Valentines "Key to My Heart" Frame

I keep seeing these cute frames on Pinterest, here's one, and I decided to make my own for Valentines Day. Here it is:

I found an old ugly frame at a flea market and painted it black

 

I used a scrap of wallpaper for the background.  (I picked up  3 wallpaper sample books from a store that was going out of business and I use them all the time.  Free paper.....yay!)

Then I made some hearts out of fabric that I stiffened with Modge-Podge.   I love this technique because so many times I find fabric that is cuter than paper and I want to use it without it getting all frayed. Check it out:

Don't worry, it dries clear in a couple of hours.  (I thinned my Modge-Podge out with a little water first.)  The end result is a fabric that you can do just about anything with including write on it!  So I traced some hearts on it, cut them out and then I spiffed up my hearts a little with a gold gel pen. Didn't they turn out cute??!!

I wanted to add a skeleton key.  I had some that I found in an old outbuilding at my in-laws old farm they were getting ready to sell.  They let me keep them.  (I've had them for 20 years and I'm finally doing something with them!) But, they were nasty and rusty and didn't look right with this project.  I didn't have the patience to clean them up, so I took one off and just painted it black.

I wanted to use some sheet music, but I just wanted a little piece and it was way too white.  I tore a line out and painted some antiquing gel over it to give it a more aged look.  Then I took all of the pieces and tried to figure out how to lay them out.

Oh....I also added a little tassel I made to the key, a black heart for background (cut out of wallpaper scrap) and a small ribbon rosette from my scrap ribbon box.  This was the layout I finally decided on:

I fastened it all down with a little craft glue.  I had to use E-6000 to get the key to stick. (Don't you just love that stuff?)

One of my favorite things about this project is that it can be removed from the frame and stored away with my Valentines decor, leaving that frame available for another seasonal project.  (I'm already thinking about St. Patricks Day!)

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial as much as I enjoyed making it!