Salted Picture Frames

For one reason or another, I realized I had a growing picture frame collection that I was not taking advantage of, so I got to work choosing photos to fill them with when I decided that I wanted to make some of the cheaper ones look a little fancier. I had seen examples of people using glue and epsom salt on glass containers but wanted to see how the frames might look with some salt sparkle on them.

Supplies:

Glue - Sobo or Mod Podge

Epsom Salt

Clear gloss spray paint

Picture frame

To get started I took out the glass and backing from the frame so that the glue and salt wouldn't mess those up.

I used a paintbrush to coat the frame in glue.

Then sprinkle away! I found that really globbing the glue on allowed for a thicker coat of salt to stick to the frame. So adjust your amount of glue depending on how thick you want the salt. Also I had seen people coloring the salts with food coloring if you are interested in going that route also.

I was initially just going to salt the black frame until I came across this little baby that had that imperfection on one side and knew it would be a perfect candidate for some salting.

Once the glue is dry - a couple hours or so - brush off the excess salt and spray a thick coat of clear gloss on top. This helps give the salt a sheen as well as stay put on the frame.

The photos I chose are a bit hard to see in this picture, but they were both taken at the Dallas Arboretum which is a definite must see if you are ever in that neck of the woods.

The salted frames give some tactile and visual texture to a group of simple black and silver frames.

A perfect addition to my tree mural!

--Heather