Hi everyone! Marichelle here from Lifeflix and Wunderlust filling in for Ez with another DIY project. This one is for a simple to make photo/print frame made out of recycled chipboard. Don't know about you, but I have a number of prints that aren't your standard 8.5x11 or 5x7 and it's quiet difficult to find frames for them. So I've decided to make my own and even use them for photographs, the best part is that you can easily customize the size!
What you'll need:
1. Ruler
2. Chipboard (I've saved up a couple from recent photo purchases on Etsy). You can also use thick stockpaper, oaktag etc- just use something a little thicker than regular paper
3. xacto knife
4. your favorite glue, I recommend using a thicker glue (elmers glue should work fine)
5. your choice of glitter (I used the Martha Stewart brand but you can use other brands as well)
6. scissors
7. twine or ribbon
8. self-healing mat or something you can safely use the xacto knife on
* you'll also need a hole puncher (smaller than standard is what I would recommend), pencil, wax paper, foil or parchment paper (whatever you have around), a craft sponge or brush for glue (if you don't have one, you can just snip a bit off of a new dish sponge)
Let's get started...
1. You first want to determine how wide you want the frame to be all around the print. I decided that I wanted it to be a little less than 1 inch wide all around the print.
2. So I measured 1 inch around the entire print and marked a line with a pencil.
3. If you have a T Square then great, but to make sure I had a straight edge I measured one inch in 1 inch intervals going vertically down the right-hand side of my print. Penciled in little marks, then connected the dots and drew my straight line/edge.
4. Cut off excess.
5. Now center the print on top of the piece you just cut.
6. Trace around the print.
7. To make sure that the frame actually frames the photo/print, the "hole" needs to be a little smaller than the photo/print itself.
8. So take your ruler and draw a smaller rectangle inside your current one. I suggest drawing it 1/8 of an inch smaller than your original trace (#5 and #6).
9. Carefully cut out the center (the inside, smaller rectangle). Make sure you don't cut passed your guidelines.
10. You should now have a frame!
11. Go ahead and lay it on top of your print to double check that you measured correctly. Next, you want to find the center of the very top, so you can make the
holes for the hanging. Once you find the center, measure about 1.5
inches to the right and to the left. Mark with a pencil.
12. Using your ruler as a guide, make your holes and make sure they line up. It's important that your hole isn't bigger than the width of your twine or ribbon. I have the Martha Stewart punch tool so I was able to choose the 2nd largest puncher. If all you have is a standard hole puncher - you should still be ok but you'll have to finish the hanging differently than what I've outlined here. I'll provide instructions on how to finish it below.
Now for the fun part...
13. Give one side of your frame a very good coating of glue using either a brush, sponge or even your fingers. Spend a good amount of time making sure that you have an even coat, you'll thank yourself later once you begin applying the glitter. You'll have less touching up to do, promise.
14. If you have a tray big enough it might be easier to work in it, but if not, you can lay down a large sheet of wax paper, parchment paper, foil even newspaper on top of your work area so you can get glittering! The MS glitter comes with a handy salt & pepper like dispenser so I was able to shake down the glitter. I also like to use a spoon (actually think that this method is a lot easier) and spoon the glitter all over the frame. Once the glue dries (I waited for about 5 minutes) you want to life the frame and tap in on its edges, tap all sides making sure that you get all of the excess glitter off.
15. At this point you want to examine your frame. Does the glitter look even? Are there spots that could use a little more. If so, make sure you wait until the glue has fully dried. Once dry, you can apply a tiny amount of glue with your finger on the uneven patches - pat it down with your finger so you don't get bumpy patches. Spoon or shake some glitter over the newly glued patches. Once dry, tap off excess. Wait to dry.
16. It's alright if you've glittered over your hanging holes. Simply turn it over and slip a fairly big needle through the hole or use a pencil. Measure out your twine/ribbon - mine was 10.5" long. Carefully thread one end through one of the wholes (from the back of the frame to the front of the frame).
* if you're using a standard hole puncher and the hole is too big for the twine (the knot will slip right through the holes) you can thread the twine from back to front then take the twine and thread it into the other hole (from front to back) and once both ends are in the back side of your frame, line the ends up evenly and knot the ends to close the loop.
17. Repeat with the other end of the twine.
18. Knot the ends (I double knotted mine) in the front of the frame.
19. Now attach your print to the back. I simply used tape on all four sides. Your done!
Note: If you notice that the edges of the frame are curling up at the edges, simply lay it glitter side down on a lined flat surface and lay a couple of heavy books on top overnight.
I hope some of you give this a try. Thank you again Ez for inviting me to guest post while you're on your way over here, can't wait to see you!
x Marichelle