Quote Frame for the New Year

 

It's the time of the year again, when we are thinking about the New Year and all the possibilities and new beginnings. I wanted to create a lovely, framed motto for the year 2021, to be kept somewhere visible throughout the year. As I love Emily Dickinson’s poems so much, it felt fitting to choose one. Or, actually I pick two, as I made a live video tutorial for Finnabair and Re.design with Prima and ended up having two frames.

 

Here’s how I did it.

 

I’ll explain you through the process, and list everything I used, but obviously the colour choices and materials are yours to decide.

 

 

 

YOU’LL NEED:

 

-       Frame of your choice. I used Prima’s Petite Round and Chantilly Royal resin frames.

-       Gesso, optional. If you use wooden frames, I recommend using gesso. My pick would be Finnabair HeavyGesso, of course.

 

-       Glue. I used Aleene’s Tacky Glue, but you can use any glue you like. Finnabair Heavy BodyGel works brilliantly, too.

 

-       Finnabair TextureEffect Paste Old Walls set, green and blue.

 

-       Finnabair TexturePaste Clear Crackle

-       Impasto Paints. I used Dark Chocolate, Linen, and Pitch Black

 

-       Finnabair Metallic Waxes. I used White Pearl, Vintage Gold, White Gold

 

-       Finnabair MicaPowder Set, brown & gold

 

-       Finnabair Soft GlossGel.

 

-       Baby wipes

 

-       Quote print. Coffee & tea dyed if you wish

 

 

STEP 1.

 

I tested that for the resin frame, it’s completely same outcome if you use gesso or not, so I left it out. But, if you use any material that absorbs the paints and mediums like wood or cardboard, I recommend using gesso before proceeding to other mediums.

 

First, I painted the frame with green texture paste from the Old Wall rust effect set, and before it was completely dry, added some blue paste here and there, blending the two shades together. This paste will give the frame a tattered, worn out look with the tiny morsels in it clustering randomly throughout the frame. Don’t forget to paint the sides of the frame, too.

 

STEP 2.

 

Next, I applied a thick layer of Clear Crackle paste. I know it should dry preferably overnight to make the most of the crackle effect, but I needed it to dry quickly as I was doing a live stream and couldn’t possibly wait. So, I did like this. (Please remember that this worked for me and the resin frame I used, so I can’t guarantee it works on wood or other materials.) I used a heating tool and heated the frame for maybe 30 seconds or so, let it cool and repeated the process a couple of times. This made the whole resin frame warming a bit and I think that was why it quickened the crackling process successfully.

 

STEP 3.

 

After the crackling paste was dryish and there might have been some crackles visible, if you wanted badly to see them, I started adding depth with a mix of brown and black Impasto paints. With lots of water and only a hint of acrylic paints, I added shadowing and highlighting the frame, wiping most of the paint off with a moist baby wipe, and repeated the process until I had added highlights and shadows to the whole frame, including the sides. Then I used heating tool, again in approx. 30 second pulses for a couple of times, and now I could already see some crackles starting to form.

STEP 4.

 

After the frame was dry, I added soft white, Linen Impasto paint with a dry brush and dapped the paint unevenly for more rusty effect. Then I wiped and spread it a bit with moist baby wipe, until I was satisfied with the look. You can also use mister or a spray bottle and sprinkle some water over the paint and wipe most of it off with a baby wipe. This will make a bit gentler outcome, but I aimed for really crumbled, peeling look. And, again, I used heating tool for approx. 30 second pulses for a while.

STEP 5.

 

Next, I took dark brown and brighter gold mica powders and mixed them with a drop of water and used a mixture for highlighting the frame, adding gentle brush strokes here and there. Then I mixed dark brown mica powder and black acrylic paint to give really strong, but metallic shadowing to the frame, using baby wipes to blend the paints nicely to the surface. And again, I used the heating tool every now and then, and the crackling process started to look good.

 

At this point I added more linen white paint if necessary, or shadowing or golden highlighting, and used heating tool again afterwards.

STEP 6.

 

Finally, I used waxes to make the frame look shimmeringly shiny. Not too much, just a gentlest stroke of a finger here and there, as I did not want the whole frame look metallic, but as if the gilding had peeled off from most parts. First, I mixed two shades of gold wax to get the colour best repeating the tones of the frame, and added a hint of gold, but only to very few places. Then, with a merest whisper amount of white pearl wax, I added shimmer around the frame, including the sides. At this point I did not use a heating tool but let the frame dry. It didn’t take long, though, as I had added such a tiny amount of wax.

STEP 7.

 

I printed my chosen poems I had written down in right size and with a font I wanted and dipped it quickly to a dye mix I happened to have left from another project. This made the printed paper nicely vintage looking. (You can use my dyeing tutorial for laces and silks if you like, they work perfectly for paper too.)

