How to design a photo frame with your own hands. The most original DIY photo frames - design ideas

A universal selection of gift ideas for any occasion and occasion. Surprise your friends and loved ones! ;)

Greetings to everyone on the blog! Many of us love to give gifts (I think you too). But ordinary gifts quickly become boring and you want something warmer, more soulful, and attractive. One of these gifts is DIY photo frames, which we will be making in large quantities today

I decided to write this post because a long time ago I made my first soft photo frame, and more recently I repeated the experiment and the result was more than pleasing to me. Today I will share with you the secrets of its creation, and also show you what other types of photo frames you can make yourself using improvised materials.

How to make photo frames with your own hands: master classes

Children's photo frame "Totoro" ("PhotoFrame")

We’ll start with a cute children’s photo frame inspired by the wonderful anime “My Neighbor Totoro” (if you haven’t watched it, be sure to check it out, you won’t regret it).

You will need:

soft stretch fabric (fleece (example - green fabric in the photo), minky fleece, velsoft, thick knitwear, etc.)
thin fabric for the backdrop (cotton, fleece, etc.)
padding polyester (canvas)
plastic base (from under equipment, sweets, etc.)
threads, needles, scissors, accessories for decoration.

There should be enough plastic base to fit three pieces the size of the desired photo frame.

First of all, you will need to cut out a plastic base (round, square, triangular - whichever you like best) similar to the one shown in the photo. In this case it is a flat donut. Cut out several parts from padding polyester of the same shape. I will show a master class using a circle as an example.

You will also need 1 more piece made of soft stretch fabric, but with large seam allowances.

Attention! Do not skimp on fabric allowances; they should be approx. 2/3 from the width of the ring so that the fabric is evenly distributed at the back.

We immediately proceed to the most important part - stitching the front part. To do this, make small cuts on the inside of the circle (in the area of the allowances) and sew the edges, pulling them with threads as close to each other as possible. (I specifically chose a contrasting thread color so that it would be noticeable).

Advice. If you have chosen a rectangular shape, then you are unlikely to need cuts; you can try making them without them.

This is what the ring looks like from the front. If you wish, you can hide the seams at the back using an overlay made of thin fabric (I’ll show you how to do this a little later).

Set the ring aside. Cut two circles from thin fabric and plastic (you won't need one yet). Make the fabric circles a millimeter or two larger than the plastic ones.

Sew the fabric circles together, leaving room for turning and inserting the plastic backing.

After stitching, turn the fabric part inside out, insert a plastic circle and sew up the remaining hole.

We received the back of the photo frame.

If desired, sew a loop of thread or ribbon into it so that you can hang the photo frame on the wall.

This is how I masked the back of the fluffy bagel. To do this, I cut out the same element from thin fabric as from stretch fabric, but now I made smaller seam allowances and hid them inside, sewing the disguise with a hidden seam. Sew the back with the same seam.

Sew the backdrop so that later you can insert the last plastic circle and photo on top.

Try to make small stitches so that they are not noticeable after sewing the parts together.

Sewn back:

Front view:

Now insert the plastic circle into the photo frame.

Ready! All that remains is to insert a beautiful photo and add decor)

In my case, this is a themed nigella, felted from wool, with felt leaves sewn on. Photo corresponding You can see the work in more detail in this section (in the “Souvenirs” tab).

Great minky fleece you can buy in this shop. I haven’t seen anything like this in our woven stores, but if you want to make a thing no worse than purchased, then this material will be very useful to you (the seller is trusted, I myself have ordered from him more than once).

DIY photo frames made of cardboard and paper

The method described above is far from the simplest possible method of creating a photo frame. Now you will see this

Photo frame made from... box lids

In fact, you can use regular cardboard if you fold it into the shape of a lid like this. As you can see, the creation process is simple: just take the lid and cover it with beautiful scrapbooking paper.

It is convenient to fasten such frames together, resulting in a whole set. They can be glued together to make a panel. It turns out to be an excellent option for both children and adults.

Cardboard and clothespins

These two elements will be needed for the next type of photo frame. Cut out a circle like what we did in the first master class and glue clothespins around it. We get a simple frame for several photos.

We use fabric and threads

Continuation of the first master class. Here I have included all those frames that can be knitted or sewn (at least use ideas for decoration).

