Upcycled Picture Frame Valentine Decor

So what do you do when you take a bunch of DIY Chalkboards to your booth and every one of them sells but one? There was nothing wrong with it other than being the runt of the litter, apparently too small at only 8 x 10. After months collecting dust, it came home with me and got ReLoved by transforming it into an upcycled picture frame Valentine decor.

Upcycled Picture Frame Valentine Decor

All three of these larger ones sold quickly along with several others. The larger the board, the quicker they sold.

Lesson learned with this lonely one is go big or go home.

It's so easy to turn thrift store frames into chalkboards and you can find my tutorials here How To Repurpose Picture Frames Into Chalkboards or here Chalkboard Menu With Oyster Shell Patina.

The chalkboard sat in my basement studio for months after I brought it home. While I loved the painted frame, I was unsure what to do with it until recently when I was inspired to turn it into Valentine's Day decor.

Further down in the post I've included a Supply List for your convenience.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links so you can see what products I used or recommend to complete this project. What that means is that if you click on one of the product links, I may receive a small portion of any sales at no additional cost to you to support the costs of running this site. See my disclosure policy page.

Picture Frame Backing Board

The first thing I did was remove the chalkboard from the frame and paint right over it in the color Barn Red. It took three coats to cover the black chalkboard.

Layer 1 - Script Stencil

Once the paint dried, I stenciled the board in French script in the color graphite with a small round stencil brush. Instead of aligning the stencil from left to right on both the top and bottom, it is more pleasing to the eye to place it randomly so the same text isn't repeated. Because it's the base layer of my framed art, no one will notice.

The stencil was held in place with painter's tape and after blotting the excess paint onto a paper towel, I used swirling motions to apply the stencil. Are you a dabber or a swirler?

DIY Heart Shape Stencil

The next layer is a white stenciled heart. Unfortunately, I don't have a heart-shaped stencil nor do I have a die cut machine to make one. If you are lucky enough to have either, skip this next step.

In Microsoft Word, select the heart shape and align it both vertically and horizontally centered on the page. Enlarge the heart to fit the painted picture frame backing board, print onto bond paper, and cut out the shape.

Layer 2 - Doily Heart Stencil 

Now here's the thing, I was not aiming for perfection when creating my framed art - my goal was for it was to have an aged and distressed finish.

First, place the heart stencil over a doily or any stencil with a lot of pattern detail and line it up to your preference. Secure it in place with painter's tape.

Place the heart in the center of the backing board and tape in place. Using white craft or chalk paint, stencil the heart doily over the French script.

I wasn't 100% happy with the size of my stenciled heart and decided to make it larger (don't do what I did and determine the size beforehand). Like I said earlier, I wasn't aiming for perfection. I realigned the doily stencil as best I could over the much larger heart and repeated the previous step.

With a script liner art brush, I freehanded a scalloped edge around the heart with the same white paint. Once the paint was dry, I distressed the art with sandpaper and applied a thin layer of brown antique wax, wiping away the excess with a lint-free rag.

As promised, pictured above are some of the supplies used to transform the chalkboard into framed Valentine art.

Supply List Picture Frame

Thrift Store Picture Frame
Black or Graphite Chalk Paint
White Chalk Paint
220 Grit Sandpaper

Supply List Valentine Art

Picture Frame Backing Board (or hardboard cut to size)
Barn Red Dixie Belle Mineral Chalk Paint
Painter's Tape
French Script Stencil
Small Round Stencil Brush
Graphite Craftsmart Acrylic Craft Paint
DecoArt Americana Doily Stencil 
Chalk White FAT Paint
Heart Shaped Stencil (or DIY stencil using die cut machine or Microsoft Word)
Antique Brown Daddy Van's Wax

I had to include a close-up of some of the rocks from my heart-shaped rock collection, found during walks along the beautiful shores of Canadian rivers, lakes, and my beloved west coast.

So the moral of the story is...

If you have dated art collecting dust in storage
or

You find picture frames with lovely detail at your local thrift store

or

You have a chalkboard that doesn't sell...

Turn it into lovely DIY Picture Frame Valentine Art. But remember, let go of the need for perfection and just have fun creating!

If you found this project inspiring, please share it with a friend and/or save it on Pinterest.

You will find this project linked to these fabulous PARTIES and The Shabby Creek Cottage.