There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays

Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog: Home for the Holidays

Hello, Friends!  It’s time for another fabulous challenge over on the Frilly and Funkie Blog.  I’m the hostess for the FINAL challenge of 2016, and the theme is Home for the Holidays.

Let’s get ready to Deck the Halls by creating some home decor for the holiday season.  You can make centerpieces, wreaths, banners, ornaments, wall hangings, or little vignettes  …basically anything BUT a card for this challenge. If you don’t celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, then just make some home decor with a wintry theme.

Home for the Holidays Altered Woodland Frame

home-for-the-holidays-altered-woodland-frame-for-frilly-and-funkie-by-kathy-clement-photo-1 This may be my favorite Christmas project of the season.  I am kicking myself because I forgot to take a “before” picture of this ugly, ugly, cheap plastic frame.  You all know how much I love to go “junkin” at our local thrift shops.  Well, I found this white plastic frame in the clearance bin for under a dollar.  Now, honey, you know when an item ends up in the clearance bin at the Thrift Shop….well, it’s ugly, ugly, ugly!

However, I liked the fact that it had two openings.  And I liked that the opening on the right had a little bucket attached to it (complete with tacky plastic purple pansy ).  The right hand side had a sort of interesting (in an ugly way) ribbed panel that said plastic bucket was attached to.  Yes, it was not pretty…but it had……possibility.  So it went into my basket.  I will tell you that Dale, who no longer bats an eye at any of my crazy schemes, saw the frame in my basket he gave me “that” look and said, “Really?”  My reply?  “I feel sorry for it.”

Thus the journey began.

The Perils of Working with Plastic

home-for-the-holidays-altered-woodland-frame-for-frilly-and-funkie-by-kathy-clement-photo-2Part of the fun of creating altered art is learning how to work with new surfaces and mediums.  I will be completely honest with you here: if I ever find another ugly plastic frame in the clearance bin at the thrift shop, I will walk right past it.  Plastic is very resistant to transformation.  It took a little light sanding followed by two coats of heavy white gesso, then two more coats of heavy black gesso to prep the surface of this frame.  And you have to let each layer dry on its own, because this is plastic, people.  You cannot use a heat gun on plastic!

From Trash to Treasure

home-for-the-holidays-altered-woodland-frame-for-frilly-and-funkie-by-kathy-clement-photo-3I love the way this frame turned out.  It’s all country chic and has a great woodland feel.  Sadly, there are no step out photos as I got completely lost in the process of working with this tricky surface.  But I can tell you that I sprayed the gessoed frame with Brushed Pewter Mica Spray and it created this very cool “frosty” finish. I know it is hard to see in the photo, but take my word for it; the frame looks like Jack Frost skipped across its surface.

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

home-for-the-holidays-altered-woodland-frame-for-frilly-and-funkie-by-kathy-clement-photo-4Altering this Tim Holtz Trophy Antlers Idea-Ology piece was another learning curve.  It is also plastic, which means it is slick.  Which means it doesn’t take paint all that well.  So I ended up painting it with some white chalk paint designed for glass surfaces.  While it was wet, I sprinkled it liberally with Frayed Burlap Distress Embossing Powder and carefully heat set it.  Voila!  Fur on my woodland lovely!  Then I added droplets of Ginger Alcohol Ink over that.  This process taught me that I have more patience than I thought!

The “birch trees” background was also plastic.  So I painted it with more of the chalk paint.  Then I dry brushed it with Pumice Stone  and Hickory Smoke Distress Paints.  Finally, I stamped it with the Birch background stamp from Tim’s  Birch and Pine set.  Even my husband said…”hey…cool birch trees.”  Yaaaas!  Victory is mine!

The oak barrel planter was part of the original frame, so it was also plastic.  I gessoed it, then brushed it with Platinum texture paste. While the paint was wet, I added Vintage Photo Distress Embossing Powder, held my breath and very, very carefully heat set the powder.  Spanish moss, red berries, icy branches and Tim’s Woodland trees make a mighty cute forest if I do say so myself.

home-for-the-holidays-altered-woodland-frame-for-frilly-and-funkie-by-kathy-clement-photo-5Adding the Sentiment

home-for-the-holidays-altered-woodland-frame-for-frilly-and-funkie-by-kathy-clement-photo-6Since I was having so much fun experimenting with new techniques, I decided to stamp the sentiment on Kraft Glassine paper.  I used Jet Black Archival Ink and then heat set with clear embossing powder.  It looks so homespun and welcoming.  This is a technique I will be trying again soon!

