Frame Your Child's Poetry or Artwork

My son won a Canada wide poetry contest when he was 14 years old, competing against youth up to age 18.  His poem was published in Word Weaver magazine, and I was a very proud mom to say the least.  I actually needed  to sit down and cried when I read this poem at parent - teacher night midway through the school year.  The poem is a tribute to Roland Deschain, the main character in Stephen King's Dark Tower series, which we both love.   I framed it yesterday and hung it in a place of honour where the  light allows me to read it day or night.

I splattered the paper with out of the ordinary things like olive oil, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, sprinkled trace amounts of cocoa powder over spattered  water spots, then carefully rubbed burned blackened  paper bits over some areas with my fingertips.  I sat a coffee mug on one edge to produce a, well, coffee ring stain, then misted the whole page with water, and voila, paper that looks convincingly old.  The frame was brilliant gold, so I toned that down with black paint and glaze.  The poetry was mounted on faux cherry wood which I also toned down by dry brushing it with black paint.

 And there you have it.