Way back in the summer I made some cheap ‘n easy artwork for our new house. It features some ferns from our very own backyard.
It started with some super cheap wooden picture frames from Zellers. These were $2.50 a piece! And a can of gray spray paint…
Remove the glass from the frames and spray paint the frames. Remember to use light even coats to build up the colour instead of one heavy, gloppy coat. It dries really fast, so don’t worry about multiple coats taking too much time.
Next I picked up an old book from Good Will – one that I wasn’t planning to read – ever!
Librarians look away…next you cut a few pages out of the book.
Overlap a few book pages to cover the back board of the picture frame and use some tape on the very edges to hold it in place.
Now select some choice ferns from the garden – or a walk in woods?
Place a fern on top of the page-covered back board and assemble the frame with the glass. Et Voila!
It’s sort of a take on the classic botanical print and has a vintage, old typeface element with some patina. And talk about cheap! We’ve got these leaned up, three in a row along the backsplash in our kitchen where they add a nice decorative layer.
Why not give them a try?
Do the leaves turn brown after a while?
Well I made that project in June and it’s almost March and they are perfectly green, so I guess not! Maybe over years, but for $2.50 a pop I can afford it!
Michael