Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Thrift Store Frame to Hair Bow Holder (Organization)

Today I'm going to show you how I took a nasty old thrift store frame and turned it into a stylish and functional hair bow holder for my girls.
Thrift Store Picture Frame to Hair Bow Storage! from Serenity Now


I'm really slightly ashamed to admit that until two weeks ago, I was storing Natalie and Michaela Byrd's vast collection of hair bows and head bands in this plastic basket on their dresser:

If you know me, you know my girls basically live in cute hair bows. They take them out when they go to bed at night, and that's pretty much it. I was only making it more difficult on myself by having to call in a search team every morning to find the right hair bows to match the girls' outfits.

When I had the opportunity to test out some of Krylon's dual spray paint/primer, I decided it was time to do something about our organization problem. The girls and I hit our local Salvation Army, where we found a frame that was the perfect size, for just $3.50.

The only catch was that it was the most hideous thing I had ever laid eyes on. And it had some weird sticky gunk on the glass at the bottom.
Thrift Store Picture Frame to Hair Bow Storage! from Serenity Now























My apologies if you are a fan of duck habitat scenes. When T found out what I did to the print, he said "What?! That was a perfectly fine piece of artwork." Right.


Here are the supplies that I used to work some makeover magic:
Thrift Store Picture Frame to Hair Bow Storage! from Serenity Now



































  • Ugly Thrift Store Frame 
  • Krylon Dual Paint and Primer
  • Fabric
  • Hot Glue Gun
  • Spray Adhesive
  • Scissors
  • Ribbon to coordinate with your fabric
  • E6000 (optional)

My first step was to carefully remove the nasty sticky glass from the frame and make T take it to the dump. Then I cleaned the frame really well and wiped it dry before spraying it with a coat of the Krylon in white.

I am always honest in my product reviews, and I have to tell you that I noticed a huge difference between Krylon's spray paint and store brand I usually grab at Wal-Mart when I am in a hurry. I gave the frame two good coats to cover the gold, but I think one coat would really have been fine. The paint dries quickly, and the flat finish was great for the look I was going for.

When my frame was dry, I carefully set it aside and assessed the ducks. I opted to cover the ducks because the print was adhered to the backing of the frame, and I didn't want to mess with it.

1. I laid the print out on my fabric to roughly measure it out before cutting and pressing. (I tend to shy away from things that require math, precision, or patience)
2. Next, I used my spray adhesive to adhere the fabric to the ducks. The key is to smooth from the center out.
Thrift Store Picture Frame to Hair Bow Storage! from Serenity Now


3. Once the fabric was stuck to the board, I flipped it over and began to hot glue the edges down, being careful to get the glue down near the crease, smoothing it as I went. I was sure to pull tightly enough to keep all those edges straight.
Thrift Store Picture Frame to Hair Bow Storage! from Serenity Now
























4. With my three coordinating ribbons, I cut enough to overlap the top and bottom of the board to be hot glued to the back. I was careful to leave enough of a gap between the ribbon and the front of the board for the hair bows to fit through.
Thrift Store Picture Frame to Hair Bow Storage! from Serenity Now























5. I took the finished board and fit it back inside my freshly painted frame.
Thrift Store Picture Frame to Hair Bow Storage! from Serenity Now


6. I loved the look, but it felt a little plain to me, so I used extra ribbon and some of the leftover fabric from the girls' window treatments and made three rosettes for a corner of the frame. I liked how it helped tie the room together:
Thrift Store Picture Frame to Hair Bow Storage! from Serenity Now


My final product is so much better than a plastic basket of jumbled up bows. I can actually see what we have now (And we have more. We have a bow addiction).
Thrift Store Picture Frame to Hair Bow Storage! from Serenity Now

Thrift Store Picture Frame to Hair Bow Storage! from Serenity Now


The bows clip right onto the ribbons, and they don't slip at all. The Type A OCD Control Freak that lives inside my head told me to color code them. I had to listen to her.

It's hard to get a picture in the room with good light, but I do love how the "bow board" and the window treatments go together!
Thrift Store Picture Frame to Hair Bow Storage! from Serenity Now


The girls were so excited when they came home from their trip to North Carolina and saw their fancied up wall. Getting dressed is so much easier now!

{Do you have any organizational challenges when it comes to your closet or your kids' closets?}

Disclaimer: Krylon sent me the new Dual Paint to try out. Check out their latest promotion, The Dual Duel, where Krylon is looking to find The Ultimate Restorer. To win this title, enter your spray paint restoration project and encourage friends and family to vote for your project as their favorite for their chance to win too.
Dual Duel Button

Linking to Home Stories A to Z,  Tatertots and JelloThrifty Decor ChickPositively Splendid


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29 comments:

  1. That turned out great!! And boy!! Do they have lots of bows :)

    I've seen the primer/paint before - I'm going to have to get some and try it out!

