Frames, Frames, Frames!

I'm a sucker for a pretty frame!  Whenever I'm at a flea market or thrift store, one of the things I'm drawn to is frames!  The problem is, what to do with them.  I love the old, traditional hymns so I thought I'd collage a few and frame them in a grouping but you could frame anything . . . other favorite songs, poems by your favorite poet, sayings or just about anything!

The larger frame pictured above was light wood so I first painted it black, then with my favorite white (Behr Perfect Pearl), then sanded to reveal the black.  The small detailed frame to the right was a bronze color and I sprayed it with flat black paint and sanded lightly.  The tiny, simple frame (below) was green wood that I painted white, dry brushed using some of my living room wall paint and then distressed. 

First I scanned the hymns, then resized them using my photo editing program to fit each frame.  After printing,  I used some of my rubber stamps to 'antique' the images.  I sponged a light caramel color around the edges to finish giving it that vintage/worn look and then sponged the entire piece with VersaMark ink and topped with clear embossing powder which was heated with my heat gun to give it a matte finish.  

The filigree designs are one of my favorite products to play with: Tim Holtz's Grungeboard.  It's so versatile -- these pieces were created by running the product through a Cuttlebug machine and punching out the designs but you can cut it, color it (I used a Stampin' Up! water-based marker here) emboss it and so much more!  

I adhered these with Elmer's spray glue (another fav product!).  Caution:  You'll want to spray your pieces INSIDE a cardboard box -- the spray is VERY sticky and if you don't do this, you're likely to have sticky floors, furniture, walls . . . you get the picture.  After I put the collaged piece in the frame I decided it needed a little something so I created the little tag and adhered it with Gorilla Glue to the frame.  Trick:  To print directly on the tag I first printed out the two words on paper.  I used removable adhesive to attach the tag OVER the printed area and then ran it through the printer again . . . voila!  The words are on the tag!  Here's my finished 'arrangement'.  A fun way to express your love of music, poetry or other passion -- FRAME it!  Got any other ideas for using frames?  Send them along and I may post them on my blog!  P.S.  The tiny frame with the Bible verse on it -- well that went to a dear friend as a gift so I made a replacement for it that I'll post soon!