Picture Frame Project

I wanted to share my photo frame project with you.  I love the look that this piece may have been part of an old building or an old wall or something like that.  I tried to put my vision of an old world type surface on this frame, but have other little subjects I am going to redo also.  So I will leave some step by step instructions and you can make one too or something similar if you like it. 

You will need vintage papers, decoupage or glue, plaster of paris, a little bit of instant coffee crystals, and if you do not want to use coffee, you can use the color of paint you think might work better, like a cement color, or a little brownish, it's all up to you.

Start by glueing down your papers onto your subject.  I found this little wooden frame at Walmart, but you could use just about anything you want to re-cover.

After you have all of your papers glued down, you will start adding your plaster of paris.  For the plaster of paris just follow the directions on the box, the consistency I had was a little thicker than pancake batter.  I just started applying it on the frame a little here and there, you want to get the affect of a cracked wall or what an old building might look like.  I left spaces untouched so the paper is showing, so it will look like the cement has been chipped off, broken off.   

Here is where your instant coffee crystals come into play.  While the plaster of paris is still wet sprinkle your coffee crystals around and swirl the granuals in with the plaster of paris.  It really adds a very aged look to the mix. 

After it was all dry ( I let it sit overnight), I added a little graphic and as you can see I forgot to add my plaster of paris to the inside of the frame.  So if you are using a frame like this, don't forget to do the inside also.  I just added a little cement colored paint after I noticed I left it untouched.  Also, I added a little coloring after it had dried, there were spots that were a little too white and I wanted a vintage look for this. 

I hope you have fun with this technique, and if you make something, please let me know, I would love to see it!!  Have fun!