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  2. So cute! No bows here, but my boys' hat collection has gotten out of control lately and I have no idea what to do with them:)

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  3. Looks great hanging on the wall. I never find cheep frames at my thrifty stores!!

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  4. You turned an ugly painting into something very cute and quite functional. It's also great that this organizer is decorative. I like how the fabrics and ribbons that you chose coordinate with the window treatment.

    Great job!

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  5. Amanda, maybe it's just because I'm a guy – and there's no public place that I can appreciate that this kind of artistry without all the other boys laughing – but I have to say – this was nothing other than a flat out miracle. What you did to those ducks – all due respect to ducks – was amazing – splendid – spectacular!

    My sister was a cheerleader for Louisville – and the cheerleaders used to call each other "bow heads" - because they had to always wear red bows. We called the female Pac-Man a "bow head" too, come to think of it. I think you made an awesome bow board for your little bow heads. God bless you and all of yours. This made me smile. Smiles are good. Thank you.

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  6. I have a 2 year old and could use a bow or two.Unfortunately not taht good with making things like you do but love to look at all you talented people.Like anything you create with your own hands and with love it looks fantastic.

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  7. Great idea, Amanda, and it looks really cute in the room!
    My girl has gotten away from bows in the last few years {sniff}, but we never had as many as you! You have an impressive collection.

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  8. Amanda, the bow organizer is so cute! I love all the cute bows. I missed out on that girly stuff by having only sons and nephews. I'm waiting patiently (not!) for a granddaughter!

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  9. Much better use of that old duck print! Thanks for stopping by and commenting on my blog today

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  10. That is adorable! My youngest was like that...always had a bow in her hair when she was little. Love the girls' valanace too!!

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  11. Wow, that is a lot of bows! Really good idea though! I don't have kids, or that many bows, but I do have a lot of decorative bobby pins that need to be organized. Something like this on a smaller scale would be perfect for me! Thanks for the great idea!

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  12. That is awesome! I love it, and I love those curtains!

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  13. This is so sweet! I love that the frame the bows are in is so large & can hold so many. And I'm dying to know how you made that window treatment! Love it!

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  14. what a beautiful way to keep organize...
    Don't forget to add it to our weekly party for our readers to discover.
    http://www.passionatelyartistic.com/2011/07/weekly-talent-search-with-linking-party.html
    Thanks
    Maggie

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  15. T was right, it was a perfectly fine work of art, HOWever what you turned it into is an extraordinary work of art!

    Hopefully T is proud of your genius~

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  16. I love it! It looks so perfect with the window treatment. And I really love the rosette accents you put in the corner.

    Also - some of those bows look familiar.... ;)

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  17. This looks great, Amanda! I made one of these for my daughter a few months ago, and they are genius, aren't they? It looks really cute juxtaposed with the window treatment. Right on :) !

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  18. It turned out so cute! I like that "ugly thrift store frame" was in your supply list. =)
    We have way too many hair clips for just our one daughter. But then again, I make them in the room next door to hers so if I put her in an outfit that doesn't have a coordinating bow... well it's too easy to go next door and put one together.
    (via TT&J)

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  19. Great idea. This might even encourage my 4yo grand daughter to keep her hair clips tidy.

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  20. That looks totally adorable! I used a frame (and some thrifted doorknobs) to make a necklace organiser a while back. Frames are such a great way of adding a feature to the wall and organising all in one hit!

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  21. This is awesome! My little girl's bows are all over the place- this would be perfect for her!! Thanks for the great idea- I am definitely bookmarking it for later! I am your newest follower and I would love for you to come over and link this up to our Saturday link party! http://sixsistersstuff.blogspot.com/2011/07/strut-your-stuff-saturday-week-1.html
    Thanks!
    Camille @
    sixsistersstuff.blogspot.com

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  22. Told you I'd be back, haha. This turned out soo cute! One of my good friends and her sister just started their own business a few months ago making bows. I have a little girl, but didn't realize they are "the thing" right now. Where have I been? : ) ~ Catie

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  23. This is a great project. I agree with the print being ugly, but you turned it into something beautiful and functional.
    Hugs
    Brenda
    I would be honored if you came to see my krylon project here

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  24. What a great idea! I have my grand daughter's bows hanging in her closet.. I think if we made a "frame" like your's she would wear them more often!

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  25. So cute, Amanda! I love how the bows become wall art. And, yes, I woulda color-coordinated them too :p

    But, alas, I'll have to wait for a grandDaughter. Three sons AND a grandson = no pink, purple, or pretty hairbows.

    one of these days . . .

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  27. This is so cute. You should think about selling these boards. I know I would buy it!

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  28. I really need to make one of these. My girls bows are outta control!

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