How To Distress A Picture Frame From The Dollar Tree With Unicorn Spit

by Maura White

4 Materials

1 Hour

Easy

How To Distress A Picture Frame From The Dollar Tree using Unicorn Spit and spray paint! Anyone have some classic oak frames that you'd rather be shabby chic or farmhouse style with some distressed white or light colored paint? Here is an easy and frugal fix for that!

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Materials you need to make your own distressed photo frame from a dollar store: 2 wood 5x7 photo frames (I got mine at the Dollar Tree) Unicorn Spit - Weathered Daydream and Rustic Realty colors Satin Heirloom White spray paint Dremel Multi-Max Oscillating Tool Kit Sanding Attachment

I have recently fallen in love with Unicorn Spit! Thank you Hometalk for introducing it to me! When I realized the possibilities, I ordered a few colors to test it out. It is a non-toxic wood gel/stain that smells like jasmine! It's super fun to work with and I'll be sharing some more projects I have used it on soon. So I took my oak colored dollar store frames and put some Weathered Daydream (the gray/blue color) in just a few splotches around the edge. Then I gently rubbed that on the top of the frame so that the indents and grain of the wood would get highlighted with that color.

I did the same with the Rustic Reality color - this darker shade gives the frame a bit more contrast.

Here it is after it dried with the 2 different colors of Unicorn Spit- It sill has the oak background, the grains and indents and shadows all have a touch of gray/brown/blue tints that will come through after I cover it in white and distress it.

Then I took my Satin Heirloom White spray paint and just put one coat on each of the frames.

The next step is the most fun because it's final step and is what makes them look distressed and antique. I used a Dremel Multi Max tool with a sanding attachment, and used that to sand the edges just enough to officially make it look distressed. There is no real correct way to distress - I just went around the edges with the sanding tool and let the darker shades pop through until it looked antique or old enough for my taste. Want to see them now hanging in my guest room? GO HERE to see the display above the bed! Also check out the Shabby Chic Display Shelf Makeover project that is in the middle!