iLoveToCreate Blog: Cute as a Button Frame!

I'm a quirky gal. It's who I am; it's what I do. So, it will probably be no surprise that I'm also a big fan of coordinating my frames with my photos. The challenge being however, that I can't always find a frame to fit my photographic whim or if I can, they're often not in my price range.

This was the conundrum of displaying a shot taken of my daughter Clover (when she was weeks old) and Jennifer Perkins' daughter Talullah (at 4 1/2 months), wearing matching outfits made by Jen's mom. Because the outfits themselves are adorably kitschy and the photo would likely live in Clover's room, I wanted something that would both coordinate and exude the playfulness of our wee, little lasses. Thankfully, with a plain frame and a few mainstay craft supplies, the task at hand was an easy one! Here's how I did it and how you can make your own version to match your mood...or your photograph!

Materials

Flat Front Frame

Assorted Buttons

Craft Paint

Sponge Brushes

Liquid Fusion

Crafty Chica Glossy Gloss Varnish

How-To

Choose an aspect of your photo that you'd like to match colors with. It could be the blue of an ocean, the golden tones in a subject's blond hair or, like in my picture, the orange & lavender from two little cutie pies' outfits.

Go through your button stash and choose coordinating shades. I dig the eclectic look of varying shapes and styles, but you could also go more uniform by using just one shape or color of button. Set buttons aside.

Remove the back and glass from frame. Paint frame with desired color. Depending on the surface of your frame, you'll likely need to either use a primer, lightly sand or, just use several coats of craft paint. Let dry.