Because we’ve taken on our renovations and additions in stages, once upon a time, our kids shared a sleeping space. Eventually, it became a shared sibling space, because the oldest moved out to his own room. {Stay tuned, because we have phase no. 4445 coming soon.}
If you don’t remember, here you go.
I think when you see the before, it’s so much easier to appreciate.
And then we changed it to this, and they were able to spread out. This space is a testimony to doing what works for you and your family.
This is one space that’s worked hard for us.
We touched a little on our fave part of the room before…
But that can be easily forgotten with everything else going on.
Jenni wrote us a little note and said:
“…I spied that cape in one of your posts the other day, and was wondering if you could share a little more/tell us how you did it?”
So, it all started when we decided to frame this cape.
And it’s not just any cape.
This cape has been the subject of many a backyard adventure, long car ride, and fun battle up against an evil mastermind.
It served as a sidekick and main good guy next to He-man, Superman, and pirates {yes, pirates}. Probably Batman, too.
And for two generations, because once upon a time this was Jamin’s cape.
The part that we love the most?
His mom made it by hand. Probably circa 1979-ish.
So when our littlest super hero, Malone, kind of outgrew it, we decided to use it in a different way.
We love where it sits in their room, as a little nod to childhood, and the childhoods that will come after our own children.
And if they ever want to use it again, all they have to do, is break the glass. You know… in case of emergency and stuff.
{That was really super dramatical because it’s made of plexiglass. But we’re just sayin}
And we thought we’d share how we did it. We were kind of awful and didn’t really take a lot of photos of the making-it process, because it’s a bit of a repeat of what we’ve done before. But we wanted to share it again today.
It’s also a super easy build that doesn’t require any fancy steps or cool kid tools, but truly is something anyone can build.
{PS. Totally off subject, but our fave thing we did was knock out this wall between two closets to free up oh-so-much space. Game changer!}
Here’s the view from Aiden’s space: Eventually both boys will share this closet.
So without further ado, this is what we did: {We borrowed some photos from this post} – it’s basically the same process we used for this one in their room, as well.
You’ll need:
• 1/4″ MDF cut to whatever size
• plexiglass cut to size – check out your local glass store for the best prices
• paint and/or stain
• glue gun + glue
• 1 x 2 wood planks to frame it out – you can use any width. We like the 2″ width.
• 2″ flat head wood screws.
• wall anchors – optional
+ item you want to frame – what we love about this little project is that you can do this process with just about anything. – Vintage swimsuits anyone? Old outfits? Dresses… Major rewards. {Name that movie} The options are kinda endless.
First, you’ll want to cut your MDF to size if it is not already cut for you.
You’ll basically take your MDF, and paint whatever design you want. We always start with a nice white base, and then use FrogTape® for straight lines.
A quick way to get those straight lines spaced evenly, is to leapfrog the pieces of tape across. When the stripes are dry, we go on top with a little more white to lightly “distress” with dry brush strokes. And then sometimes, even some stain on top, with al little rub on, rub off action. This gives it a slightly aged look that we love.
Helpful hint: If you use a semi-gloss paint, stain comes right up with just enough left behind. Matte paint makes the stained finish/rubbed off look darker, so it all depends on the end look you want.
When it’s dry, decide where you want screws on the very edge. We typically go in 1″ on both sides.
Then simply drill a hole through the MDF.
Place your plexiglass on top, and duplicate those holes. Make sure your plexi doesn’t move during this process. It helps if you leave the protective plastic coating on both sides when you do this, so the glass doesn’t get scratched. You might want to tape it on all sides to hold it in place, as well as use another set of hands.
Now remove the plexi {and clean up any mess you made so it’s not trapped between the glass}. Wait until you’re ready to place it on top, before you remove the plastic.
Take a hot glue gun, and gently mount your item of choice with little dabs of glue around the edges. If you ever want it again, you can easily pull it off, and then remove the glue from the fabric, so use sparingly. Be sure to remove the “spiderwebs” {we call the melted pieces that get really springy – I’m sure there’s a technical term} the glue can create before you carefully place the glass on top.
they were so little, y’all.
Using the flathead wood screws, mount the MDF it to the wall, feeding it through the pre-drilled holes. (You may need to use wall anchors if you’re not anchoring to your studs.)
Measure your 1 x 2 to size, cut with 45 degree angles and stain them.
Once dry, simply mount them with a little hot glue. You may want an extra set of hands to make sure you’re placing them straight, and moving quickly.
Tada! You’ve got your frame.
For a little more detail, be sure to check out this post here + here
We love this project, because you can use it to display just about anything remotely sentimental. We love the sweet easy way to show a little art in our home. This is for sure one of our very favorite pieces.
As always, let us know if you try it.
We’d love to hear.
Have an inspired day!
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