Okay, so I had this plain wooden photo frame lying around, gathering dust. Thought I’d jazz it up a bit, make something kinda spacey. Stars seemed like a fun idea.
Getting Started
First thing, I grabbed the stuff I needed. Didn’t need much, really.
- That old wooden frame
- Some sandpaper (just a small piece)
- Dark blue acrylic paint
- White acrylic paint
- An old toothbrush
- Some silver glitter glue (the kind kids use, works fine)
- Paintbrush
- Clear sealant spray (optional, but helps)
The Process – Step by Step
Right, so I started by giving the frame a quick wipe down. It was pretty dusty. Then, I used the sandpaper to just lightly rough up the surface. Helps the paint stick better, you know? Didn’t spend ages on it, just a quick once-over.
Next, the painting. I took the dark blue paint and gave the frame a good coat. Used a cheap brush, nothing fancy. The first coat looked a bit thin, so I let it dry for an hour or so and then slapped on a second coat. Much better. Looked like a nice night sky colour.
Making the stars was the fun part. I let the blue paint dry completely – this is important, otherwise it all just mixes together into a mess. Once it was totally dry, I got the white paint and the old toothbrush.
I dipped the tips of the toothbrush bristles into the white paint, just a tiny bit. Then, holding the toothbrush over the frame, I ran my thumb across the bristles. It flicked tiny white dots all over the blue frame. Looked like tiny, distant stars. Pretty cool effect and super easy. Had to be careful not to put too much paint on the brush though, or you get big blobs.
I let that dry too. Then, for some brighter, closer stars, I used the silver glitter glue. I just squeezed out little dots of it here and there, some bigger, some smaller. Didn’t really follow a pattern, just dotted them around where I thought they looked good.
Finishing Up
After everything was completely dry – I left it overnight just to be sure – I took it outside and gave it a quick spray with some clear sealant. Just helps protect the paint and stops the glitter from falling off everywhere. It’s optional, but I had some so I used it.
And that was basically it! Popped a photo in, and stuck it on the shelf. It’s not perfect, looks a bit homemade, but that’s the point, right? Gave that boring old frame a new look. Pretty happy with how it turned out for a quick afternoon project.