Knitted

A cute idea for a photo frame in the shape of a flower, and it’s convenient to make these for several photos at once. The photograph can simply be glued to the back, covering it with some dense material.

From threads

Everything is simpler here: take a frame, threads and glue and wrap the first one, securing it along the way. Thus, it is easy to turn even very large frames into a work of art.

Shabby chic style

The method of creation is very similar to the very first one, with the exception of a couple of differences: here the basis is pressed cardboard (I think you can take a ready-made frame of a simple shape) and this souvenir has a leg, rather than a hinged mount.

Felt

Take a simple wooden frame as a base and decorate it with felt flowers. By the way, you can read other articles on my blog about creating flowers (including from ribbons and paper).

From scrap materials or how to decorate a photo frame

Walnut

An interesting idea is to use pecan (if I'm calling it correctly) for the finish. In our area, it is quite possible to replace them with ordinary walnuts.

Stop the traffic jam!

For the next two types you will need a lot of wine bottle caps. In the first case, it is proposed to prime a simple wooden photo frame, and then cut out floral patterns from the corks.

But in the second case everything is much simpler - you just need to glue the plugs along the edge. An excellent gift option for, say, dad on February 23rd.

Polymer clay and just little things

Are you good at sculpting with polymer clay? Or do you just have a lot of beads, buttons, etc. accumulated at home? Then feel free to put them to use - glue them to a frame of a simple shape.

The same applies to stones, shells, etc.

Natural style

Roughly speaking, to make this beautiful frame, you will need one long log. This can be built at home, if you dry the wood properly before doing so.

Popsicle sticks

The hardest thing here is keeping them together. This can be done using glue, thread, or a thick base.

Plaster castings

Find a suitable mold and plaster. Once my brother experimented with a plaster panel - it turned out quite well, but it lasted a long time.

From thermobeads

I don’t know exactly their scientific name, but if you lay them out on a special surface and then iron them, you get a dense fabric. You can see an example of a funny frame made in this way below.

With this, dear friends, I finish this large review of various types of photo frames. I think you found what you were looking for, if not, write in the comments. And share with your friends not only cool handmade gifts, but also useful information using social network buttons. Goodbye!

Sincerely, Anastasia Skoracheva

Today, in the age of digital technology, we very rarely print photographs on paper, replacing them with an electronic version. But sometimes you really want to decorate your house with “live” photographs, for which you will need beautifully designed frames. In this master class I will present you with some simple but original ideas for decorating them with your own hands.

Decorating a photo frame with buttons

To decorate this frame we will need:

buttons (mine are in the shape of flowers);
white acrylic paint;
wooden frame;
flat brush;
sponge;
“Moment” universal glue (transparent).

The first step will be to prime the wooden frame with acrylic paint. If the surface of your frame has uneven surfaces, first go over it with sandpaper. Mine turned out to be even and smooth, so I skip this step and proceed straight to painting.

I painted the frame with two coats of paint, first on the front side. So that it lays down in an even layer, I applied acrylic with a brush and then leveled it with a sponge.

Once it was thoroughly dry (about 5 hours), I painted the back of the frame and left it to dry overnight.

The second stage is decorating the frame with buttons. They can be any color, size and shape, depending on your wishes.

Before gluing the buttons, I “tried” them to the frame to place them more compactly and also to avoid repeating colors. Then you can safely start decorating.

As a result, I got this nice bright frame. This is a very versatile option, because photographs in it can be placed horizontally and vertically.

Decorating a photo frame using decoupage technique

In simple words, this is the translation of a paper picture onto various objects and surfaces.

To decorate the next frame we will need:

napkin with your favorite image;
already primed wooden frame;
PVA glue;
tassels;
scissors;
2 jars: for water and glue solution.

First you need to work with a napkin. We only need a thin layer with pictures, so the other white layers need to be separated. Don’t rush to throw them away right away, as they will be useful to us in future work.

Then I cut it into individual pieces with images. Tip: if the design does not involve clear lines, for example, floral motifs, then it is better to tear off the fragment of the napkin you like by hand. This way they will look natural at the joints.

To avoid confusion, I transfer them to the next piece of paper, in the same order as they were on the frame.

The images that will be on the corners need to be cut diagonally, as shown in the photo. This is necessary so that they can be conveniently glued.

Having completed all the preparations, we proceed directly to decoupage. I will transfer the drawings of the bear cubs only to the front of the frame and on the sides. The reverse side will be white.

