Framed hearts

I created this with thrift items and stash  for very little cost.
Back during Christmas I saw these felt heart ornaments at Target. They have glitter on them. I immediately thought "Valentine's Day project." I took my chances and waited for the after Christmas clearance. I got lucky! I got them at 50% off and got three of them! (50 cents each)

A couple of weeks ago I went to the Habitat Home store and found the perfect frame for $1.50. You must see the before shot to appreciate this.

The mat inside has some yucky brown stains.  I removed the glass and mat. I cleaned the frame, lightly sanded it and painted it with some acrylic paint from Michael's and foam brush (both purchased on sale- paint 3 for $1 or  33 cents and brush 14 for 1.00 or .07 cents).

When it dried, the finish was really flat, almost chalk like. Not what I wanted. So it had to have a top coat. I searched my stash and found some Triple Thick. This stuff creates a very shiny thick, epoxy-like finish.

Next I got some fabric from my stash- a black and white paisley print. I'm pretty sure this came from my grandmother's stash. After playing around with finding a way to make this interchangeable so I can reuse the frame, and consulting with my hubby who always has great ideas, I "borrowed" some poster board from his stash.  I cut the poster board the size of the frame mat. In order to get the material to lay flat and smooth, I attached it to the poster board piece with spray adhesive (another item on hand from previous craft projects). 

I inserted this piece along with the backing piece into the frame. (I can later remove this piece and replace it with another mat for another holiday or decor theme.)

I removed the ribbon hangers from the ornaments and covered the holes these were tied into with a red rhinestones- also in the stash.  I attached the hearts to my fabric panel with glue dots. And viola! A really inexpensive piece of Valentine's decor that I'm really happy with. Total spent: $3.64 (not including cost if items in existing stash.)

I'll be linking up to these parties and others (check the side bar for more.)