Thrifted Shadow Box: Garlic Breath to Museum Chic

I've been searching thrift stores for a while now looking for the perfect shadowbox frame for a souvenir I picked up while in Montana. I finally found one that was the right size and shape!

Who has framed garlic in their house?

Apparently no one... because this was at the thrift store for only $1.99! I knew I'd find the perfect one eventually.

Here's what I did:

1. Remove everything from frame. The backs are sometimes covered with paper. I used an x-acto knife to cut off the paper and expose the backing held in place with metal prongs.

2. Optional: I used a leftover container of sample paint and a sponge brush to paint the frame. Use a regular brush if you want; I just like the sponge because it seems to coat better and not leave brush strokes.

3. Also Optional: While the paint dried... I used double sided tape to cover the wood back with white card stock paper.

4. Decide where everything should go (I used the mat for reference), and glue it all down. I used the double sided tape to tape down the description and hot glue for the stone.

5. Put it all back together!

The only thing left to do is decide where your new frame should go. I tried it first in the living room next to all my other thrifted frames, but I didn't like it being stuck in the corner. I want people to be able to read the description.

So, currently, I have it in the hallway leading to the guest bedroom and bathroom. I hung it at head-height. I try to hang all my frames at around the same height throughout the house. Keep it consistent.

Decorating Tip: Display your collections. It will mean more to you than some pre-made thing you bought just to keep from having blank walls. Decorate your home with what you love.

Did you notice my mistake in the photos with the green background? My matting was backwards. Whoops!