Using a brush generously moistened with water, we first “glue” the picture to the surface of the frame. This must be done very slowly and carefully to avoid the formation of bubbles and wrinkles on the napkin. It is better to start from the central part and gradually move towards the edges.

In this way I transfer all my fragments to the frame.

Next, I carefully, using my fingers, tear off the excess paper that extends beyond the borders of the sides of the frame. If errors still occur, they can be easily eliminated by covering the reverse side with another thin layer of paint.

Then you need to carefully blot it with a dry cloth without damaging the design. This is where the white layers that we separated earlier will come in handy.

The next step is to dilute PVA glue with water in a 1:1 ratio. Mix well and cover the frame with the resulting mixture. There is no need to make a layer that is too thick. It is very important here that the glue lies evenly over the entire surface. After this, we leave it to dry overnight.

The final step is to coat the frame with acrylic varnish, which can be glossy or matte. This will finally fix the design, which means that the product will delight you with its beautiful and exclusive appearance for a long time.

This is the frame I got. It is perfect for children's photographs.

Do you want to hang your favorite photo on the wall, but don’t have a suitable frame?

The easiest way is to buy it in a store. However, this is not interesting.

Why not make your own photo frames? This is a useful and creative activity that does not require special tools and materials.

First things first.

Cardboard photo frame: tools

Creating beautiful frames without the appropriate equipment is problematic. Therefore, collect a minimum set of tools. It should include:

large scissors; stationery knife; PVA glue; simple pencil; tape; small scissors; fine-grained sandpaper; ruler.

Note: It is advisable to get a cutting mat; it makes it much easier to mark out the details of the future frame.

If you are not happy with the color of the cardboard for the frame, purchase a can of spray paint. To decorate photo frames, use shells, pebbles, glass, rhinestones, beads, etc.

In addition to the basic tools, you will need: a paint brush with soft bristles, a spray bottle, water and tongs. They will be needed to prepare the material for use.

Photo frames: preparation of material

The best material to make your own photo frames is cardboard. Why? It is cheap and easy to process. Every home has at least one cardboard box and glue with scissors.

In its raw form, cardboard is of little use for making a photo frame. Its preparation comes down to the following - separate the top layer so that the corrugated part appears.

Sometimes this is not easy to achieve, since different types of cardboard are made with different amounts of glue and they have different thicknesses.

Find out how to quickly peel off the top layer of cardboard:

Wet the part of the paper that needs to be removed. Distribute the moisture evenly over the surface using a brush. Wait 2-3 minutes until it is saturated. Using your fingers or a knife, pry up the edge of the layer and try to remove as much of the piece as possible. Cut off the remainder. Clean off the dried glue with sandpaper.

The method described above is applicable to large pieces of cardboard; for small ones, sometimes it is enough to rub the top layer.

Note: Spray the water more carefully. If you overdo it, the cardboard will become soggy. At best, you will have to wait until it dries. At worst, start the work all over again.

How to make a frame out of cardboard: instructions

First you need to decide what kind of photo the frame is being created for. It is not the content that is important, but the size and orientation of the card (vertical or horizontal). Based on this, proceed:

Step #1. Cut out the base.

Cut out the base of the frame from a large piece of cardboard. Its dimensions should be at least twice the size of the photo. Next you will understand why. Using a ruler and pencil, mark the contours of the future part. Then cut it out with scissors.

Step #2. Making a compartment for photography.

In the middle of the base, draw a rectangle slightly smaller than the photo for which the frame is being made. Carefully draw along the outline with a stationery knife and cut out a window.

Cut out a rectangle that will cover the photo hole on the back of the frame. Glue the door with tape on one side.

Step #3. We complete the preparation.

Make several cardboard strips of different lengths. Stick four of them around the photo compartment. Use the rest to create the structure of the front part. For clarity, look at the figure below.

To make the frame fit more tightly to the wall, glue triangles at the corners of the back. They compensate for the thickness of the door and allow the photo frame to hang more evenly.

Making triangles couldn't be easier. Cut one out using a pencil and then use it as a stencil.

Step #4. Decor.

Everything we did before had little to do with creativity. It's time to turn on your imagination to the fullest. Here is one of the options for designing a frame, but this is just an example, you can come up with your own version.

So, to decorate the photo frame we use the same cardboard. Take the prepared material with bare corrugation and cut it into ribbons. Divide several of them into elements as shown in the figure below.

