Whimsical Wall Hanging

I was browsing through a catalog last week, and these framed keys caught my eye. I thought that they would be perfect for my scrap room. Here's the description: Vintage keys and lock covers are presented on fabric and framed. 6" sq . composite wood frames have distressed black finish. Set of three. Price tag: $39.99

Wow, that's a hefty price tag! Then a thought struck me.... I could make these!

I went out to a discount store, and found three 4x6 frames. I looked high and low for black, but couldn't find any, so I decided to paint them. Cost per frame, 99 cents each!



If you like the natural wood color, you could skip this step. I took the backing and glass out, then lightly sanded the wood and gave the frames 2 coats of black satin paint.

Next step the keys. I'm all about saving money and using what is on hand. I had a pack of the Tim Holtz grunge board in my stash which has some vintage looking keys and locks. These would work nicely. If you don't have these, you could use wings or butterflies, or even just cut out an image from a die cut machine or by hand. (If you have actual vintage keys you could use those. Just don't put the glass back in the frame.)



To make the grungeboard look like old keys and locks, I first painted them black, then I hit the edges with a little brown to make them look old and dirty. The last thing I did was hit the outside edges with silver. I just used my finger to rub the paint into the crevices. I tried to put the silver on the key and the locks where they would have had the least bit of wear on them. Notice how around the actual key hole it's more black, I figured that's where the key would have hit into the key hole and made it worn and dirty there. It made for a more "realistic" looking key hole.

Next I just picked some pretty paper. The keys in the catalog used a plain white cloth as a background. I thought I'd jazz that up a bit. I chose to use the brand new line of Webster's Pages paper. The Ally Scraps store just got the new line in, and I love it!!

I used the Your Life Magical Wishes Collection Double Sided Paper Beauty, only 79 cents a sheet in the Ally Scraps store. Two of the frames I used the front side of the paper, and one I used the back of the paper. Gotta love double sided paper!! This paper is so gorgeous. I took my empty frame and placed it on the paper to see where I'd like to cut. Then I just cut out 3 pieces at 4x6. Next I just dabbed the edges with a bit of brown ink to give it a distressed look. I took my painted and distressed keys, and placed them on the paper using pop dots to give it some dimension.

Here are the finished frames.






I love how they turned out! Total cost was under $5! $3 for frames, 79¢ for paper, other items I had on hand like paint and keys were free. Wow, that's a savings of $34!

The next time you see something in a fancy boutique or in a catalog, why not get out your scrap supplies and make it instead!