(re)Purposeful: Re-vamp Ugly Picture Frames for Gifts or Home Decor!

We all have ugly little secrets tucked away all over the house that we are ashamed of but can't throw away... I will finally admit that I have a nook under the stairs FULL of ugly, dusty picture frames... Some are just hideous. I'm not even sure why I still have them and have been trying to find projects to make or poor, unfortunate souls to unload them on!
Now that I have my nifty little workshop in the garage, I can finally see all the cans of paint, brushes, sanding tools and supplies that have been yearning to be used! After browsing through some fun blogs and gathering my "goodies" I decided to try and repaint a few frames and see how they turned out... Here's what I started with, I call it: '80's Ode to Boring Oak

Absolutely nothing about this frame makes me want to display pictures of loved ones in it... So I sanded it with a rough sanding sponge (these are the best!) and gave it a light coat of spray paint primer that's tinted gray. After a full night to dry, I painted it a deep charcoal in a flat finish. It is so important to use a primer first, and I really love the spray paint version because it gets all the little nooks and crannies that a brush can miss. Also the paint went on so smoothly, like buttering a hot piece of toast! After another agonizing night of waiting for the paint to dry, I grabbed that trusty sanding sponge and distressed the corners and sides where I thought normal wear and tear would occur over time and VOILA! I am now the proud owner of this cute little frame:

I used some pretty scrapbooking paper (which is another obsession of mine, that we'll save for another time) as a background and am thinking of putting a monogram or silhouette of a bird in it! I have about 50 more frames to dig out so stay tuned for more fun ideas to do with ugly picture frames!