I have been wanting to try making one of these chicken wire frame display boards for ages. The push that finally got me to complete the project was wanting to use it for displaying photos at my son's first birthday party. After acquiring all of the materials, it was actually fairly easy to put together.
I started with this large open frame I picked up cheaply at a local art supply store. Originally I was looking for a used frame at thrift shops, but when I saw this it was perfect! It was the right size (23" x 27"), I loved the rustic wood finish it already had, and it was no more expensive than ones I had seen at the thrift shops. Hurray!
The chicken wire is from Home Depot, found in the gardening section. It is a standard 1" hex, galvanized chicken wire, that comes in a large roll. I laid my frame on the floor, right side down, and unrolled the chicken wire across the back. I then used wire snips to trim the wire to the same width as the back of my frame. Using my new staple gun (thanks, sis!) I began securing the edges down while holding the wire taut. I sort of worked my way around, and when it was fairly secure, snipped the final edge to fit. Any staples that didn't sink all the way in, I went back over with a hammer so they sat flush.
Here is a close up of the finished frame. I love it so much! I can envisage all sorts of uses for it, from displaying photos or Christmas cards, to using it as a memo board or card display if I do another craft show.
I also wanted to talk about these clothespins, because they make me happy. These are what I used to clip on photos at the birthday party. See that lovely patina on the wood? It looks like it could be an old, vintage clothespin.
Only it's brand new. I bought a pack of regular wooden clothespins at Target and doctored them up. I thought they looked too new and lacking in character. :)
So I stained them! I used a foam brush and Minwax wood finish in Special Walnut to give them a gloriously aged look.
Love your frame. I made these for 14 of my grandchildren for Christmas, only I used old picture frames I had here and removed the glass and backing. I sanded them down and then painted them in wild colors matching their bedrooms with wild patterns is different colors. The chicken wire was 1/2", however, which I purchased at Crafts Direct and stapled to the back of the finished frames. I gave the kids a few of the larger closepins as well as several of the tiny cute colored clothespins. They loved them as did their parents..my kids. Lots of fun. Wish I could find more of that 1/2" chicken wire, though...I would like to make more but the wire was too expensive at the craft store to do a lot more of them..especially if I want to sell them at craft sales. For Valentine's Day, I hand painted a clothespin for each of them and decorated it with something that was "them" for each grandkid. That was a big hit, too. Thanks for sharing your idea.
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