THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 3, 1996 TAG: 9603020053
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ANN BARRY BURROWS, SPECIAL TO HOME & GARDEN
LENGTH: Long : 230 lines
YOU HAVE FOUND something you want to frame. You go to the framing store and stagger out, unsure if your poster or art trifle is worth an $80 frame. You hear about people who make their own frames, often with such flair and exuberance that the frame itself becomes art. But you couldn't imagine undertaking such a challenge.
It must be hard, right?
Wrong.
Below are 10 easy, do-it-yourself framing projects recommended by ordinary folks, including homeowners, mothers, woodworking hobbyists, framing stores, artists and college students.
These simple and sometimes surprising ideas range from funky frames for a child's room to a traditional wood frame elegant enough for a mantel. YARDSTICK FRAME
You can find lots of things in junk bins suitable for frames or framing. In this case, a broken yardstick served well. If you buy one that's not broken, you'll be in the game too.
Materials: Miter box with a hand saw, drill, X-acto craft knife, glue, cut glass, piece of cardboard, small screws, rubber washers.
Directions: Divide your yardstick into four equal lengths for a small square frame, or cut smaller or larger sections to get the shape you want. Miter the corners so that each meets with an outside point. Glue those corners with carpenter's glue or white household glue. Let dry a couple of hours or overnight.
Place the frame, right side down, on a table. Get an old window pane or a piece of glass cut to size (hardware or glass stores will do this for you at low cost). Layer on the glass, your picture and a piece of cardboard. Mark the edges. Remove the layers and make small drill holes in the frame, just outside the line. Don't go all the way through. Replace the layers and screw on the washers so the picture stays in place. You can make a stand-up easel to glue on the back of the cardboard or drill two more holes for eye bolts and string picture-hanging wire through them to hang the picture. PIQUE-ASSIETTE MIRROR
Pique-assiette is the term for a technique using broken pieces of china or pottery, which are glued to a surface and then grouted. If you break a favorite vase or dish, consider giving it new life with this method applied to a frame. The various shapes, patterns and colors will produce a dramatic effect around a mirror.
Materials: Mirror, old wood frame (preferably flat and at least 2 or 3 inches wide), hammer, safety goggles, pottery or china, Liquid Nail glue, natural or colored grout, bucket and paddle, small trowel, rags, sponges.
Directions: Wearing goggles, break pottery into pieces of about the same size (this is very therapeutic), then arrange them around the frame in an appealing pattern of shape and color. Remember to leave a little space between pieces as you glue them on with the Liquid Nail. Work in a well-ventilated room or outdoors when using the glue. Let dry for eight hours.
Mix grout in the bucket according to package directions. Using the trowel, slap it over the frame and pottery, covering completely. Keep moving the grout in a circular motion so it will fill in the spaces between pottery pieces.
Begin wiping the frame with a rag to expose the pottery. Use both rags and sponges to clean off each piece. Let the frame dry overnight, wiping it occasionally with a damp sponge to prevent the grout from cracking as it dries. PICKET FENCE POSTER
Sometimes you see portions of an old fence lying around. There is a wonderful patina to old picket fences, and it seems a shame to throw them away. If you have a saw, you can turn the old fence into a new frame.
Materials: Portion of a picket fence, either found or bought, paint (optional), hand or power saw, poster or other art, small board, upholstery tacks or small nails.
Directions: Cut off the bottom of the fence so it is the desired size. If necessary, nail a small board across the back to keep the pickets in place. (There may already be one, unless the sawing removed it.)
Tack the poster, picture or artwork on the front of the fence. You can place it slightly askew. CURVED MAT FRAME
For a different look, try a specialized cutting of the mats surrounding your art to produce an appealing set of curved borders.
Materials: Several pieces of white poster board or mat board, X-acto knife, fine sandpaper, ruler, pencil, white household glue.
Directions: Measure the position for the art inside a ready-made frame and trace the shape of the art on the back of one piece of board. Move inside this outline about 1/4 inch and draw a free-flowing, wiggling line around the art perimeter. Use the knife to follow this line several times until you have cut through the board. Punch it out and pick up the next board. Trace your first mat board hole on the second board, then draw another waving line just 1/4 inch larger than the first. Try to follow the pattern as closely as possible, but some variation is OK. Follow the same procedure for one or two more boards. Lightly sand the curved edges.
Cut outside edges to fit your frame, then glue all the boards together, in order, with household glue.
Set the glass, curved mat boards, art and a cardboard backing inside the frame and tap in metal window glazing corners at back to fasten. Screw in two eye bolts and string with picture-hanging wire. GOLD-GILT WOOD FRAME
An old wood frame, somewhat thick, was used for this project, but you could purchase one. The traditional look of this framing job might cost from $150 to $250 at a framing shop. Doing it yourself with an old frame costs a fraction of that.
Materials: Balsa wood (available at hobby stores selling model airplanes), gold leaf paint, three mat boards in gold, burgundy and black or the colors of your choice, rule, X-acto knife, fine sandpaper, small paintbrush, pencil.
Directions: Draw lines on the back of the mat boards to fit opening of your frame. Then decide on placement of the art. In this case, the art was raised above center position to allow space for dried flowers, a coin and a written memoir below the art. Draw lines on the back of the gold board to indicate the art's position. Trace these lines with your knife and punch out. Use sandpaper to smooth the inside edges. Make the center hole in the burgundy mat 1/2 inch larger on all sides and the black 2 inches larger. Cut, punch and sand these boards as well.
