I am not a big decorator of all-things-Valentine. In fact, many would be surprised to find out that I rarely decorate for any of the holidays beyond Christmas (of COURSE I decorate for that season…my kids would do it if I didn’t…scratch that…in recent years, they have been the key decorators for Christmas…they just love it so much!). So when asked if I had a DIY for this LOVEly holiday I was at a loss for what would make a DIY particularly Valentinesy (yep, may have made that word up…). Pinterest has a virtual smorgasbord of crafty, heart-filled gifts for this time of year. I suggest just typing in “Valentines” and you will be whiplashed with the plethora of ideas. In light of this, I have ventured away from all crafts red, pink, and heart-shaped for this DIY. However I do believe it can be easily adapted to your desired look and level of fondness for all things sweet and love gushing.

OK, on to business! I am going to show you how to take an old frame and make it a focal point of love proclamations, deep insights, or overall goofiness!

Here is what you need:

  • An old frame with glass. This can also be an old picture or thrift store art you have picked up cheaply. The main necessity is that there is glass in the frame.
  • Paint: Craft paint, leftover interior paint, chalk paint…whatever you have. This is only needed if you desire to paint your frame.
  • Paint pen or craft paint and a small brush in the font color desired.
  • Printed phrase (more on this later)
  • Glue gun & glue sticks
  • Razor blade or X-ACTO knife. 

Step 1: Clean frame and remove backing, glass, and other hardware. Clean the glass once removed. After the cleaned frame is dry, paint if so desired.

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Step 2: Glue glass into the frame. I usually run a line around the inside corner of the frame and then place the glass in, ending with a nice thick bead along the edge of the glass and frame. Any mess can be scraped off with the razor blade.

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Step 3: Decide on the word or phrase you want on the glass. You can then paint it free hand or find fun fonts on the computer and design it that way. Print off the phrase you want, in the size you want to fit the frame. If you don’t know how to design in anything other than a Word document, print the words off in the sizes needed and then cut them out, arrange them on another piece of paper the size of your glass, and tape them down. When ready with your paper, tape it facedown to the back side of your glass.

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Step 4: Flip over the frame and begin tracing over the words with your paint pen/brush.

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Take your time but have no fear! “Oopsies” (like the one below) can easily be fixed by wiping them off and using the razor blade to scrape. That is the beauty of this project…easily fiddled with! Paint all the words onto the glass. Use whatever color(s) you want. This is YOUR work of art. I often like using a silver Sharpie instead of paint, so that is another option. There is a lot of grace with this lovely work. So let your creativity flow! When you are done, remove the paper from the back and voila, a labor of love.

When Valentines Day is behind you, you can leave this sweet reminder on your frame or you can find a new phrase for spring, an upcoming event in your home or a”‘just because I love it” saying. The words are easily scraped off with the razor blade and with a quick glass cleaning the next inspirational quote reflect off your wall in no time — your imagination is the only limit for this project! You CAN do it! Have a LOVEly Valentine’s Day!

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