Hey all,
I've been a lurker on craftster since, like, forever. But I'm trying to contribute a bit more now!
So, I'm very fond of the way this project came out. I used clothespins to create a semi-fancy (pantsed) frame for photos. I had a lot of digital images I wanted to get up on my actual walls (don't we all?), plus a fine little paint by numbers canvas that was looking all sad and unframed.
If you wanna make one of these yourself, they're super cheap and pretty simple (mine was about one evening and $20).
What you'll need:
1. Strong Glue (E600, or Amazing Goop work well)
2. A pack of clothespins
3. Photos (or other printed materials/images you wanna use)
4. Spray paint--I used metallic copper
5. A piece of plywood, measuring 16 by 44 inches--I got mine in the scrap pile at the Big Box home improvement place, and got it cut down ($1.01!). You might want to give it some swipes with sandpaper real quick, though admittedly I did not.
6. Frames (see below)
I got this pile of frames at the Goodwill by the Pound for, like, five bucks in total. You might also check out dollar stores--you can usually find some nice looking, cheap frames there.
What to do:
1. You'll need to remove the little metal piece that holds the clothespin together--just a little gentle prying should get these off pretty fast. Make a pile of these wooden clothespin halves. I ended up using pretty much the whole pack, since a few were in somewhat rough shape and had to be tossed.
2. Start glueing the wooden pieces along the plywood edge, flipping them back and forth to create a pattern (and of course, you can feel free to play with this arrangement). Just spread a thin layer of glue along the edge and start filling it in.
3. After allowing the glue to dry, and removing the glass from the picture frames, give everything a thorough spray painting. Two coats seemed to do it, for me. The plywood grain isn't going away with this method, it's just getting nicely gilded. If you want a more thorough cover, a coat of primer could get you there.
4. After everything's dry, put the pictures in the frames, and glue the whole shebang in place. Don't forget to remove any hardware on the back of the frames that will keep them from being flush with the plywood. This type of glue will take a little while to dry, so you have some wiggle room to reposition things before the decisions become final. When you're satisfied, let the glue dry overnight.
Also, don't spray paint your fingers. Or do, whatever. It looks pretty awesome.
There are some more photos over on my blog, if you're curious (
http://www.miloknows.com/2012/06/clothespin-wall-art-tutorial.html).