Next cut the balsa wood to fit the inside openings of each board. You can miter the ends if you wish, but it will look all right if you don't. Paint the wood with the gold leaf paint and let dry.
Glue the mats together, then glue the gold wood strips to the inside edge of each board, matching corners.
Turn boards over after glue dries and tape the art in place. Turn over again and glue on the coin, flowers or other objects you want to add. Write your message. Place behind glass cut to fit the frame (hardware stores or glass stores will cut non-glare glass to size at little cost). Secure in frame by tapping in window glazing points. If you wish, cover back with brown paper backing and screw in eye bolts. Thread them with picture-hanging wire and your showpiece is ready for the mantle. TOY FRAME
A fun way to accent pictures of cousins and friends is to turn simple and cheap frames into objects of whimsy. It's easy - just paint and glue on plastic toys from those dollar-a-dozen bags. The gluing is so easy that children could help. Fish on a sea-blue frame looks striking, but the choices are limitless.
Materials: Acrylic paint found in craft stores, clear varnish, paint brush, tacky or hobby craft glue, toys.
Directions: Wash the frame, let it dry thoroughly and paint it with acrylics. After it dries, apply varnish. When varnish dries, glue on toys. Press them down occasionally as the glue sets.
When dry, turn over and put a mirror or picture in with a cardboard backing cut to size. Use window glazing points to secure. WRAPPING PAPER FRAME
Just a little left of your favorite wrapping paper? Make a frame. Or buy a roll and make several. Cut the wrapping paper as you please and design any pattern you want. The only need you'll have for a paintbrush is to put the glue on.
Materials: Wrapping paper, ready-made frame, Modpodge water-based sealer glue available in craft stores or white household glue thinned with water.
Directions: Cut a pattern from your wrapping paper. Cut long sections for the sides and small squares for the corners if you wish. Brush Modpodge on the back of each piece and smooth it on the frame. When you have the pattern you want, paint over everything with the glue sealer.
Add eye screws and picture-hanging wire to the back, or use adhesive picture hangers for lightweight pieces. STICK FRAME
Very chic right now is the use of natural wood - sticks actually - in home decor. Even couches! Just the right touch is a frame made from sticks from the yard. You can tie raffia ribbon around the sticks at the corners so the sticks stand on their own, or you can glue them to a wood frame as described here.
Materials: Sticks, wood frame, pruning shears, tacky or hobby craft glue, varnish, cardboard.
Directions: Cut sticks in a pattern, say four short sticks going horizontally and four more vertically, etc. The look will be more uniform around the frame this way, because sticks tend to bend this way and that. You can cut and sort to get the look you want. Then glue the sticks to the frame. Let dry, pushing down occasionally. Varnish the frame for added shine before taping or gluing the art and a cardboard backing on the back. FABRIC FRAME
This technique is best used with flat cottons, because the sealer may disturb the look of nubby or velvety fabrics. You can use all one fabric by carefully folding under corners, or create a mosaic.
Materials: Fabric, a wide old frame, Modpodge water-based sealer glue, small paintbrush.
Directions: Cut and arrange your fabric around the frame. Glue fabric pieces on. Paint entire frame with more Modpodge. Let dry. PAINTED FRAME
Some of the priciest frames of our day are painted ones. They are painted with stripes, floral patterns or bits of gold leaf. You can do that, too. And if you are unsure about creating a look as good as that of an experienced artist, try working with the carvings in an old frame. The effect can be stunning and no ``talent'' is necessary.
Materials: Acrylic paints, varnish, paintbrush, carved wood frame.
Directions: Inspect your frame. Are there ridges and ripples and other carvings that can be accentuated with different colors of paint? Paint one color at a time in certain areas. When dry, paint another area in another color. When the frame is dry and the last coat has ``cured'' overnight, varnish the frame.
High-quality art work rates a suitable frame, but most homes don't have the space or the budget for an oil painting in an ornate frame on every wall. We just want to put that special photo or object of memory or colorful fantasy on the wall as simply as possible. Creativity and fun cost very little, and there is always room for it. ILLUSTRATION: Color photos
HOW IT WAS DONE: It doesn't take much to make a splash. Dress up an
old or inexpensive frame with some acrylic paint and varnish. After
it dries, glue on a few plastic toys, such as these colorful fish.
These whimsical frames are perfect for a child's room or game room.
HOW IT WAS DONE: Why always cut mat board in straight line? Some
artwork lends itself to a more free-flowing form. Set off your art
with a series of curves, made possible with some simple measurements
and a sharp X-acto craft knife.
HOW IT WAS DONE: Take a section of old or new picket fence and
create a backdrop for an appropriate poster. Even with an old,
weathered fence, painting is optional. A few tacks or nails and your
work of art is ready for display.
HOW IT WAS DONE: It you can't paint flowers, try wrapping paper.
Glue cut pieces of paper on an old frame and brush glue sealer all
over. It's sort of like decoupage - but easier.
Photo
CHRISTOPHER REDDICK/The Virginian-Pilot
HOW IT WAS DONE: An old wood frame, some gold leaf paint and strips
of balsa wood make an elegant frame.
by CNB