Decorating frames is the simplest thing you can do for your interior with your own hands. Finding a frame that fits perfectly into the main style and color scheme can be very difficult, but making one yourself is much easier than it seems. We offer an overview of the brightest ideas on how you can decorate a frame with your own hands.

Polymer clay

Polymer clay gives you a lot of possibilities for designing frames. With its help you can come up with the most incredible floral decor, as in the next photo. The perfect solution for a wedding!

The source of all photos in the article is etsy.com

In addition to flowers, you can make any elements - cupcakes, lollipops, mini ice cream, fruits and even gears!
Another idea is to use square molds with different patterns. From such details you can put together a real mosaic with your own hands! Beautiful and stylish!

Mosaic

If you have to sculpt and bake polymer clay, then it’s easy to purchase ready-made mosaics, made from a variety of materials: glass, plastic, ceramics, of all shapes and colors. You can use pieces of mosaic to lay out the entire frame or, for example, only its central part; the main thing is to take a flat baguette so that it is convenient to glue the parts.

Disc pieces

If we simplify the idea of using mosaics even further, then you can not buy it at all, but make beautiful decor with your own hands using ordinary CDs. To do this, the disk must be broken into pieces and glued to the frame one by one. What will come of this can be seen in the next photo.

Lego

Any construction set is suitable for this idea, not just Legos. The main thing is that it contains many square or rectangular parts of the same size. For a children's room, you can take different colors, but even for the living room you can make a stylish photo frame in one color just using an ordinary children's construction set. We glue the parts using hot melt glue or “Crystal” moment. Don't forget to degrease the surface before starting work!

Decoupage

You can decorate a frame using the decoupage technique in a thousand different ways, for example:
- using decoupage cards,
- regular napkins,
- favorite photographs or beautiful images printed on a printer and secured with varnish,
— fragmentarily or completely over the entire surface of the frame,
- volumetrically using various texture pastes that imitate snow, brickwork or other effects,
- with elements of gold leaf,
- with additional painting with acrylic paints.
Here are some simple examples for inspiration.

Scrappaper

You can make beautiful decor with your own hands from scrapbooking paper. You can glue the paper onto a wooden frame with PVA glue, and onto a plastic frame with 3M glue. A mandatory condition for the durability of such a product is coating with colorless varnish, glossy or matte. Another idea similar to scrap paper is decorating a frame with a geographical map. This coating will also have to be protected with varnish.

Volume pendants

A harmonious combination of metal, glass and plastic pendants is another great idea for decoration. The result is a spectacular, fashionable photo frame, and no one is guaranteed to have a second one. Not only pendants will be used, but also beads, seed beads, and rhinestones. Finishing should begin with the largest elements, and free areas should be filled with smaller ones.

Textile

Fabric frames add coziness to any interior. They are easy to sew with your own hands from leftover textiles from curtains or sofa cushions; they are pleasant to the touch and look surprisingly gentle.

Marine style

To decorate a frame with your own hands, sometimes you can get by with only those materials that were left over from a trip to the sea - starfish, shells, sand or coral. The photo frame will remind you of the trip and will become a bright detail of the interior.
Here's how else you can decorate the frame if you paint some of the elements in advance with silver acrylic paint.

Creating a custom frame for your home with your own hands is a real pleasure. Don't deny yourself this little joy!

We probably all have photos that we want to keep forever. It is for such photographs that you can make a beautiful photo frame with your own hands.

You can decorate your home with a frame made by yourself or simply give it to loved ones.

How to make a photo frame from cardboard

1. Cut a rectangle of any size from cardboard.

2. In the middle of the cut out rectangle, cut out another rectangle. Its size should be slightly smaller than the size of the photo.

3. Decorate the frame however you like.

You can use stickers and/or draw something.

You can also draw animals on colored paper, for example, then cut them out and glue them to the frame.

4. Prepare another sheet of paper and cut out a rectangle from it. Its size should be equal to the size of the frame.

5. Glue this rectangle to the back of the frame, leaving one side open so you can insert the photo through it.

6. All you have to do is insert a photo!

DIY photo frames. Frame from magazine pages.

This frame not only looks original, but you also won’t have to pay a penny for it, since its main element is the pages of a magazine, any kind that you can find at home.

