Beach House Home Decor

I'm back today to share another project that I had published in the August issue of Scrap n' Art.  This is a "beach house" style altered picture frame.

Supplies: recycled frame; acrylic paint by Deco Art; teal/purple patterned paper by FabScraps; tan/green patterned paper by Paper Loft; alphabet stickers by Lily Bee; all other stickers by My Mind's Eye; buttons by October Afternoon; burlap by Canvas Corp.; twine by Crystal Palace; household stapler and sandpaper.

Oh, how I love sunny summer days at the beach!  To capture that feeling, I wanted to frame this old photo of my son and husband.  Although I've often seen the "beach house" style depicted in magazines, I had never attempted it before.  (As I Minnesotan, I tend to gravitate more toward a "northwoods" home decor style.)  But now that I've had the enjoyable hands-on experience of distressing the frame, I will definitely use this style again.

It's easy to give a "beach house"-style makeover to an old frame from a thrift store.  Lightly sand the frame, then apply a coat of white acrylic paint.  While the paint is still wet, press some burlap into it at random spots, to add a little texture.  While you're waiting for the painted frame to dry, layer together papers, stickers, and a special photo to fit inside the frame.  After the frame is dry, lightly sand it in random spots, to simulate a weather-worn look.  Embellish the project with buttons, stickers, twine, staples, and hearts cut by hand from the paint-stained burlap--and then your project is done! 

Now it's autumn, and the warmth of summer is fading fast, but I'll always have this home decor piece to brighten my days.