I love the old frame look to decorate a shelf or table top. With Annie Sloan dark wax you can take a modern frame and make it look old. I found several frames at the local thrift store that needed a make over. Here are a few.
The best frames to use for this are ones that have texture. Pick you paint color and paint the frame. Then give it a light distressing. I like to use the wet distress method because most modern frames are not wood and when you sand it down with sand paper you will uncover whatever material the frame is made of. This is often white in color. If you use a wet rag and rub the paint off in the area’s you want it distressed you are can just go to the finish on the surface of the frame.
As you can see in the first picture I painted the frame, that had been a dark brown, in ASCP Old White. I started using the sand paper and quickly realized that under the finish the frame was white. So I used a wet rag to do the rest. Then I put a clear wax finish over the frame and then worked the dark wax in the crevices of the design on the frame. It brings out the design as well as making the frame look like an antique. When you are using dark wax remember that if you have an area on your project that is darker than you want it to be with the dark wax, use a little clear wax and rub it over the area that you want to lighten up and it will take some of the dark wax off. Once I was done with the dark wax I used a Gilders Paste Wax in German Silver to add another layer of antiquing.
The paste wax is easy to use. Just rub a finger over the wax and then rub your finger over the area’s you want the gold leaf look. It rubs of easily if you get it on a area you didn’t intend to. Here are a few of the frames I have finished using this method. Both of these were painted in ASCP Old Ochre.
Rather than spending hundreds of dollars on antique frames, buy a few from the thrift store and turn them into “antiques”. You can use different colors to get the look you want. Easy, quick and fun as always. Oh the possibilities Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and wax offers! I would love to hear about some of the projects you have done (or want to do) to turn a modern piece into an “antique’d treasure”. Leave a message and tell me about it.
Thanks for taking a look
Cindy
