Haunted Hallows frame by Julie Jacob

Hi everyone! One of my favorite things to do lately is repurpose treasures from the thrift store, especially old frames. So today we're going to make this (a la the thrift store, some spray paint, and some Haunted Hallows paper!)

This fun black frame was once an ugly frame that no one wanted. :( So that's your first assignment. Find an ugly frame or two. Scour the thrift store, Good Will, or your grandma's closet.

This is Ian. He is not impressed with my ugly frames. Bonus! The bigger one has artwork in it...that one will be saved for another project. We're going to use the smaller one.

Sometimes these frames are a little gaudy...a little gold and shiny...a little 1977? We are going to transform them...thanks to Mr. Krylon.

I like this fusion paint because it works so well with plastic...and pretty much any other surface.

The frame will need several coats, but it dries fast. And I know it says 'no sanding' on the can...but I do sand first. The paint just seems to stick a little better, and with way less dripping.

While the frames were drying, I worked on my banner templates. I measured the inner part of the frame and figured that I had 8" of space to work with. Since I only need 3 pennants for BOO...I figured they could each be about 2 1/4" wide. I made a template out of chipboard, and then traced 3 on chipboard and cut them out.

Then I glued them to the back side of HH: Spiderweb. Next trim around them with an X-acto knife, and sand the edges.

Sanding is optional, of course. But like a really good pair of black pants, sanding hides a multitude of sins. That, and I like how it looks. :)

Another thing you can do between coats of paint is make the inside part of the frame. I measured inside the frame...and it was 8x10, so I cut a piece of chipboard to that size. Chipboard is a nice base, and is overall pretty sturdy.

Adhere the burlap to the chipboard. I really like Quick Grip adhesive. That stuff holds pretty much everything.

After it's dry, turn it over and cut away the excess burlap. I did a double layer of burlap because it was a little see-through. I used Quick Grip just around the edges and adhered my second piece. Same thing...let it dry, flip it over, and cut away the extra burlap.

Hey look, our frame is dry! (Kind of like those cooking shows, when they pull the fully baked dinner out of the oven after 5 minutes.) And the burlap looks pretty cool in there. Let's add our banner.

Using some 3/8" black grosgrain ribbon, adhere your banner by the tops. *Note: It's not glued down here...I just wanted to show you what it looks like against the burlap.

Next adhere your BOO letters. We're almost done!

Next I cut out the far left crow and chandelier from the HH Chandelier Crows paper. Position it on the left side of the burlap...experiment a little to see how much you want in the frame, and how much will need to be trimmed. Then glue it down and trim the excess.

Now we just need to add the banner at a little bit of an angle:

Glue it down and trim the extra ribbon. Then I glued it all in to the back of the frame.

All done!

You can totally tweak this to make it your own...do a bigger, skinnier banner...use different paper...use paper for the background instead of burlap...bling up the crows...it's up to you! :)

I added a little skeleton to the corner (but I didn't glue him down because my older daughter thought he was gross.) So then I wanted to add the rat...but she didn't like that either. Go figure.

Supply list:

Ugly frame (don't be scared of gold and gaudy...think of Mr. Krylon as a plastic surgeon)

Krylon Fusion black spray paint (satin finish)

Chipboard

Burlap

3/8" black grosgrain ribbon

HH2602 - Haunted Hallows Chandelier Crows

HH2603 - Haunted Hallows Spiderweb

Chipboard letters - American Crafts Thickers

Quick Grip adhesive

Sandpaper

Scary things to put with the frame (skeleton, rat, etc.)

By the way...The Haunted Hallows Spiderweb paper (the orange side) is my very, very, very, VERY favorite Halloween paper from the whole entire line. Can you guess why????? :)

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