You will need:

Cardboard

Old (unnecessary) magazines

Sewing thread

PVA glue

Scissors

Stationery knife (or scalpel)

Ruler

Pencil

1. Prepare a sheet of thick paper or cardboard measuring approximately 20x25cm. Measure 5cm from the edges of the sheet and draw a “window” measuring 10x15cm in the middle.

2. Cut out the "window" using a utility knife.

3. Start rolling up the magazine pages as tightly as possible. To secure them and prevent them from unwinding, use glue.

4. Get some colored sewing thread ready and start winding it around the rolled up magazine pages. Continue until you have many similar blanks.

5. When the blanks are made, start bending them at an angle of 90 degrees in the right places and using glue to attach them to the cardboard frame.

6. Prepare a small piece of cardboard for the leg. Also cut out two cardboard strips and glue them to the back of the frame so you can insert a photo between them.

How to make a beautiful frame. Frame as a gift.

You will need:

Simple Inexpensive Wooden Frame

Piece of cloth

PVA glue

Ruler

Glue brush

Scissors

1. Prepare a piece of fabric on which to place the frame. Cut as much fabric as you need to cover the edge of the frame on the front and back.

2. Now you need to cut out the excess fabric from the middle of the sheet.

3. Place your frame on a rectangular pattern and cut out squares from the corners, thereby ensuring neat corners.

4. Carefully, using PVA glue, glue the fabric onto 4 sides of the frame, but just be careful not to wrinkle it. This must be done on both sides of the frame - front and back.

5. Now make diagonals in the corners of the frame. To do this, cut each corner inside your photo frame. Next you need to fold the fabric and glue it to the inside.

* There is an option to cover the back of the frame with fabric.

When the frame is dry, you can decorate it with ribbon.

How to beautifully make a spring-themed frame

This frame has a spring theme. She looks gentle and romantic.

You will need:

Simple frame

Artificial flowers

Glue gun (can be replaced with PVA glue).

1. Divide the flowers into inflorescences.

*If you wish, you can make your own flowers. To find out how, take one of our master classes:

2. This example uses small petals that were cut out of colored paper. These petals need to be glued to the frame using a glue gun or PVA glue.

* To make it more convenient, try starting to glue the petals from the corner of the frame. Next, gradually fill the frame with petals.

* It is worth noting that the petals need to be glued tightly to each other, so your flower bouquet on the frame will seem more magnificent.

3. Use ribbon, lace, or pretty paper to cover the edge of the frame.

How to make photo frames. Picture from photographs.

If you have a lot of favorite photos, but you just don't want to buy a separate photo frame for each, then you will like this project.

Just one large photo frame that can fit several photos at once (the size of the frame depends on the number and size of photos)

You will need:

Large picture frame (wooden or plastic; choose the size yourself)

* In this example, the frame size is 40x50cm.

Small nails (can be replaced with push pins)

* You can choose a set of multi-colored push pins.

Hammer

Jute (or any rope to which you will attach photos)

Measuring tape

Clothespins

* You can look for sets of small multi-colored decorative clothespins, or use regular ones, as in this master class.

1. In this example, space was measured out for 5 rows of small photos, similar to those taken using Instagram. You measure the distance you need between the photos, both vertical and horizontal.

2. After you have measured everything, nail the nails in the right places of the frame on the right and left (or insert push pins) and pull the rope.

3. Collect your favorite photos and attach them to a string with clothespins.

Photo frame is ready!

DIY frames. Flower photo frame.

You are free to choose the color and shape of the flowers, just use your imagination.

You will need:

Simple photo frame

Acrylic paint

Brush

Thick material (fabric) from which you will cut flowers

Multi-colored buttons, thread, needle

Scissors

Pen

Super glue

1. Prepare the frame and paint it with two layers of acrylic paint. Choose the color yourself.

2. Using a pen or pencil, draw flower shapes on thick fabric and cut them out. You can decorate them with colored thread and sew a button on top.

3. Now all that remains is to glue all your blanks to the frame using superglue.

4. Add a photo!

DIY photo frames. Frame wrapped in thread.

Another option for a beautiful and inexpensive photo frame.

You will need:

Simple photo frame with straight sides

PVA glue

Several threads of different yarn colors

Scissors

1. Prepare the frame and apply some glue to it. This needs to be done in parts, i.e. Apply a little glue to a small part of the frame and then wrap this part with thread.