From Gold to Grunge

Don't we all have an old frame or two in the garage?   I know I have way too many, (as my husband reminds me).

I decided to see what I had, as I had bought a new piece of art and the size was unusual. Normally I would go to the framer, but I thought, wait a minute I think I have one that might just fit with some adjustments.  The frame came from a garage sale and that person had bought it at Goodwill, just like my intentions for all those "bargain finds" that never get completed.

Lovely, but not my style....

READY?

I started by wiping it off with a damp rag just to get any garage ca-ca off of it.   Then the fun begins.   I chose Driftwood for my base color.   I often add clear coat to my paint, in this case, I did not as I wanted heavy coverage to get rid of the gold.

I allowed this coat to dry.   

I noticed that the flaws of uneven miters showed up, so I added swamp mud in the miters to make it look more professionally done...Hey, what do I want from a $1.00 frame???

I made sure to even it out and wipe off excess using my fingers.  I rubbed it away from the decorative beading so I would still have definition of the beads.   I again, allowed it to dry thoroughly.

Another coat of Driftwood covers the miter fix-up.

NOW FOR THE REAL FUN!!!

Grunge Glaze applied with cheesecloth.

You can use a brush if you want, or an old towel or jersey.   For this amount of decorative detail, I thought the cheesecloth would allow me to get into nooks and crannies.  At the same time, I did not want pools of glaze "clogging up" the details and this allowed me freedom.

I worked the glaze until I felt it was just right.  It is so incredibly easy to use and it's water based, so cleanup was simple with soap and water.

Dried again and a review of the appearance, then a layer of clear coat to seal in all the yumminess.

Now to frame the art.  The frame had a dated mat with a gold layer.   Not the ticket for this new one.  I dismantled the mats and then cut the art to fit the mat.  I think it now looks like a well loved frame perhaps from an old salon, what do you think?

Here we are, what a transformation!  The art is funky and the frame tempers the funkiness, I think. 

The art was created by LuLu My Pink Turtle from Canada.