Krysta said to me,
"Mom, I'm ready for a bigger girl's room. Not a teenager room, but something a little bigger than what I have now."
I was shocked because Krysta NEVER wants change. In fact, I still have a few of her toddler toys and dresses that she insists on keeping, but yet she never plays with anymore. Since she wants a
"somewhat kinda sorta, but not really a teenager room", I'm letting her take the reigns as far as picking out the colors and fabric.
Her colors: gold, silver, white, turquoise, and fuchsia. It sounds a little bizarre, but it's coming together really well. We've been working on her room with any small pockets of time that we can muster together.
I'll post each DIY project that we add to her room and once it's complete I'll do a grand reveal with links to where certain items can be purchased and/or made.
So for now, I'll start with the focal point of her room.... the GRAND WHITE HORSE PHOTOGRAPH. The white horse photograph can be purchased from
Art.com . Because we wanted to fill a large space with dramatic art, we opted for the 56x42. Since the piece is insanely large, professionally framing would have cost us an arm and a leg, possibly even our firstborn.... so we did what any DIYer would do-- built our own frame.
photograph on Art.com
Supplies:
- modpodge
- foam brush
- wood glue
- nails
- 4 furring strips $1 each at Lowes
- 1/8 inch plywood $13/sheet at Lowes
- molding (I needed 3 strips because of the large size, so just measure how much you need.) I used "Sunburst" from Lowes. It's about $18/strip, but you can opt out for something cheaper-- this was the one of the pricier strips, but I just really like the detail on the "sunburst" molding.
- clamps
- spray paint or regular paint
Total framing cost: $73 (please note: your cost depends on the size of your photograph and the style of your molding)
Steps:
1. Build the backside of your frame with the furring strips according to the size of your photograph. Add enough to each side to allow room from your molding to be sturdy on the plywood, but small enough to have a little overhang. Example: if your photograph is 8"x10", your molding is 2", make your frame roughly 9.5"x11.5".
2. Wood glue the ends and nail together. See photo below:
3. Wood glue your plywood to your frame. Clamp it down till the glue dries, preferably overnight.
4. Using a foam brush, apply modpodge to your plywood and smooth your photograph on top. I started in the middle and worked my way out-- I found that to be the easiest.
5. Next, Modpodge the top of your photograph for a glossy look and to protect it.
6. Cut each edge of your molding in 45* angles. Wood glue the edges together, again preferably overnight for maximum hold. Spray paint the molding to the color of your choice-- I choose silver.
7. Wood glue your "frame" to the top of your plywood. Clam down, so it's nice and tight.
Details:
8. Attach hardware to the back sides (not the top) AND YOU'RE DONE!
Shown displayed in Krysta's room:
Happy Creating!!!
Em
