Picture Frame Revamp

I've had these wooden picture frames around for, oh, 20 years.  I haven't actually had them hanging up for the last 12 years or so.  They held wedding photos.  Since I definitely won't be hanging those up any time soon, I thought it was time to make these frames wall worthy!

First I removed the photos and gave the glass a good washing and the frames a good dusting.  What I will do with huge wedding photos will have to be a later post.  Cut them up for a mosaic piece??  I'm sure there will be something I could use them for.

Then I took the frames outside and sprayed them using a flat black spray paint.

 I am always amazed at what a coat or two of spray paint can do.  Completely transforms!

Back inside, I took the cardboard backing that was in the frame and I placed it on top of a piece of white fabric.  I cut out around the cardboard leaving extra material all the way around.

Then I took a stapler and starting with the corners, I stapled the material taut.  You need to go as close to the edge as possible so that the staples don't show up on the other side once the fabric backing is inserted into the frame.

 This is what it looks like on the front.  Nice and tight and flat.

 I chose some favourite digital scrapbooking pages that I made a while ago and taped them onto the fabric.

I took some black bias tape from sewing box (another item I use a lot and adore).  I cut four pieces of bias tape for each picture, mitre cutting each end to give a nice frame like look.  I used a good glue to glue these into place.  The bias tape overlaps the photos a tiny bit, but are not glued to them so that I could change the photos if I wanted to.  Why I would I don't know, but I was trying to think ahead.

The black borders really made the photos pop.  I love digital scrapbooking, but I'm not experienced at the normal form.  So those white spaces will eventually be filled with little trinkets or items associated with the photos.   For now, I think they look great and the black and white combo really draws attention on the taupe wall.

This project has been linked to: Boogieboard Cottage Embellishing Life Every Day Making the World Cuter Keeping It Simple Pinkapotamus Sugar Bee Crafts