Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Flea market find becomes a holiday gift...


I found a framed metal wall-decor candle holder at a local flea market for next to nothing. This black and white photo of my friend, Brynn, and her husband was just too pretty to keep in an album, so, for Christmas, I decided to create a romantic home decor piece they can enjoy every day.

I used a Kits2Remember 12 x 12 acrylic panel for the lower left side, overlaid with a Creative Imaginations transparency, and a cover 8 x 8 chipboard sheet, to balance the 11 x 14 photo. I backed the photo with a metal panel 1) for support and 2) so that it can be easily removed and replaced with an updated photo later on. I adhered two large, strong magnets to the top of the frame and just set the photo panel on top. I added a sponge behind the photo for the panel to rest on. Glossy Accents was my adhesive of choice in this case - it is strong and clear.

But the metal frame was not the only items here that I found at the flea market. The large pearl flower centers are actually vintage clip-on earrings that no longer had mates. I pried the clips off the back and glued them to the flowers. Chipboard alphas, some ribbon and plenty of Prima, Fancy Pants and Bazzill paper flowers completed the main list of embellishments. Brynn said her favorite color paired with black and white was burgundy, so, using Distress Ink and Glimmer Mist, I did my best to take those reddish tones and use them throughout the piece.

It's important to do your best to plan ahead in a project like this, trying designs out before gluing them down, but also be flexible if a design doesn't particularly work the way you had envisioned. For example, with the careful weight balancing act I did with the different elements, the entire project can still be hung by a single nail or screw by the center loop in the metal wire. I has also planned to use "word bubbles" (Tim Holtz Fragments adhered to some Teresa Collins "Family Matters" paper), but the design was just too busy with them, so I took them off and will use them in another project at some point.

I am really pleased with the way the project turned out and I hope Brynn is, too!

12 comments:

Cindy F said...

Cool project, Jessica. Thank you for explaining how you did everything, too.

Jenn Christman said...

This is awesome. Wish I had something like that for my house.

Jessica Guthrie said...

Thanks, ladies... and Jen, you could totally do something like this! Just go to a flea market and let your mind wander...

MilleSent said...

I absolutely adore this!!! It combines two of my favorite things - flea markets and scrapooking. I'll be looking at all the trash to treasure items in a whole new way. Best wishes for a fabulous 2010 with a revived economy and lots of scrapbooking events!

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