Upcycled frame

 

I found this beautiful frame at the thrift store. I believe it said "Scratch Kitchen" in it with some kind of floral paper all over it. I forgot to take a before picture as I always do but this is how it started:

So here is the almost before picture. I began by prying off the wooden "Scratch Kitchen" words that were just glued onto the backing. Next I began tearing off all that paper. Once I got most of it I went back at it with my scrapper blade to remove a good majority of the paper remaining. 

I did not remove all of it because I wanted some texture left from the white part of the paper for later when I add some of the wax to give it some age. That wax will sit great into those little bumps and grooves that the paper leaves behind. 

Next step was to add some mod podge to seal up that left over paper. Let dry.

Once that was dry I began preparing my clay molds. I use DAS air dry clay. You can find this at Michaels or on Amazon as well.

I also used a clay mold called Fragrant Roses by Redesign by Prima. You can purchase that on Amazon or from a stockist. 

Dust your mold with cornstarch before pressing the clay into the mold for an easier release. Some of these roses were very fragile and the stems broke so I just pieces them together as I went. I made a while variety of the roses and then started applying them to the frame. I used Titebond Quick & Thick glue for a strong hold. Just gently apply the glue to the back of your clay mold with you finger to smooth it across the whole surface or you can use a small paint brush. 

I used quite a bit of clay for this project but the more roses I added the better it looked! This took a day for the molds to completely dry. Once it was dry I taped off the edge of the frame and painted the clay moulds and the backing of the frame with a couple of coats of white chalk paint. 

After the paint was dry I went over white paint with a clear wax to seal it. 

Make sure to get into all the grooves of the molds. Wipe away the excess wax with a dry paper towel and let dry for a few hours to cure. 

Next ill add the dark wax for an aged look. I used Antique wax by waverly because I figured a brown wax would match great witht frame. 

Using a paint brush I brused the wax over all the roses making sure to get in all of the grooves and just a tad bit on the outside perimeter around of the all the roses. Although, on this step it is best to work in small sections instead of the whole piece. I didnt and it made wiping the wax back harder because it began to dry. 

Once you have a small section covered wipe back the dark wax to your liking. I still wanted the white to come through so I tried to wipe back as much as I could. I used a dry paper towel first then went back with baby wipes to remove even more of the wax. 

I removed the tape around the frame and dry brushed a tad bit of antique wax around the edge of the frame on the backing to kind of blen the aged look witht he roses. 

Once I was finished this it what it looked like! So beautiful and very chabby chic decor! Using molds are great to transform any piece of dated decor.