For finishing touches, I created snowy window panes with Grit Paste then sprinkled with ultra fine glitter.  I spattered the entire frame with Dylusions White Linen spray, then added flowers and a bow.

Phew.  That was easy. NOT.  But was it fun?  Oh, yes!  And I learned a lot in the process.  I still wish I had taken a before photo, though.

Now It’s Your Turn

Be sure to pop over to the Frilly and Funkie Blog where you’ll find more inspiration from the Frilly side of the team.  (The Funkie Side will share their Home for the Holidays creations with us next Wednesday.)  You’ll find all the challenge details and guidelines there, too.

The team will be popping by to take a peek at your lovely creations and one of you will be chosen to serve as a Guest Designer in an upcoming challenge.  Three more will be chosen to receive favorite badges to display proudly on their blogs.  And everyone who follows the challenge guidelines will be entered into a drawing for a $25 shopping spree at the Funkie Junkie Boutique.

I know it is a very busy time of year, but I hope you will all find time to play along and help us finish this year’s challenges with a bang.  I cannot wait to see what you make!

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

Product Links to the Funkie Junkie Boutique


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16 thoughts on “There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays

  1. Jenny Marples

    Oh Kathy I love this! I know the plastic frame was a pain but it does now look fabulous and you’ve made all the ideaology elements come to life with your altering touches. As for the sentiment on glassine – that’s a touch of vintage genius!!! xx

  2. butterfly

    What a stunning altered frame, Kathy – so many layers and details – it’s an absolute delight, and I’m sure it will make you smile every time you look at it over the festive season. What a lovely challenge theme – thanks for the inspiration.
    Alison x

  3. Pamellia Johnson

    What a stunning makeover this ‘ugly’ frame received Kathy. I love the rustic feel to this, the reindeer and trees, and deep rich tones. I could image a Christmas cottage when I look at this. So many details, you never miss a beat!

    1. kathycNC Post author

      Thank you so much, Pamellia! I grew up in Vermont, so this piece very much reminds me of HOME. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

  4. soozyb2013

    Well, if this was an ugly plastic frame, you most certainly couldn’t tell that now! This is absolutely amazing. REEEEEALLY feels like Christmas Kathy!

  5. cherry

    Miss Kathy…you sound a lot like me with the “junkin”….you truly turned this into a masterpiece. The workmanship in this is gorgeous. I think this is MY favorite holiday decor ever!!!!! hugs, Cherry

  6. Judy B

    Love this piece Kathy! Looking at it makes me happy, it’s so lovely. Thanks for the tips on altering plastic pieces.

    1. kathycNC Post author

      Thank you so much, Paula! I love working with Tim’s goodies! I’ve learned so much from his Creative Chemistry classes and it was fun to put the knowledge into practice. I’m very honored to have you stop by, and thanks for the share on Instagram, too!

  7. Cec

    What a fantastic transformation of this frame, which you tell me was ugly, ugly, ugly – well no more. This says country Christmas to me and I feel as though I am walking through the woods as my eye travels around this beauty. I love how you managed to make all the plastic elements look rich and nothing like plastic. Your perseverance is to be applauded.
    Hugs!
    Cec

  8. stampersuzz

    What a charming framed holiday decor! I feel like I am walking through a winter wonderland looking at all the beautiful details in and on your frame!

  9. Karen van Biljon

    Another gorgeous project Kathy, you are so talented and inspiring. I fall over myself in haste to read your blog posts whenever I get a notification of a new post 🙂 Thanks for always sharing and inspiring.

  10. Carol

    Well Kathy this is wonderful and well worth the effort my friend. You have completely transformed it to a special wonderland. Perhaps the thrift shop may just have another hidden in the bins you could photograph your project along the way. !!!! Sorry only joking really love the results of all your hard work my friend hugs xx

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