Alcohol Ink Picture Frame


Alright, so I know I've been making a lot of Alcohol Ink projects, but they are just so darn much fun (and they are usually pretty quick).  After I spray painted some picture frames to give them new life a couple of weeks ago, I thought--hey I bet I could alcohol ink over silver spray paint....and yep, I was right, you totally can.  I grabbed a flat photo frame from my stash to give new life to.  This one is from the 90s.  It has flowers painted all over it and is a lovely shade of neon yellow-green.  Needless to say, it didn't really go with anything in my decor.


So I grabbed the same box and spray paint from the last silver spray paint project and got to work.  I taped up the glass on this one instead of taking it off the frame as it's a shadow box frame.  The glass is held in place with wooden strips inside the frame.  I didn't feel like ripping the whole thing apart, so I taped the glass.


The finish on this frame is odd.  It's painted a bright color, and then hand painted flowers over the top of that, and then some sort of lacquer or sealer on top of the flowers, so when I spray painted it, the finish did some weird things.  I needed a few coats just to cover the flowers (as you can see above), and then as I applied more paint, the finish started pock marking.  Then when you add more spray paint you get drips and ripples, but I got it as smooth as I could and let it dry for a few days for good measure. 


Next, I laid the frame down on my craft mat (I peeled off the tape to make sure that it would come off without peeling the paint off the edges and that a bunch didn't bleed through on the glass, I just taped it back up again when I was ready to ink it up) and got my alcohol inks out.


Above is a photo of what my applicator looked like as I started inking.  I knew the inside of the frame was still lime green, so I wanted to use a some green in the alcohol inks so that it would coordinate.  I stamped around the whole frame with my first collection of colors.


I added more ink to the applicator and one different color to get some more dimension, and stamped around it again.  I wanted a fairly stippled look, so I kept on tapping my felt applicator over the colors without adding any additional ink until I got the look I was going for.  I let it dry for a bit and went about finding a photo.


The task of finding a photo was harder than I thought.  The frame is so busy that I think I'll need to switch to a black and white photo or put a white mat in the frame to break up the color, but I love the way the frame came out and even though the paint finish wasn't perfect, the ink hides most of the flaws.  I definitely proved the concept and can't wait to decorate another photo frame.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Plastic Wrap Alcohol Ink on Small Ceramic Bowl

Image
A while back I picked up some small white bowls from Big Lots ( these look similar ) with a nice satin finish. I already inked one bowl using the flame method , but I still have a few bowls left, so I decided to give one the plastic wrap treatment. I got out my craft mat and some alcohol inks . Then I cleaned my bowl with rubbing alcohol on a paper towel and removed the sale sticker from the bottom. I tore a piece of plastic wrap off the roll that was large enough to cover my bowl, and I set it down on my craft mat, being sure not to smooth it out. Then I dripped ink on the plastic wrap until I liked the combination of colors and the plastic was mostly full of color. Then I placed my bowl in the center of the plastic wrap and carefully applied the plastic wrap to the sides without smoothing it out too much (so it keeps the wrinkled pattern). Then I flipped it over to dry. I ended up using 7 colors on the bowl. I wanted something bright and fun so I we
Read more

Splatter Resist Alcohol Ink Tile

Image
I still have some ceramic tiles left from my last run to the hardware store, so when I remembered I had saved the contact paper heart from my Valentine's Day Glass Etching project, I knew exactly what I wanted to try. I grabbed some bright alcohol inks , canned air , a 6 inch ceramic tile , and my contact paper heart. I originally cut it out free hand by folding the contact paper, so it doesn't have to be perfect, but I'm sure if you have a cutting machine you could use that to make whatever shape you'd like in contact paper or vinyl. I peeled back the paper backing and applied the heart to the middle of the tile (as best as I could eyeball it). Then I rubbed down the edges of the contact paper. I squeezed out a drop of alcohol ink near the edge of the heart and used canned air to blow the drop out from the center of the tile. I usually hold the can with my right hand and a plastic lid with my left (I use the lid from the small plastic box I keep
Read more

Alcohol Ink Washer Necklaces

Image
I received a package of alcohol inks for Christmas and then bought a second set with a 50% off coupon at Michael's.  I've used them now to make coasters and to decorate some candle holders .  I was just getting my sea legs with these inks to begin with.  I applied the ink directly onto the surfaces and played around with rubbing alcohol as a blending solution.  But I thought it was high time that I used an applicator to use them the way they were intended.  Of course, the applicator is just a stamp with some velcro on it and it costs 6+ dollars....not to mention buying the pre-cut pieces of felt. So I figured I'd make my own.  I was very much in a use what you've got mentality, so I grabbed a scrap piece of wood and a couple of strips of velcro (hook and loop tape).  I used the hook side and lined two pieces up next to each other.  Luckily they were just the right width. I had the sew-on kind of velcro, so I spread some tacky glue thinly onto the surface
Read more