You have a beautiful picture or piece of art that you want to frame and place in a special area of your home. Maybe it's large or not your usual size picture so you can't find a picture frame that fits. The problem is that custom framing can be expensive. Here are some tips on how to save money on custom framing.
Thrift Store Picture Frames
Just because your picture isn't a traditional picture size, doesn't mean you can't use a regular size frame. Go on the hunt for a picture frame that is larger than your picture. The best places to look are at garage sales and thrift stores. You can find beautiful, high quality picture frames for cheap at these places. They might need some work, but a coat of paint is way cheaper than a new frame. Besides, you might even like the rustic look of the frame and not want to fix it.
Custom Framing Mat Cutting
Since your picture frame is larger than your picture then you need to have a mat with it. The picture mat surrounds the picture and fills in the gaps. You can either attach the picture right to the top of the mat or have a hole cut into the mat with the picture underneath it. Cutting the mat to the size of the frame and/or cutting the hole for the picture can be frustrating. You don't want to waste time and money trying to get it right. Instead, go to a local custom framing shop and ask them to do it for you. They will charge a few dollars for the work, but it's much cheaper than an entire frame.
Craft Store Framing
Many craft stores sell frames of various sizes and do custom framing. These frames will cost more than the ones at thrift stores and might not be the same high quality or rustic look you want. However, you can get a nice frame for cheaper than a custom one. You'll save money if you wait until the craft store has a frame sale. Save more money by taking advantage of the free framing. Many stores, ask around at your local craft stores, will frame a picture free of charge if you buy one the store's frames.
In the end, you will have a beautifully framed photo without paying tons of money or without the struggle of making a DIY frame when you have no craft skills. If you start looking for frames and can't find something that fits your photo or style, or it seems like too much work, check out a company like InstaFrame Galleries to learn about your options.
Share9 June 2015
How will you spend summer vacation with your kids? I love spending the summers with my kids and we find all sorts of new things to do each year! As my kids get older, I introduce new crafts that they can do that they were unable to do when they were younger. Our family blog contains all sorts of crafts that you can do with kids of all ages. It is my hope that our family fun can inspire other families to spend more time together creating fun, interesting and artistic pieces that can be shared with friends and family.