making a $5 laminated picture frame look better

evening!
i hope the weekend was kind to you all.
it's been a busy and productive weekend here in house 'o nefotlak - and there will be lots to show this week. (goob's room makeover is coming along really well)

here's a little makeover of a $5.00 picture frame i picked up from sam's warehouse last week.
(note - all these pics will enlarge if you click on them.....)

 

not bad by any means - and it came with double mat - but i was really after something a little lighter.
time to start experimenting.
the problem - this frame surface is actually laminate - or some kind of plastic contact which looks like wood - so i couldn't just paint over it like i normally would. also - goob didn't want it plain white as she wants some contrast against the many other white frames.
(there may or may not be a wee gallery wall coming together in goob's room........that's all i'm saying!)

so i grabbed some supplies from my study/craft room - and got to work.....

 i wanted a watered down 'wash' look - and water wouldn't cut it on the laminate finish - so i mixed together some white paint with some matte varnish.
it stayed on - but then i wanted to experiment with how to apply the mix i'd made.....

first i tried with a small paintbrush (right pic) - and then rubbed it off with a tissue - but i still wasn't happy.
so i worked with my fingers (mostly my index finger!) - running in on and off - until i was happy with the coverage.
then i grabbed some fine sandpaper - and started rubbing back gently - checking against the other frames i had - until i was happy with the result.....

above shows a little of the progression.
the lucky thing - if i made a mistake - i could use a little water to wipe it back and start again. it's quite forgiving that way.

and finally here's the finished picture frame - with a picture i found from pinterest here - which i love.....

oh and i painted two light coats of clear varnish just so it doesn't rub back any more. 

wait till you see it up on the wall with all the other pics - it looks just perfect!!

don't worry - i promise i'll reveal the wall by the end of the week.

here's a little comparison of the frame change - as i have another one to change up this week.....

 

not bad hey???
well, i think it's a vast improvement.
oh - and i seperated the mat board for this frame as i only wanted a single mat board.
this task was easy - i just slid a knife between the layers and carefully pulled the unwanted part away from the part i wanted to keep. (no photo of that - but here's the finished pic once more.....)

so one more item finished for her room.
i'll be back in the morning with a big reveal......goob's bookcase!!

cheryl xox.
linking up to.....