 

I took a sturdy, used cardboard shipping box and cut a suitably sized and shaped piece for the background of the frame. (You want it to be just a bit bigger than the hole in the middle of the frame, but small enough so it won’t be visible from the sides of the frame.) Then I clued the printed quote in to the cardboard piece and added a layer of Soft Gloss Gel over the print to protect it, as there wasn’t glass in my frame.

 

If you want to hang your frame into a wall, and your frame doesn’t have any hanging hook, you can create one easily using yarn or ribbon or even lace ribbon, and glue it between the frame and the cardboard, or on the back of the cardboard. You can also play a little and add some embellishments like bows, beads, a brooch or something, into the hanging hook you have made, and use extravagant silk ribbons or the like.

 

There’s a live stream recording on Re.Design withPrima Facebook group.

 

 

How to Dress Vintage Spoons for Christmas

 

I created some vintage spoon Christmas decorations for Finnabair and Re.design with Prima on Facebook Live, and promised to make a how to blogpost, too. So, here it comes.

 

There's a huge list of materials needed, as I list everything I used, but use your imagination and your own materials, choose your own favourite colours and so on.

 

 

 

YOU'LL NEED:

 

-       Vintage spoons.

 

-       Moulds. I used Re.Design with Prima moulds Regal Trimmings, Delicate Flora, and Seashore Treasures.

-       Air dry clay. I used Fimo Air Basic and Dart, but any will do.

 

-       Silk ribbon. I used my own botanically hand dyed silks.

 

-       Glue. I used Aleene’s Tacky Glue, but you can use whatever brand you like. Finnabair Heavy Body Gel works brilliantly, too. 

 

-       White gesso, for example Finnabair Heavy Gesso.

 

-       Mica Powders. I used brown & golden and white & light green shades from Finnabair Mica Powder Sets Oriental, Serenity, and Powder Set 6pcs.

 

-       Finnabair Effect Pastes Golden Dragon and Crushed Ice.

 

-       Paints like Finnabair Impastos, Liquid Acrylics etc. I used these for highlighting: Impasto Pitch Black and Liquid Acrylic Ink Black.

-       Waxes. I used Finnabair Metallic Waxes White Pearl and Vintage Gold.

 

-       Embellishments like crystals, beads, charms…

 

 

STEP 1.

 

Choose a spoon you’d like to use. I tried to find vintage spoons that had a hole in the upper part of the handle, so it’d be easy to put a ribbon through it for hanging, but as those are usually far and between, spoons with no holes in the handle would do just fine, too.  

 

You can also cut the spoon in half; that way you will have two décor pieces. Bend the edges as a loop, and they’ll be extra easy to hang into a Christmas tree or for any place you’d like. 

 

Use air dray clay and a mould and make a suitably sized and shaped decoration piece for the spoon. Add some glue (don’t overdo it) in the back and stick it to the spoon. Let dry, preferably overnight. (A tip: if you have problems with getting the clay out of the mould, put just a hint of corn flour into the mould before adding the clay, it should do the trick.)

STEP 2.

 

You can choose your own way of painting the spoons, I did it like this. For some, I first added a thin layer of gesso, for some I only added gesso for the clay pieces, depending how I wanted them to look; if I wanted an even layer of for example dusty rose paint, I added gesso first, but if I wanted the vintage golden shade of the spoon to be visible, I only painted the clay part with gesso. 

 

Pick the paints and colours you want and have fun. I mixed some mica powders as I love them so much, and painted the parts of the spoons I wanted, usually I added a thin layer of mica powders to the whole spoon for an even effect but concentrated on the clay piece for highlighting and giving depth. For this, I used different shades of mica powders, but also a hint of Impasto or Liquid Acrylic black paints.

 

STEP 3.

 

After painting, I let the spoons dry, and then added thin layer of Effect Paste all over the spoon. For golden coloured spoons I used Golden Dragon, for silver or white coloured ones I used Crushed Ice.

 

 

STEP 4.

 

Add a ribbon for hanging the spoon. I used mulberry silk ribbons I had hand dyed using herbs and flowers from our own garden. (Here’s a detailed step by step tutorial.)  

 

If you have a drill, you can make holes into your spoons for adding extra embellishments like crystal droplets or tear drop pearls to hang from the tip of the spoon. You can also add some embellishments to the ribbons, if you like.

 

You can choose Christmassy colours, shapes, and decorations, or you can use any kind of colours you want, and use the spoons for embellishing a birthday present, make a spoon chandelier, or use whatever clever idea you have in mind for them!

A full tutorial video on Re.design with Prima Facebook group.