I worked on putting art in the 28 frames on the frame wall this weekend. These 3 DIY projects fit 8×10 frames, and only use things from Lowe’s.
I stole the ideas for two of them (found both on Pinterest).
I stole the idea of using paint chips from this blog. You can see her version below. I copied it almost exactly.
The other stolen idea uses washers as seen here.
The third one was actually my idea. It was also the most work.
Paint Chip Art
The paint chip art was super easy. I grabbed 12 paint chip cards from Lowes. I needed 4. Whoops. I could have used a paper shredder, but I don’t own one. I instead did a super lazy job of cutting them in strips. I wasn’t careful at all.
I decided to make a 5×7 card. After cutting out the cardstock base, I was short on a good glue to use. I went with double sided tape, which I didn’t expect to work.
After about 5 minutes of sticking sloppily-cut paint chips to a poor adhesive, I got an exacto knife and trimmed the back.
Done! That took about 10 minutes and was totally free.
Washer Monogram
For the monogram, I used 24 #10 washers and about 30 #6 washers from Lowe’s. I printed off a 800 font-size Times New Roman F, and laid them out to test. Looked awesome.
I then taped the template down, taped the actual paper on top, and glued the washers in place using some craft glue I had lying around.
I worked in about 2″ sections. I put a layer of glue down, and then pushed the washers together from the edges of the paper.
It ended up looking pretty terrible. The side of the F was too much like my inspirational S. So, I rinsed the washers off of the paper in the sink, and started over.
The second attempt ended up much less sinuous. This was my most expensive art so far, at less than $3 for the washers.
Yard Stick Art
I may like the yard stick art the most; I haven’t decided yet. It was definitely the most work; it even required power tools.
I bought 3 yard sticks at Lowe’s for $.72 apiece. I stained them (4 different colors, including polyurethane only) when I got them home, and then polyurethaned them all. Then I had to wait. That part is always terrible.
After they were dry, I grabbed the frame I wanted to use (this one just happened to be an 8×10) and cut the yardsticks down with a chop saw to fill in the frame. Once I had the layout, I put a pencil line around the edges where I needed to trim.
I used a scroll saw to trim the pieces down. Most of the cuts look terrible, but they’re hidden by the frame.
Done! Three frames filled, and I’m only out about $6.
You are amazing, Grandaughter of mine. Wish I had your patience and talent. In case you didn’t get it. I love them, and love you!
Aahh…too cool. I’M FEELING MOTIVATED 😉
[…] started this project months ago, and I’ve worked on it off and on since […]