A Little Bit (of Linen) Goes A Long Way

Thrift stores are always a great source for frames. Many times, the size is right but the color and mat are all wrong so I paint the frame and throw out the mat. With my new picture ledges, I wanted to salvage the  few odd mats that I had laying around. 

My first attempt was trying to paint the mat (see the white mat below) - epic fail. So I figured that I would try covering them instead.

I used some scraps of linen that I had on hand and trimmed the linen to about an inch around the mats.

I used 3M's General Purpose adhesive spray, but you could use whatever you have available - tape or glue. Spray the front surface of your mat and place face-down onto your fabric. Press firmly and smooth out the fabric.

I snipped a small X in the center of the mat opening and cut flaps in the fabric. These flaps can be trimmed down so they cover the back of the mat.

Spray additional adhesive on the back of the mat. Pull each flap tight and lay flat. You may need to clip the corners to remove some of the bulk of the fabric. And that's it!

My second project was to update an inexpensive matted print and old frame. 

 Taking some of my remaining linen, I trimmed the piece to about an inch around the print.

Following the same process as I did in the first project, I sprayed the entire front of the print with adhesive, centered the print face-down on the fabric and pressed firmly.

I flipped the print over to smooth the fabric out. Using my putty knife, I was able to press the fabric into the edges of the mat and achieve a sharp corner.

Next I smoothed out the fabric out over the mat. You can faintly see the picture through the fabric, but I wasn't too concerned because I knew that I would be placing a picture over top of it.

I finished wrapping the fabric around the print like a present using the adhesive to hold it tight against the back.

To finish it off, I added these picture corners and double sided tape to hold the picture in place.

It helps that my adorable nephew is in the frame. He makes it look good! I added a few coats of white paint to the frame. It is as good as new!

I hope this inspires you to look at things around your home differently. I am sure there is something just waiting for you to bring new life to it.