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Let’s Play and Transform a Switch Plate from the Hardware Store

Video sharing how a hardware store switch plate can become a vintage inspired frame or shrine for this week's Let's Play link party with Carolyn Dube Let's Play, a link party where you can be inspired and be inspiring!

How am I helping myself play this month?  I’m finding art supplies at the hardware store!  These items weren’t intended to be art supplies by the manufacturer but that doesn’t matter one bit!

How does finding supplies there help me play?  I can get an unlimited supply, the items are usually quite cheap, and there isn’t a “proper” or “right” way to use them for art since they weren’t designed for that!

Each Tuesday this month I’ll share a new video tutorial with a different item from the hardware store and I’m looking forward to seeing what you share in the weekly link party. Since this is all about play, there aren’t a lot of rules so you can share any of your play- whether it is on the theme or not!

What about the monthly giveaway?  It’s a $50 gift certificate to WalMart.com- why there?  Because it was the closest thing to a hardware store that I thought would be near as many people as possible! You can find last month’s winner here.

This vintage frame all started with a light switch cover from the hardware store! Full video showing how for this week's Let's Play link party with Carolyn DubeThe vintage inspired frame in this video is a light switch plate.  It reminded me of old windows so I bought one.  After filming the video, I went back and got a couple more!

This won’t surprise you but how it turned out is not what I planned.  Yes, there was an OOPS, an Outstanding Opportunity Presenting Suddenly that changed the direction of where I was going with this!  Yup, I left it in the video!

Watch How to make a vintage frame out of a hardware store find on YouTube.

Supplies Used: Switch Plate(it was cheaper in the store than online), DecoArt Black paint, fineliner (and here is video with more details about using and filling a fineliner)


Let's Play March all about finding your art supplies at the hardwares store plus a weekly link party!This month’s giveaway is a $50 gift certificate to Walmart.com
because you can find all sorts of non art supplies there that work wonderfully for art play!  Link up what you’re creating (and you get a bonus entry into the giveaway for sharing your play) or leave a comment telling something that you liked about one of the photos shared. One comment per person.  Giveaway closes Monday, April 4th at 8am EST.

New to Let’s Play?  You can find out all about it, what you can share(and it is almost anything- it doesn’t have to follow the monthly theme), why your play (yes YOURs!) helps others to play, plus other info here.

[inlinkz_linkup id=610961 mode=1]

Link up etiquette  

  • If you see something you like, leave a comment on their photo or blog post and show some love – let them know they inspired you! 
  • Share your recent play (any form of creativity is welcome) that hasn’t been linked up to a Let’s Play before ( limit 3 per week please)
  • Add a link back to to this post so that others can find it, be sparked, and join the fun!
  • New link party begins each Tuesday..sometimes even late Monday night… 
  • Enter the giveaway for the $50 gift certificate by linking up (and you get a bonus chance for sharing your fun) or by leaving a comment telling something you liked about one of the photos shared in the link party. One comment per person on this week’s blog post.  The winner will be announced on the first Tuesday of the following month. You can find all the details about Let’s Play here.

You can upload a photo or use a URL or Instagram.  Not sure how to find a URL or link up? Check out this page of Let’s Play FAQs.

Want to put the button your blog? Just copy all of the the code from under the button.

Let's Play!
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Leave a Comment

  • Vicky March 1, 2016, 2:18 am

    the finished picture frame looks like it always was intended to be a frame and not a light switch, very stylish.

  • Zsuzsa Karoly-Smith March 1, 2016, 5:18 am

    I’ll be hitting the hardware stores this weekend! Thanks for the inspiration!

  • Elizabeth March 1, 2016, 10:16 am

    Another triumph of play. ?

  • Corrine March 1, 2016, 11:06 am

    Waiting for things to dry? Who does that? I am notoriously guilty of this and have my heat gun at the ready always!!!!

  • Becky P March 1, 2016, 11:23 am

    Love this! I always keep an eye out to see what I can make out of something totally unrelated to scrapbooking, mixed media, or stamping. The best one was a container I remade out of a Quaker oat box to keep a candy stash so my hubby wouldn’t find it. It was his candy, but he’s outta control, so I parcel it out to him. 🙂 He has no idea that’s where I keep his candy. He’s an electrician, so I may just have to go raid his work truck and get some switch plates and see what other goodies I can find.

