creative when my supply is limited. Having less to work with pushes me to think outside of the box and reinvent what we already have in order to create something new.

Are you ready to be creative?