We’re trying some fun new techniques at Plaid – and since we love sparkle, we’re incorporating FolkArt Extreme Glitter! With Valentine’s Day coming up, we wanted to create some quick and easy ideas to show your love to family and friends. We took some Red Extreme Glitter and crackle medium and combined the two to make this pretty crackle heart frame. That red between the crackle really sparkles! Here’s how to make a frame just like this one.
Gather These Supplies
- Wood Frame with heart cutout, ours is $1 from Michaels
- FolkArt Acrylic Paint – Engine Red, Titanium White
- FolkArt Extreme Glitter – Red
- FolkArt Crackle Medium
- Mod Podge Gloss
- Scrapbook paper in red
- Die cutter (we used Making Memories Slice) or craft knife and mat
- Floral embellishments
- Hot glue gun
- Paintbrush
Here’s the frame from Michaels – it comes with a handy-dandy peg for sitting up on a table. Pop out the back and set aside.
Paint your frame with Engine Red. Cover thoroughly. I used three coats. Allow to dry.
Paint your frame with Red Extreme Glitter. Cover the entire front. I did two complete coats.
I wanted to show you what the frame looks like after the glitter application – it is cloudy when wet, but it dries completely clear and you can see the sparkles so well! Let the frame dry for an hour or so.
Time to apply the crackle medium. Use a clean brush and apply in a crosshatch pattern. Brush one way and then the other. Do one coat and then repeat. Allow the crackle medium to COMPLETELY dry – this may take a few hours, so you can vacuum the living room and walk the dog.
Get ready to work quickly on this step. Paint white thickly onto the frame – but only go over one spot ONE time. You’ll see after you do a brush of paint that it will start to crackle in about five second - this is why you have to work quickly. Once you start to see the crackles, you can’t paint over that area again or you will paint over the crackle. You’ll see I only went over one time and the white covers the red pretty well. Cover the entire frame with white paint and allow to dry.
Tip – you might want to practice on the back of the frame first before going on to the front of the frame, just to get more comfortable with the crackling process.
Cut the letters “L-O-V-E” out of the scrapbook paper to apply to the front of the frame. We used a die cutter for ease, but you can do whatever you like, including printing out a template from the internet and cutting with scissors.
Mod Podge the letters to your frame once it has dried. You’ll see the beautiful glitter sparkling through in the background! Seal the entire frame with a coat of Mod Podge. Only give one coat so that you don’t dull the glitter too much.
Add floral embellishments with a glue gun. Allow to dry for 24 hours before adding a picture and replacing the back.
I’m excited to experiment with glitter and crackle medium. Think of the amazing color combinations! We hope you’ll give it a try and report back.
