Friday I did some yard sale hopping. At my second sale I picked up this funky picture frame which totally looks like a haunted house. I wasn’t completely sure what I was going to do with it, but I bought it anyway.
This thing has definitely been floating around since the ’70′s. Gee, I wonder why? Check out the shirt collars in this pic from the bottom center of the frame.
I started to think it would make a great Halloween decoration. With a little modification by me, of course. My first thought was black spray paint but I wanted something…more.
Heather from Dollar Store Crafts had recently painted some bird houses with the new Krylon Glitter Blast in Starry Night and I really liked the look. So I made a trip to Pat Catan’s (which is the only craft store in our small town) to see if they carried the Glitter Blast. Woohoo!! Found it!
Now I will say, this is not exactly cheap. I paid $6.97 for a 5 oz. can. However, if you want a really good sparkly finish with the convenience of a spray paint, this is it. I did give the frame a couple light coats of regular black spray paint that I had on hand (cheapy $1 can) before I added the Glitter Blast.
The glitter is kind of hard to see in the photo but it really does look very cool. Because this frame did not have any glass I lined it with tissue paper and then regular white computer paper to kind of mimic the back of curtains and to soften the lights I added later.
I used black construction paper (bought a pad at a yard sale for $.25) to make silhouettes of Halloween type figures. Tip – when drawing on black construction paper it helps to use a white or light colored pencil. Regular pencil will be very hard to see.
To get some ideas, I Googled Halloween silhouettes and then drew them free-hand. Ok, to be honest, the hubby drew the cat and the owl but I drew the rest. (I will pat myself on the back here since I always say I couldn’t draw a straight line if my life depended on it) Cut out the silhouettes, dab a little hot glue on ‘em and pop ‘em in the window openings. One little mistake was using the picture insert from the frame to gauge the sizes. I didn’t realize until I was done that the rat ended up in a double pane window since the frame insert only showed one larger photo.
Spooky, aren’t they? Now to make it back-lit so they will show up. Here again I had some help from the hubby. Actually, he thought it was a cool idea and wanted to play too. So while I was drawing and cutting he was cutting an extra piece of cardboard to make the frame deeper to accommodate the lights.
Also got these at Pat Catan’s for $2.00. They are orange and yellow “candy corn” lights. Below, all you can really see is the orange but when lit, you can definitely see both colors.
Hubby cut little x’s in the cardboard and frame backing, then inserted the lights in the x. In a couple places where the lights kept popping out, he added a small dab of hot glue to the side of the plastic light base.
A few dabs of hot glue keep the back attached to the frame. If you can see the circle cut outs above, this is where the back slipped onto plastic posts which had little caps. None of those metal pieces that bend up to take the back off. Time to light it up and check out our work.
I think it turned out pretty good if I do say so myself. I also think this back-lit concept could be replicated with a box for any holiday. I might just have to try some different ideas. If I do, I’ll be sure to post them here for your enjoyment and inspiration. If you decide to try it, please let me know and I will post it here.
So the question of the day…..Are you sick of Halloween decor yet even though we are more than a month away? I think I’m getting there real quick. Next thing you know I’ll be posting Christmas stuff.
Please take a minute to scroll down and leave a comment. I would love to know what you think. Did this inspire you? Will you use this as a jumping off point for your own project? Or just say – Hi, I was here. Comments are the only way to let me know what you are thinking. If you enjoyed, please share with your friends or followers. Thanks =)
Andrea
Perfect in time for Halloween!
42 Responses
Rachel
Ahhh… you’re killing me. I saw this picture frame on etsy and went to buy it the next day and it was gone. If you ever decide to sell, let me know.