Easy Paint Distressed Frame {mother’s day gift idea!}

Happy Tuesday, Crafters! Who needs a quick and easy handmade Mother’s Day gift idea? Well, I have one I know you’re going to love! {i know i do!} It turned out super pretty! I painted one of my whimsical wood frames a robin’s egg blue and distressed it with a touch of black. Which makes the funky curves really stand out.

Hello, Beautiful Frame. how to distress wood with paintWouldn’t this make a thoughtful Mother’s Day gift?! After you paint the frame, simply pop in a picture of some loved ones and you’re all set. sweet. love it.

 how to paint a picture frame

Here’s a quick before and after of the frames.

I was lucky enough to have Plaid Crafts challenge me to make a Mother’s Day gift using some goodies from Martha Stewart crafts extensive paint line….

martha stewart crafts

There was a lot of fun tools and gadgets to play with! I about died when I opened the box and found all this loot inside.

So I really wanted to test out the MS Crafts Spray Paint Kit to see if it worked….. {i won’t lie, i was a bit skeptical!} And I am happy to report that it works great! The finish isn’t quite as smooth as what you’d get from an actual can of spray paint, but other than that, I love it! I’m always needing just a little spray paint for one project and hate having to fork over $4-$5 to buy a can of paint for one small item.

So I’m sure I’ll get plenty of use out of the spray paint tool . Plus, it was easy to clean up. {phew}

How to Use Martha Stewart Crafts Spray Paint Tool

martha stewart spray paint kit

  1.  Martha Stewart Spray Paint Tool and a bottle of Martha Stewart Satin finish craft paint. {the paint color I used is Surf} 
  2. You’ll want to thin the craft paint to a 1:1 ratio with the Satin Spray Medium included in the kit. So I added 2 oz Satin Spray Medium into one of the empty bottles that comes in the kit. {there are measurement guides on the side of the bottle}
  3. Then I added 2 oz Satin Craft paint, so I had a total of 4 oz in the bottle. Put the lid on the bottle and shake well.
  4. Attach the sprayer to the bottle of paint and align the red dot on the spray button with the V notch at the top of the bottle. {do not shake the bottle after Step 3}
  5. Practice spraying on a scrap piece of paper. Do not tilt the sprayer more than 45 degrees. {it took me a little bit to figure out the right angle. once you figure that out, you’re good to go!}

***I only had to do 2 coats of paint on my unfinished wood frame with this spray paint tool. This sprayer gives you good coverage! Usually I have to do 3 coats of spray paint on these frames.***

Easy Distressing

Now this is how I added the distressed look to my painted frame. I use this technique a lot and it turns out great every time!

how to distress wood

  1. I used a foam brush, black craft paint, Martha Stewart Tintable Glaze, 100 grit sandpaper, and wet wipes.
  2. Lightly sand the edges of the frame where you’d like the distressing to show.
  3. In a paper cup, combine a little black paint with the glaze until you get the translucency you want. {my ratio was roughly 2  parts glaze to 1 part black paint.} You won’t need much of this mixture, like the size of a quarter did my entire 8×10 frame. Using your sponge brush, apply the glaze mixture along the sanded edges.
  4. Using a wet wipe {or baby wipe :) dab and wipe off the glaze until you get the look you want. {I usually do a thick line, wipe, and then dry brush on a little more and dab with the wipe as needed.}TIP: play around and figure out what you like. the best part about doing this with a wet wipe, is if you don’t like it, you can instantly wipe it off and start again.

I love this pretty frame! I think I’m going to have to make one for myself now, ha!

Thanks for the fun opportunity Plaid! You can also find them on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.

happy crafting!

linda

disclosure: this post is brought to you by Plaid Crafts. all opinions are 100% mine.

Linda
Hi! I'm Linda, the craft addict behind Craftaholics Anonymous®, a craft blog. Crafting is cheaper than therapy, right? When I'm not DIYing something, I can be found taxiing around our 4 crazy kids or working out. Or shoe shopping... because you can never have too many shoes! Happy crafting! ♥
Linda
Linda

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