We love seeing our Le Print art prints framed pretty much any which way, but when we see them in a bobbin frame our heart skips a little beat. And turns out, they’re pretty easy and fun to make (and a little addictive!)
Fancy giving it a go? Read on to find out how...
(Photo above shows the letter A in blue/dark blue and the letter T in pink/grey from The Letters Collection. Each letter of the alphabet is available in six different colour-ways, and three different sizes, to beautifully complement your home.)
Before you start, you’ll need:
- A frame of your choosing
- Split wooden balls
- Wood glue
- Paint
Frame: I chose this frame from Ikea which fits one of our A4 prints perfectly (using the mount) and has a sufficiently chunky frame to fit the split balls onto.
Split wooden balls: The width of this frame is 2cm so I chose split balls which were 1.5cm so they’d fit nicely with a little bit of room either side. I ordered this pack of 300 from Amazon. They sell lots of different sizes so you should be able to find the perfect size split ball for your frame (search split wooden balls or half wooden balls).
Wood glue: I bought this wood glue to use, but I’m sure any wood glue would do the job.
1. Step one is to line up your split balls along the frame so you can see how many you can fit on each side (and if you might need to leave a little bit of room in between the balls for an even distribution).
2. When you know where they're going, dab a little bit of glue on the bottom of each split ball and place them carefully on the frame one by one. I used 94 split balls for my frame so I should be able to comfortably do three frames of the same size from my pack.
3. Let the glue dry for the amount of time specified.
4. Because the split balls are un-primed and the frame was very smooth, I used some primer which I already had from DIY jobs. I then let this dry fully before applying any paint.
5. I had made two bobbin frames and so used two different types of paint as a test.
I used emulsion paint on one frame (a colour match of De Nimes by Farrow & Ball which was left over from our bathroom) for a matte finish on one frame and eggshell (a colour match of China Clay Dark by Little Greene which was left over from our living room woodwork) for a more glossy finish on another.
Each paint type needed three coats with drying time in between.
Which paint type worked best? I really liked both finishes. I’d say that the emulsion (the more matte finish) was a more modern look (but might mark over time) and the eggshell (the glossier finish) was a more traditional look, more like bobbin frames you can purchase, and would wear well. I really liked that I could use leftover paints for this, and might even be able to get away with using a tester pot if I wanted a colour I didn't have already.
Ta da! The finished frames.
Top tips: Just like when painting woodwork, a light sand in between coats to eliminate any drips is a good idea.
6. What next? Well, having my own small print business, I used letters from our range, choosing the right colour way for each of my daughters! See the end result below. I was delighted how mine turned out, and will definitely be making more! If you have a go, I'd love to see! Tag me on instagram @le_print_ or email me a photo to info@leprint.co.uk
Here are my finished frames in the bedroom my daughters share. Fortunately they love them too!
The prints you see here are from Le Print, my small business. Each letter of the alphabet is available in six different colour-ways, designed to beautifully complement your home.
Click here to see the full range of our letter prints.
Head to www.leprint.co.uk to see our full range of art prints.
Thanks for reading! Isabelle x
