Large/Ugly Thrift Store Art Converted To A Birth Portrait

Hey again, I’ll be linking up with Betsy for TIOT, and with Sarah from the winthrop chronicles. Fun, fun, fun!

————————

Say hello to this ugly 80′s art I scored from a thrift store. You can see what I did to its sister (the other large frame I bought) here.

Before:

This time I just put a can of dog food beside the photo so you could get a better idea of how big it was ( I know how deceptive photos can be). The total price was 3.00. Yay, for thrift stores!

After:

Here was the original photo that I had enlarged to 24″ x 36″ through staples for 3.59! You just order it online and you can pick it up at the store. Pretty awesome.

The quality isn’t out of this world (the prints are not meant for photos) but it’s not bad for what you’re paying. Here’s a couple others I did, and here’s redo of one of them. P.s. the wrinkles in mine were because I used water and polymer gloss, but if you wanted a smoother finish you can try spray adhesive. I personally kind of like the aged look for this one.

I loved this moment of Asher and I. This was taken about 11 months ago and he was only a day old…but I remember feeling absolute bliss. It’s always special if you can frame amazing moments.

What I did:

• Removed the backing:

• Washed the dirt off the glass (back and front) with paper towel and windex.
• Wiped down the frame with a damp cloth to remove dust and dirt.
• I couldn’t find a way to remove the glass from the frame but I was able to use remove the matted art frame.
• I taped the edge of the glass with painters frame to protect the glass when I painted the frame. I used about two widths worth. It’s not a problem if a little paint gets on the glass though, because it wipes off easy.
• I painted the frame with chalkboard paint. I did this twice because I missed a couple of spots the first round.
• I used the back of the 80′s art to adhere the print. I used polymer gloss, and water, but you can totally use modge podge instead.
• I didn’t really wait to paint the blanket blue.
• I let the whole thing dry over night, flat so it wouldn’t warp.
• Oh, and I never bothered to “re-back” the frame with paper. Who really looks at it anyway?

———

My husband wasn’t sure about the painted part, but he likes it now. I like it too!

Amanda.