Crafts to Make Picture Frames

If you enjoy displaying photos of friends and family throughout your home, you may be in search of crafts to make picture frames.

Decorating Crafts to Make Picture Frames

In many cases, crafts to make picture frames involve customizing plain frames to fit your home's unique décor scheme. Unfinished wooden frames are available in a variety of shapes and sizes at large craft stores such as Hobby Lobby and Michaels Crafts. You can also try searching nearby thrift stores and consignment shops for frames that can be sanded and refinished.

Basic Decorating Ideas

When decorating an unfinished photo frame, you have a number of options. For example:

• Paint a design on the frame with acrylic craft paints. Even if you're not much of an artist, swirls, stars, and dots are easy to make.
• Stamp a design on the frame using your favorite rubber stamps.
• Cover the frame with collage elements cut from old magazines and seal with a decoupage adhesive. Greeting cards and bits of wrapping paper work well for this project, too.
• Wrap the frame with scraps of leftover ribbon or yarn.
• Add gold leafing to the frame.
• Use faux-finishing techniques to mimic the look of marble on the frame.

Adding Fun Embellishments

Attaching whimsical embellishments to a plain photo frame is a great way to give it a unique look. Here are a few ideas to consider:

• Showcase a child's school photo by gluing crayons or pencils around a wooden frame.
• Make a frame for your favorite princess by decorating it with Barbie shoes that have lost their mates.
• Use leftover puzzle pieces to decorate a frame for your family game room.
• Glue your favorite candies to a picture frame for a fun seasonal decoration, using peppermints for Christmas or conversation hearts for a Valentine's Day frame.
• Decorate a frame for your kitchen with mismatched silverware.
• Glue small alphabet blocks to a frame for a cute baby shower gift.
• Use shells to embellish a photo of your friends at the beach.
• Display a wedding photo surrounded by a border of silk flowers.
• Add a button border to a picture frame for a homespun touch.
• Give a frame a rustic look by gluing twigs around the edges.
• Glue beads to a frame for a sparkling look.
• Spell out a name or favorite phrase with Scrabble tiles to personalize the frame.

Making Picture Frames from Recycled Materials

Thrifty crafters often find that using recycled materials in their projects gives them a great sense of satisfaction. Creating something beautiful from items that would otherwise be thrown away is challenging, but a good way to save money while helping the environment.

Crafts to make picture frames from recycled materials can include:

• Folded Origami Frames: If you enjoy scrapbooking, card making, or other paper crafts, you probably have lots of leftover decorative paper. Try putting these supplies to good use by folding your own picture frames.
• Photo Frames from CD Cases: With just a few basic supplies, you can transform empty CD cases into pretty new picture frames.
• Glass Jar Frames: Turn old glass jars into a funky display for your favorite photos. If you're feeling exceptionally creative, customize the jars by adding scrapbooking rub-ons to the glass.
• Curved Glass Picture Frames: Learn how to transform old soda bottles and leftover cardboard packaging into an innovative picture frame.
• Jar Lid Picture Frames: Photos framed on old jar lids make excellent refrigerator magnets or small accent pieces for shelves.
• Tissue Box Photo Frames: This simple photo frame is a great project for kids to make, but could be fun for adult crafters as well.