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It never fails that you find something very cute to give something, but it comes with non-removable art that just not fit with what you want to gift or make for yourself. Maybe it is art that isn’t your style. Maybe it is a design that’s so cheap and is exactly the reason why you find it at the dollar store.
For example, I found this cute frame.
I found that the size was cute. And I absolutely loved the beaded clutch like handle. Best of all, I loved how the frame and handles were very much reminiscent of unfinished wood. This was the perfect blank slate that I could do so much with!
The negative mark was the non-removable art. Truth be told, I almost put this back on the shelf.
But here is how I turned this dollar store product into the perfect blank to make a personalized present.
First you paint over the non-removable art
Especially if you like the current state of the finish of the frame you’re working with, you want to grab some masking tape and tape off the frame to protect it from the paint. It doesn’t matter how handy you are with a paint brush, you really do want to take the few extra minutes to tape off the frame. It just takes an unexpected sneeze or someone sneaking up behind you, knock on the door, ring of the phone, or that your brush slips.
The tape that I used here was Green Frog Tape.
Once the frame is taped off, take your paint of choice and cover the original art.
I used Waverly Cashew Chalk Paint. Because this color is so pail, it took about 4 layers to cover up the dark original colors. The important thing to remember is that you always want to paint with thin layers. First they paint dries quicker. Second, you can apply cleaner layer lines.
If you choose to put on a thicker layer of paint to compensate for dark colors, it just takes forever to dry before you can add successive layers of paint.
Once the paint dries…
You have the choice of what you will do next. You can apply a stencil to paint on your new design. Or there is the option of hand painting a picture.
If you are done with all painting options, you’ll want to remove the tape.
Removing Tape
Depending on who you talk to, there are a handful of different theories on which time to remove the tape.
OPTION 1:
Some crafters say, remove the tape while the paint is wet. Yes, this method prevents peeling up the paint that you just laid down. The problem I have with this method is that if the paint is wet on the surface, it’s wet on the tape. So you have to pay attention to the paint on the tape as you pull it up:
- Paint ending up back on your blank because of the tape flopping over backwards (or paint side down) on your frame.
- Paint ends up on your fingers. Sometimes you forget, or think you avoided paint transfer, and then you find out later you had a small drop of paint on your finger and now you have a paint finger print.
- Paint ends up somewhere else on your, like your shirt or pants.
OPTION 2:
Other crafters advise that you remove the tape when the paint is dry. This method is great for preventing all options of potential paint transfer. However, the problem with this method is that sometimes the paint adheres to the tape and pulls up off your project when you remove the tape. This is especially the case when the original surface is smooth or plastic.
OPTION 3:
A third group will tell you to wait for the paint to mostly dry. This is the happy medium to the first two options.
I’ve never been able to make OPTION 1 or 3 work for me. If there’s any wet paint, I’ll somehow find a way of getting it on me or transferring back onto my project. So my go-to is OPTION 2, wait for the paint to dry.
TIP for OPTION 2: right before you remove the tape, take an exacto knife, and run the blade along the bottom of the masking tape all around the frame. This will effectively separate the tape and paint.
What if my paint strips off with tape removal?
Have no fear! Take a breath and don’t panic. This is an easy fix.
The first thing you’re going to do is build back up your layers of paint on the surface where the paint stripped off.
TIP: To create the illusion of no paint stripping, keep from this new set of corrective paint layers from overlapping on to the original dry paint that remained intact.
Once you’ve built back up the layers of paint that had peeled off, you’re going to add one more layer of paint over the original and new paint. This will cover over any potential seams in the paint.
The best of all is that if you are going to add any decal over this paint, it is possible for the decal to cover over any potential seams. If you’re using this as a shadow box, the items you place in front of the painted back ground will cause enough shadows to distract from the seams.
Adding decals over the background paint with transfer tape
I want to mention one more potential problem you can face, with paint peeling, with a project like this. Whether you’re adding vinyl or a decal with a clear piece of transfer tape, you will want to be mindful of this transfer tape. Even if the transfer tape has low tack, it can still find a way of holding the paint more than the paint is holding on to the project surface.
The way that I have gotten around this problem is that I think of the transfer tape ONLY having contact with the vinyl or decal, and hold those elements in their place for application. I go out of my way to NOT press the transfer tape down onto the paint.
Instead, what I do is gently place the design down on the painted surface so there is absolutely no adherence. The bonus to this is that you can use a weeding tool, palate or other tool to nudge the design center (or any other location) on the frame. Once the decal or vinyl is exactly where I want it placed, I only press down on the decal/vinyl with my finger. The pressure from your finger is enough to get the decal/vinyl to adhere. And once your elements are all pressed, you can then peel off the transfer tape without it pulling off your paint!
Can’t find a frame like this, but want to make one?
I have no idea if I will find this beaded frame again at my local dollar store. In fact I would be surprised if I ever did. There’s something about the cute things in that store chain, that you pretty much only find in stock one time.
The good news is that this is an easy frame to create!
Originally this frame has a 4 x 4 inch work space. But you can select any shadow box of any size.
You can make the wooden bead clutch handle by using a thick jute twine and stapling it to the frame.
Yes! This handle is literally stapled to a mini shadow box frame.
If you want a supply list, to make your own frame, here are the items you will need:
- Shadow Box: 4×6 Frame, 8×8 Floating Glass Frame , 8×8 White Shadow Box, 3-Frame Set
- Jute Twine
- Wooden Beads: 16mm (Thumbnail size), 20mm (US Quarter is 24mm)
- Staple Gun (if you choose to use a standard desk stapler, make sure that you use several staples on either side of the twine. The twine can be reinforced by using wood glue and gluing to the shadow box.)
- Scissors
- Paint/Stain (optional–if you want something other than unfinished wood)
I hope you have just as much fun as I had making this Affirmation Gift!
The Baby Affirmation cut file used for this project can be found in my shop here. To personalize with the child’s name, just select your favorite bold font and place in the provided blank space.
How I Can Do That 
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