Herb Drying Rack Repurposed From A Picture Frame
I like to dry my herbs by hanging them off of shelves in my enclosed pantry because it keeps the dust that gets on the drying herbs to a bare minimum. Unfortunately, when I try to get something off the shelves I inevitably brush against the drying herbs, which causes them to break into pieces and scatter all over everything, making a big mess in my pantry.
I have some empty wall space behind the pantry door I where I can hang a herb drying rack, but I didn't want hang a plain ol' flat rack against the wall because a. the herbs wouldn't get a lot of air circulation; and b. it wouldn't look very cute. So it had to be flat enough to fit behind my pantry door without hitting it when the door is opened (did I mention my pantry door is glass?) but not so flat-flat that the herbs are hanging against the wall.
Here's what the frame looked like before. If you're wondering, this isn't an original painting. :)
Here's what you'll need:
Strip any laminate, paper, etc. from the frame. I made the mistake of not doing this at first, and when I painted it, it looked terrible and I had to strip it all off and start over. This was a mass-produced "painting" from the 70's when they apparently thought covering perfectly good wood with faux-wood laminate tape was a great idea.
Cut the wood pieces to fit the back of the frame, nail together and test the fit against the back of the frame.
Remove the wood pieces you just nailed together from the back of the frame. Measure and cut the wire to fit the back of the frame and test for fit. Remove the wire and run a bead of liquid nails around the back of the frame. Fit the wire back onto the back of the frame, pressing it into the liquid nails.
Fit the nailed together wood pieces onto the front frame over the wire, pressing into the liquid nails, applying more liquid nails if needed. Use the adjustable clamps to clamp everything together. Allow to dry overnight.
Remove the clamps the following morning. Use caulking to fill any gaps between the frame and wire. Allow to dry, then scrape off any excess caulk and liquid nails.
Paint the frame and wire. I just used some leftover wall primer in white. It looked great and since it was primer, it covered everything well and I didn't have to put on 50,000 coats.
Use antique wax to give the wood and wire an aged look. Allow to dry, then distress the frame and using sandpaper.
Hang up your new picture frame drying rack, cut and bundle some herbs and/or flowers, and hang them on the rack. Take pretty pictures of your herbs and flowers hanging on the rack (optional, but fun!). :)
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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2 of 9 comments
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What a cute idea! We have a lot of gardeners in the family and this would make adorable Christmas presents!
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So stunning and handy: Thanks for sharing
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