diy playroom art, on a budget

If you were reading, you might remember this post from last week, well I finished the project! So, here is the "how-to".

First, I used the Malma Mirrors from Ikea. Once upon a time, I purchased 6 of them.  At $2.99, the price couldn't be beat...I new I would get inspiration to use them someday.

 

In order to remove the mirror from each frame, I used a box cutter to cut the glue around the edges of the mirror.  Then, I knocked the mirror loose by gently hitting it with a rubber mallet. I'll admit, it did require a bit of elbow grease, but it only took me about 45 minutes to do all 6.  

After mirror removal, the frames were ready for paint.  I simply painted two coats of white, semi-gloss paint on each frame.  If you want to see less would grain, you could definitely go with three coats since the natural wood really soaks up the paint.  Or, you could use primer as the base coat.  For me, I usually try to use what I have on hand to avoid any unnecessary spending.  

Now, the frames were ready for the art.

For the artwork, I cut each picture to size using my handy-dandy paper cutter.  At which point, I glued (using non-toxic, acid-free glue) each picture to a piece of foam core board that I cut to the same size as the pictures and frame opening--4.5x4.5 inches.  I did contemplate using spray adhesive, but it's so toxic--a little Martha Stewart glue did the trick perfectly.  

Then, I inserted my foam core pictures into the freshly painted frames and I secured them into place with one 1/4 inch staple from my staple gun.  

 

By the way, instead of using the rather complicated picture hangers that came with the frames, I nailed saw-tooth picture hooks into the back of each frame.  These toothy things definitely made hanging easier.

 

 Basically, that is the process.  Here are a few close ups. 

 

  

The playroom is in our basement and has been void of natural light lately due the consistent lack of sun; so, I apologize for the poor quality of these pics.  As soon as I see some sun, I'll snap some new ones to really show off how great this little project really turned out.  

Overall, I had fun doing this project and I'm pleased with the result and price. 

Frames: 15.00

Art: 1.98 (cost of printing)

Paint: Free from basement

Picture Hangers: Free from basement

Foam Core: Free from office

Total Cost: $16.98

If you would like to make this project too, I've posted a .pdf file of my artwork in the sidebar under From the30girl... Or, email me and I will send you the original jpeg files.

Thanks for reading!