DIY Faux Wood Photo Frame - With Prima, Frank Garcia and the Flying Unicorns

DIY Faux Wood Photo Frame -  Flying Unicorns and Prima's French Riviera by Frank Garcia

I'd like to share my Off The Page project for the Flying Unicorns March kit.  I'd also like to share my process further on down the page.  I've been in a sharing mood lately.  I feel that sometimes projects look complex and confusing - but when broken down, they just become one big "ahhhhhaaaa" moment. 

I love anything beachy, sea shorey, sandy and oceany - yeah I know those are not words but the real word for that is way to fancy.   Thalassophile   - means preference, fondness of the sea.  I prefer my words better.  At least I can pronounce my made up words.

I hope that someday I can fulfill my dream of living by the ocean along with my husband and cats, but till then, I'll keep making beachy, sea shorey, sandy and  oceany things. 

Prima's French Riviera, designed by Frank Garcia, made my job so easy.  It's gorgeous, warm, and peaceful looking -with that sandy weather worn feel. That's exactly the look I wanted to achieve with my Darice photo frame.  

Here is a close up of the faux wood frame.  If you scroll down, I'll share how I made it. 

This photo frame by Darice was included in the March, Your Passion Your Art from the Flying Unicorns.  The frame is not flat.  It has rounded sides.  The trick to the frame is to work with the rounded frame sides and create something that is durable.  For this reason I do not use hot glue.  Hot glue simply does not stand the test of time.  And by that, I even mean a year.  It starts breaking down and your beautiful embellishments could fall apart.  Well, that just isn't good. 

Think about getting a bottle of good strong glue that dries clear.  There are many brands.  My favorite is Beacon's 3-in-1.  It's clear, fast, durable and adheres darn near anything TO anything. 

Step 1.  I started with this sheet of Prima French Riviera paper Journees De Reves et Aventures 990787.  I cut 4 strips from the paper for each of my sides..  These 4 pieces look weather worn and sand beaten.   

Step 2. I used Prima's Soft Matte Gel Medium to adhere the paper to the frame.  Brush the gel medium directly onto the paper mache frame, and some on the strip of paper.  Place the strip onto the frame and brush a coat of gel medium over it making sure there are no air pockets, ripples and bubbles.  You can use a brayer as well to flatten out and remove bubbles.  

After all the sides are covered in gel medium, let dry.  The gel medium will seal the paper and make it durable, as well as protect the frame from fingerprints, stains and messes. 

Step 3. This is where my beloved Beacon's 3-in-1 glue comes into play and is important.  I am adhering thick jute to the sides of the frame.  I really would like my jute to grab and hold for me.  I have no patience for wrestling with trims, jute and cording to make them stay on projects.  They get one chance to behave for me or they get the boot. 

Step 4. I want to add some blue and sea glass colors to the projects so I decided to make my own perfectly colored embellishment.  I misted a small piece of cheesecloth and heat dried it with my heat gun.  The heat really stiffens up the cheesecloth.  I used Prima's Color Blooms in Glistening Waves and Summer Sky. 

Step 5.   Adhere little snips of the cheesecloth to the frame. 

Step 6.  Cut some images from the French Riviera paper.  Adhere to the project.  If I am placing an image onto the frame, then I will use the gel medium. Slather some gel medium onto the frame, some gel onto the image, then cover it with gel medium to smooth out.   The next few photos show the embellishments. 

I added some cardboard to the back of this to make it more dimensional.  The shell came back from Florida in my suitcase.    

This starfish image was adhered using gel medium.  

Step 7. Last step before all the final embellishments are added.  I  painted some watered-down white acrylic paint here and there onto the frame, embellishments, and jute.  

The final embellishments can be anything - shells, flowers, floral berries, sea glass, die cuts, drift wood...whatever you desire.   I added flowers from the French Riviera collection and floral berries. 

See how easy it is to bring the peaceful ocean to you?  Grab your collection here while it lasts.  


OTP - Supplies
(grab the  French Riviera collection here)
Flying Unicorns- Your Passion Your Art Kit for March
Prima Color Bloom Mists - Summer Sky 573867
Prima Color Bloom Mists - Glistening Waves 573942
Prima Art Basics Finnabair - Soft Matte Gel 961428
Prima French Riviera Collection - paper  990756
Prima French Riviera Collection -paperJournees De Reves et Aventures 990787
Prima French Riviera Collection Flowers
Cheesecloth
Darice 5x7 Paper Mache Photo Frame 2839-12
White acrylic paint
Seashell from my stash
Floral berries from stash