How to Assemble and Decorate a Picture Frame

Stamped picture frames

Project designed by Nathalie Metivier.

Assembling the Frame

Materials and Tools:
Magenta square picture frame kit (including four cardboard frame pieces, one cardboard leg, one cardboard square, one piece of glass, four paper frames of different colors and all hardware)
12" x 12", 7" x 7" and 5" x 6" pieces of Mulberry paper or similar paper
glue stick
scissors
hammer

Steps:
1. Glue the four cardboard frames together, one on top of another, making sure that the frame with the smaller opening is on top of the others. All outer edges should be aligned.

2. Put glue on the front of the frames and place it in middle of the 12" x 12" piece of Mulberry paper with the front side facing down.

3. Fold all sides of the paper to cover the frames.

4. Cut the corners of the paper to make folding easier. Set aside.

5. Put glue on the 7" x 7" square of the same decorative paper. Place the back of the cardboard square in the middle and fold the paper around it. Put aside.

6. Glue the 5" x 6" paper and center the leg piece of cardboard on the paper. Fold the paper around it. Put aside.

7. Put the square cardboard piece into place on the back of the cardboard frames. Push screws through the cardboard square, turn the screws and hammer them into the frame.

9. Hammer the Hanger into the Frame.

10. Place the cardboard leg on back of the frames, position the hinge and hammer them together. Remove the back and the leg then put the glass and the picture into the frame.

Decorating the Top Frame

Materials and Tools:
Magenta stamps:
- outlined flower (02-177-G)
- bold flower (G-0301)
paper frame
stylus tool and two white foam, oval-shaped tips
Colorbox pigment ink pads - moss green, yellow and cyan
Colorbox permanent black ink pad
thin sheet of paper
repositionable glue stick
scissors

Steps:

1. Using a permanent black ink pad, stamp the outlined flower stamp several times onto the paper frame.

2. Stamp the bold flower stamp onto a thin sheet of paper several times. Cut the flowers out and glue them onto the frame. Cover the flowers with a "masks" of thin paper.

3. Ink the tip of a stylus by dipping it onto a moss green ink pad. Start creating the background around the images by dabbing the tip onto the frame many times in various directions. Remove the masks from the flowers.

4. Use the stylus to color the flowers with shades of white, yellow and cyan.

Creating a Pattern

Materials and Tools:
Magenta stamps - pinwheel flower (14-256-H)
paper frame
black stylus and two diamond-shaped tips
Colorbox pigment ink pads - eggplant, roussillon and chestnut
Colorbox raven black or other dark color of pigment
clear embossing powder
heat gun

Steps:
1. Hold the tip of a black-tipped stylus 1/2 inch above a 75-watt light bulb for 15 to 25 seconds.

2. Quickly press the heated foam tip against a against a stamp for 10 to 15 seconds to impress the stamp's design on to the foam.

3. Dip this stylus tip onto an eggplant-colored stamp pad. Stamp the square-shaped image in the upper left corner of the paper frame. Dip the tip of a non-molded stylus into roussillon-colored ink and stamp next to the image created with the molded stylus. Alternate the two patterns and colors to create a checkered pattern.

4. Brush clear embossing powder over the surface of the frame and heat with a heat gun. To create a darkened look, rub the surface of a black pigment ink pad over the entire surface of the paper and then wipe off the ink with a paper towel. Shadows of black ink will remain on the paper, creating a "burnt" look.

Tips:

• Do not use halogen bulbs or heat guns to heat the stylus tips, as they will quickly overheat and could quite possibly damage the tips.
• If the image created by molding is not clear enough, heat it for a longer period of time.
• Mold patterns onto the stylus that are bold and not overly-detailed.