Well look what we have here – I framed out my agate slices after all! A few weeks ago, I got a set of four agate coasters from Etsy (but Amazon is another good place to look).
I first applied gold leaf to the edges of the coasters, which was a quick and easy project that added a glamorous touch to the stone.
Fortunately, I found some shadowbox frames at Marshalls for $8.99 apiece. I used Gorilla Glue on the four rubber feet to adhere the coasters to heavy weight crafting paper from Michael’s. I allowed everything to dry while the frames were laying flat. Then, it was time to hang them on the wall. I chose this little corner space in the master bedroom near A’s night table.
Thanks to the inspiration pieces here and here that got me motivated to get moving on this project! They are so pretty, I love them both as coasters and framed as art. A set of these would be great gifts!
-J
I’ve mentioned before, I am a big fan of trays. I use them in almost every room of our house. When I saw this photo tray in Goodwill for $2 I knew I could use it some way, some how.
Actually, the shape of it reminded me of these trays from West Elm, so I decided my tray should also sport a pretty, metallic finish. I used my Mona Lisa gold leaf kit to achieve the look. While it was a straightforward process, gold leafing something that’s not the size of a small coaster, as I did recently here, takes much longer.
- Applied adhesive and allowed time to become tacky
- Layered gold leaf across tacky area and smoothed
- Using a small paint brush, applied sealer over gold leafed area and allowed to dry
I worked in sections. I first applied the adhesive as seen below, and then the gold leaf, to one tray wall at a time. Overall, it took about three hours but I spread that time out over a few days.
And voila! Here it is with some photos from past travels.
I decided to use a piece of the handmade wrapping paper I found at Cost Plus awhile back to change the look altogether. The pink flowers are outlined in gold so it’s a great fit.
The great thing about the tray already having glass and matting is that it’s easily customizable. You can display anything you’d like. And if you don’t happen to find this kind of ‘frame’ tray at a thrift store as I did, it’s pretty easy to make one! You can use a regular picture frame and add cabinet handles to it, or you can have a piece of glass or acrylic cut to fit the bottom of a tray you already have. (See how Kelly did it at View Along the Way.)
I am loving metallic finishes lately. How about you?
-J
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