  • Rose McGuinn March 1, 2016, 2:16 pm

    Great idea! I actually really like hardware. Come to think of it, there might be a few items in my art supply stash that I can use.

  • Jean Marmo March 1, 2016, 3:27 pm

    Such a fun project!

  • Daylene Strickland March 1, 2016, 3:28 pm

    I recently discovered your blog and videos thru Pinterest. Oh, my! I love watching and learning from you. I have been stamping for almost 20 years and still learn. The latest I watched was the hardware store light switch plate frame. It is fabulous! I, too, love the shape of the frame and would never have thought to make one. You show how easy it is. Thank you so much! I have subscribed to your videos so I will not miss any of them. Have a great day!

  • Kelly Kardos March 1, 2016, 10:01 pm

    Love your fun free styling of art journaling-I’m brand new to art journaling so I’m like a sponge! Found you through Pinterest.

  • D.Ann C March 2, 2016, 5:48 pm

    That turned out so neat! Now I want to go to the store and find unusual goodies to play with! Thanks for the inspiration! : )

  • Sandra March 3, 2016, 9:21 am

    Your project is fantastic! I love the hardware store and use to spend hours in our local one. Always looking for something that I could turn into something else. Even with things that are going into the trash or recycling I look twice and always think to myself I could use that to make something. I always say I would rather be in the hardware store than out looking for clothes. Must try your project and already added it to my list.

    I like photo 6. I was drawn to it right away. Something about the colors and that the focal point is almost completely horizontal.

  • Kathy Gledsdale March 3, 2016, 2:47 pm

    Great idea, it looks like it would make a great light fire place to, as to me it looks like a fire surround. You could put a little picture of a fire in it. Thanks for sharing. x

  • Erinne Dock March 4, 2016, 8:37 am

    I have alot of vintage photos that ARE my family and I do know who they are haha a few of them are tin types! This switchplate idea is really cool I can visualize putting them along my wall too hahaha wonderful!

  • Sharon Field March 4, 2016, 11:29 pm

    This is absolutely brilliant! I love the way it looks………….like it was made to frame a picture. Thanks for a great idea and video…………

  • Janis in ID March 6, 2016, 11:01 pm

    I love your switchplate frame!! What a cool project.
    I have been flummoxed with how to use hardware store fare in my projects this week, so I linked up a different project where I played with my scraps. I always have a million very narrow strips of patterened paper in my scrap bag so I sat down and glued a bunch onto some cardstock covered with other patterned paper scraps for making backgrounds. Maybe I can get more creative later this month with hardware. 🙂
    <3 J

    jwoolbright at gmail dot com
    HerPeacefulGarden.blogspot.com

  • Tobias Armstrong March 7, 2016, 3:31 pm

    These are my favorite types of project. Finding something and making it work for something that it wasn’t necessarily designed to be. This is a fantastic idea for a vintage frame. The fact that it’s actually just a light-switch from a hardware store makes it even better. Thanks for sharing – I’m excited to see what else you come with.

  • Rose McGuinn March 8, 2016, 11:29 pm

    Anybody heard from Carolyn yet? I do hope everything’s all right with her, her family, etc.

  • Anne March 14, 2016, 6:52 pm

    Loved the light plate idea. I have old pictures of my Dad that would look great in it.

  • Robin Joe September 8, 2018, 4:32 am

    I have started watching some of your you tube videos, and I wanted to purchase the latin flashcards and the vintage photos that you have links to. I have spent hours trying to track them down, but without success. Is it possible to send me the links to these items?
    I LOVE your videos and have now become addicted! I am a person who has never been able to make anything artistic but who really enjoys playing with the media. So, this is becoming my new hobby, since I can start to make projects actually look good, thanks to you!

    • Carolyn Dube September 8, 2018, 5:39 pm

      Not sure which latin flashcards you mean Robin but these look like the closest to the vintage ones I have https://amzn.to/2oR3985 As for the vintage photos- don’t know which ones you mean. If they are digital downloads, if the link isn’t working, then they may not be available any more. Hope this helps!