Definition Wall Art {Ugly Mat Upcycled with Drop Cloth}
July 16, 2012 by Aimee • 16 Comments
I had fun upcycling art that I snagged at the goodwill on 50% off day and giving it a new look and a strong purpose: Definition Framed Wall Art. We pray daily for our sweet boys! Some days, I’m lost in dreams as I see their talents and potential! And on other days, I take a deep breath and brace myself as I consider the huge responsibility of steering their precious little hearts!
Here are the two new old goodwill prints I gave a new lease on life! Not too bad in its current state, right! It was just a bit too, “Ralph Lauren-ish” of a look for my boys’ bedroom.
So I pulled it apart, grabbed the mats and some leftover scrap drop cloth from other burlap projects.
Drew an ‘X’ from corner to corner…then cut along the lines.
A line of hot glue one side at a time…then folded the drop cloth triangles up. When all the sides had been pulled up, I cut the excess triangles and folded the fabric over the outside edge, securing with more hot glue. (Helpful Hint: be sure not to pull overly tight when covering the mat – the fabric on the other sides will get all bunched up).
Iron the drop cloth mat using heavy spray starch. A coat of orange spray paint on the frame…ready to be a source of inspiration for my precious little boys!
Below are the ‘courage’ and ‘honor’ definitions…11×14 so they’re easily printed at the photo store in a lustre finish, and plenty of white space around the definition so it would work in the 9×12 mat opening.
Here in Lexington, KY, it seems as if every other person has one of those horse prints, and I am pretty tired of them. I love what you did with yours. It’s very creative!!!
What a great idea. I have spray painted mats before, but this is an idea I will definitely keep in mind.
I am not big on prints well I love looking at them but when it comes to decorating my wallls I am more into hanging photos of my family.
Cute, cheap, and simple! Love it!
This is SO sweet! I love these definitions in a frame! Such great reminders to your boys {and you}! Thanks for sharing!
That’s such a great repurpose on the frames, & I love what you used inside.
CAS
Great upcycle! I love the orange frame.
Pinned!
I really like typography as art and I love an inspired message … wonderful words for your boys to think about. Great texture on the matt with the drop cloth wrap and great tip to **iron** the matt after covering it with fabric. I’m a huge fan of orange too.
Robin
happilyhomeafter.blogspot.com
What a fantastic idea! Definitely going to try this soon. I’m always finding inexpensive thrift store frames.
Angela
This is so cute!Great upcycle and great idea! You should link this up to The CSI project starting today. The challenge is refashions/upcycles. This would be perfect and you just might be a winner!
Come on by!
http://www.thecsiproject.com
Such a great idea. There are always a million frames with hideous mats at the thrift store. I love it.
I love this idea! I have some old frames at home that I can re-purpose this way! Thanks for sharing.
This is such a smart idea! Definitely a really great upcycle on some not so beautiful artwork
These look so good! I love the upcycling (those pics look so big – great find!!), and the words are really special.
Wow! What an insanely easy, yet amazing idea! I have seen matting painted, but this just opens up a whole new world to me!
Thanks for sharing such a great idea! Visiting from Thrifty Decor Chick!
Allison
Those are really great. I’d like to do something similar in my little guy’s room. I’m lovin’ those orange frames!