My Lime Green Frame Thingy Makeover (Or How I Made a Valentine Wall Hanging)

Welcome Cottage Friends! 

Earlier this month I shared with you my mega thrift store haul.

The lime green frame thingy with chicken wire was, in my opinion, a real sleeper. Kind of funky, but I could see it had potential for a crafty project. Especially at the meager price of $1, what did I have to lose?

I really do have a thing for chicken wire. After all, when I designed our cottage kitchen in Oregon, I made sure the glass cabinets included chicken wire. The cabinet maker installed the wire between two pieces of glass to make it easy for me to clean. Practical, as well as charming. Brilliant.

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I thought it would be fun to transform my lime green frame thingy with the chicken wire into a Valentine wall hanging.

I picked up a pack of willow hearts at The Dollar Tree, and a roll of linen-like ribbon at Wal-Mart, along with a bunch of faux lavender and ivory chalk paint. Everything else I already had in my craft stash.

Then I got to work painting over the crazy lime green. I originally thought I might distress the edges, so I covered them with brown paint. I also took a few minutes to put a coat of burnt umber craft paint on the new chicken wire to give it an aged look. 

It took two coats of paint to cover the lime green. I liked the end result and decided not to do any distressing. 

I wrapped the bottom of the lavender with jute, 

and glued the hearts to the ribbon.

Since all the individual elements are tied to the frame and not glued, I can always use this ivory frame with chicken wire for another project.

So, there you have it. A charming wall hanging for just a few dollars and very little work. 

Have you ever found a "sleeper" at a thrift store that you transformed into something new?

"So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three but the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13

Hugs,