Distressing Tutorial

I know I know, I said a couple of months ago when I showed you Mistress Monstress's room that I would do the tutorial on distressing wood. I had grand plans of doing a toy box for Mistress Monstress's room to match the furniture that I did for her, but truth be told it will be a while before I get to it. So, I decided that you could probably get the same idea on a smaller scale and I had been meaning to distress a picture frame in our great room, so I thought I'd use it to give you the distressing tutorial. Distressing is the same, no matter how big or small the project, so you should be able to get the idea.

First off, start with your painted surface. On the bed I did a couple months back I used a creamy white paint, the frame is black. (Obviously) I forgot to take a picture before I started sanding, but it was plain painted black. Anyway, sand the edges, front, side, anywhere you want it to look distressed. Wipe the surface down with a soft cloth to get rid of any dust.
Next comes the stain. Stain stinks. I would highly recommend that you take it to a well ventilated area. If you are using oil based stain, make sure to take precaution to protect your skin and surfaces.
Lightly rub the stain over the exposed wood. Use more to achieve a darker appearance, less for a lighter appearance. Once it is dry, you can apply a clear coat to finish the look.
And voila! One distressed picture frame. I will caution you that if you are working with a light paint, you will want to work in small areas using the stain sparingly. While excess stain does not show up on the black paint, it will show up on lighter ones.
So there you go. Distress away and enjoy the end result, remember it's distressed so you don't need it to be perfect!