Are you a pet lover like myself? I currently have 5 dogs in our home, but lets not fool each other, I have my favorite. So, to commemorate my love for my beloved Ace, I created this bright, fun, personalized frame. Within my first box from The Glittery Hands Box, I received a wooden frame to help get me started in my projects, but you can pick these up at your local craft store. There were two different patterned papers included, so I chose my favorite and found some complimentary color paint in my closet. This frame was SO easy to create, and the technique can be used on so many other wooden surfaces.
Directions:
Here's a helpful hint: Make sure you sand your wooden frame down before you start to get a nice smooth working surface. Don't do like I did and just jump right into your project! I got a little excited and skipped this step, but it still came out great.
While that dries, tear your patterned paper so that it gives that nice white torn edge. Cut your paper to size, leaving a little on each edge so that you can wrap the paper around the frame. Make sure to cut the middle section too, where the photo will go; you'll be left with a U shaped piece of paper.
Once your paint has dried, place a light coat of mod podge on the bottom of your frame and carefully place your paper down. You don't want to put too much, or the paper will bubble or even tear. Make sure you do the same around all the edges, kind of wrapping it like a gift. Let this dry completely.
Next, take your shrink paper and create your desired design. I chose a bone shape with my dog's name in the middle. I used Sharpie markers to draw. If you have a cat, a cute idea would be to draw a fish shape with their name in the middle! Either way, make sure you draw it big enough, as the paper will shrink considerably when heated. I made my original design about 3.5" and it shrunk down to about 1".
Fussy cut your design out. You can either place this paper in the oven for a few seconds, or simply use your heat gun. I loved this trick since I was only working with one design and it was small enough. Start to heat up your design with your heat gun. Don't get frightened as you watch it shrivel up, it will eventually flatten out. Once it looks complete, do use a flat surface to make sure it is completely flattened before it cools.
Last step is to glue your name tag onto the top of your frame and add your darling pet's photo!
I love this project as it can be customized in so many ways. The bright colors make for a great summer frame to showcase your pet.
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