If you read my last post, you’ll know
that my credit cards were confiscated by Mark, which means I’m basically broke
as because my salary does not cover all the luxuries I usually surround myself
with on a monthly basis. No new clothes,
new make-up, new anything unless it’s a necessity. It’s safe to say that I am not having
a good time right now.
That said, my most recent YouTube
indulgences have been DIY videos (I’m looking at you, Sorry Girls) so I decided
to try my hand a little home decor DIY to satisfy my craving for something “new”. I’ve been planning to do something like this
for a while and today the house was empty, so I decided to take the leap.
So, as you can see in my header, I
made these two photo frames, one with a hamsa and one with the hamsa prayer
(because hamsas are life). I originally
planned on three frames in order to satiate my OCD need for items to be in
multiples of 3, but one of the glass frames broke when we were trying to get it
out of the frame to spray paint it. Don’t
worry: Jen still has all of her fingers.
I’m going to show you two different ways to upcycle old photo frames to
brand new modern decor.
My parents were positive reinforcers
so growing up, if I got a certificate for anything, that baby went up on my
wall. That’s why my mom has stacks of
plain wooden A4 frames. I started by
spray painting the frames copper because the style of the wooden frames were a
smidge dated (I grew up in the 90s/early 2000s).
For spray painting on the third floor of a building, I covered up the folds of a big box that we had left from our new microwave a few months ago. Our balcony is enclosed, so I opened all the windows and held my breath between sprays. I know it smells nice, but do not inhale the fumes from the spray paint. It's not healthy. If you can, I'd recommend that you do this outdoors but I sure as nuts was not carrying all this shit down to the parking lot or the garden.
I bought a roll of wrapping paper from
Woolies – we gettin’ fancy here – as my background for my frames. The entrance hall has a greenish theme to it
so I went with this leafy print to tie it all in. Measure the amount you need and cover the
frame backing like a birthday present. I
used masking tape which can be removed fairly easily, in case we ever
redecorate and want to go with a different colour theme.
Option 1
For a more interchangeable design, you
can add your design or image directly to the wrapping paper on the frame
backing. I used a hamsa I already have
to trace and cut it out to stick down. I
originally outlined it with a fine liner but felt that it needed a bit more so
ended up going over it with a 1.5mm marker.
I wasn’t going to add any decoration but then decided to add the nazar design to the eye for
consistency.
Option 2
If you’re going to have something more
permanent, you can print out a design/lettering and use a paint marker to trace
the design directly onto the glass, like I’ve done with the hamsa prayer.
As a heads up, paint markers are
finicky little bitches so go really slowly, don’t press too hard to release too
much paint at once. I decided to do a
second coat, which was really difficult.
The paint is quite thick so it can get streaky if you work too
quickly. I blow dried my work before I
did the second coat and before I put the glass in the frame.
If I’m honest, I actually prefer the
paint marker on the glass. I may
eventually redo the hamsa to something similar, but I imagine that would be
much harder given the amount of paint needed.
I really enjoyed this and would definitely recommend this for a quick
and easy upgrade to your decor if you need to freshen up your surroundings.
Wishing you love and light until next
time ♡♡♡