Color Shift Matte Texture Stenciled Picture Frames

Some of the supplies for this project were given to me by Plaid Crafts. All opinions are my own.

So, you are probably looking at that title thinking, “wait… what?”

Describing these frames in just a few words is SO HARD, you guys! Nothing concise really gets across how very awesome and different they are. So let’s break this down.

Color Shift

This is probably the part that has you scratching your head the most. Just what is a color shift?

Have you ever seen a car that looks blue from one angle, but green when you look at it from another? Well, Plaid Crafts has some amazing new Color Shift paints that do just that! I recently attended a blogger event with them at the Creativation trade show and they sent me home with some samples to play with. And this stuff is SO COOL!

You can get Color Shift paint at Michaels Stores – don’t forget to bring your coupons!

Matte Texture

The Color Shift paint is super duper shiny, so to create a contrasting pattern, I used Ultra Matte Mod Podge. It’s as flat as flat can be – no shine at all! You can use Mod Podge for a lot of things; for this project, we will be using it as though it’s paint.

Stenciled

This one ought to be pretty self-explanatory…

Picture Frame

…okay, I’m sure you get that one too.

So now that we’ve clarified what we are talking about, let’s get down to the business of how to make it!

You will need:

• Wooden picture frame
• Plaid Folk Art Color Shift paint
• Ultra Matte Mod Podge
• Pattern stencil
• Foam makeup wedges
• Paintbrush

Instructions:

Paint the wooden picture frame with several coats of Color Shift paint, allowing it to dry completely between coats. I had two frames laying around so I painted one with purple that shifts to gold, and the other with red that shifts to aqua. I applied three coats of paint to each frame to get good, even coverage.

Using an all-over pattern stencil and a foam makeup wedge, apply the Mod Podge to the frame. (I like using makeup sponges for stenciling because they are dense and leave a smoother texture than other sponges with larger cell foam!)

Remove the stencil, give the Mod Podge a few minutes to dry, then line up the stencil and repeat. Work your way around the whole frame until the entire thing is covered with your pattern.

Once the Mod Podge dries, the areas that it covers will no longer shift – instead they will stay the main color. So my zebra stripes stay red and my Moroccan pattern stays purple, while the negative space around the patterns shifts to each paint’s secondary color. The result is a subtle yet stunning effect!

Thanks to Plaid Crafts for giving me this awesome paint to play with! I can’t wait to come up with more fun ways to use it!