DIY Frames

We recently finished our school cafeteria and I wanted to make something for the blank walls. I didn’t want to spend for artworks so I asked my hobbyist boyfriend if I could use some of his film photos, and he of course agreed (thanks, babe!).

I wanted 3 A3 size portrait prints and 6 square (instagram-ish) prints. I researched for ways to layout a gallery wall but I didn’t want anything too fancy or I was scared that I won’t be able to pull it off. Therefore, after choosing my favorite photos, I decided on a simple layout and made a sample of it in Photoshop.

I also canvassed for frames but I couldn’t bear the thought of spending Php300.00 or more for each frame, or having to spend close to Php3,000.00 for all 9 frames.

Although I didn’t really know if I could do it, I highly considered the option to do it myself. Without giving myself some time to think twice, I jumped in our van and asked our driver to bring me to our local hardware. I bought a couple of wood pieces (I have no idea what I was doing! Hahaha) and I think they were 1x1/2x12’s or something. I promise to take note of these details for future projects. There’s always a first for everything. And there’s always some sort of  booboo on your first (haha!).

On a separate trip to the mall for a work errand, I dropped by Ace Hardware to find liquid nails. I found this on another blog who did a little project for her cabinets and I thought that’s perfect for me who has no experience whatsoever with tools or constructions materials.

On a trip to MC Home Depot with my mom and sister to buy light bulbs for our cafeteria, I was secretly searching for tools I saw on engineeryourspace’s YouTube tutorials. I knew there was no turning back with my plans when I found them. I asked my mom if she could buy me the tools and she easily agreed. I was surprised she did and I asked why. She said, “Okay lang yan, mukhang masaya ka naman.” (It’s okay, you look happy anyway). Ha! I am thankful for a mom who supports my ventures even if she finds them weird. I know she’s probably thinking I’ll ask help along the way and she just wants me to experience it. But the real point, I could finally get started!

I printed the photos on our Epson T1100 printer. (So sorry for the messy work table)

Starting with the A3 prints, I made some sort of template using white folder which I thought may also serve as matting for the photos. I tried using illustration board at first but the cut wouldn’t be clean and neat so I didn’t want that. I glued the corners of the cut pieces together and had this:

I’ll use this template later on for building the frame itself but I made 3 of these already so I don’t have to go back to this step when I need the matting. I then proceeded to building the frames. Or at least trying to build them hehe.

I used the template to determine how long every piece of wood needs to be. Essentially, it should be longer than your template if you want some matting. I used the miter box to guide me cut straight lines and perfect angles.

After cutting a few pieces, it got me really tired having to hold the miter box and wood in place, at the same time cutting through it. I again headed to Ace Hardware to buy a clamp. Best decision of this project so far. After a few hours, I finally finished cutting all the pieces I needed!

I then sanded everything. I love the instant gratification sanding gives. Haha.

I proceeded with gluing all the sides together. After gluing, I also stapled all the corners just to add strength.

And then following the same process, I made square frames as well. 6 of them. (I apologize for the blurry iPhone photos)

I let these dry overnight and I’m pleased with how sturdy they turned out to be. The frames aren’t perfect. Some were not even, some had glue sticking out (haha, I did have a short lecture from my father what I should have and should not have done) but bottom line is, I did everything by. My. Self. And I’m pretty proud of that!

It was then time to stain them. I bought wood stain in American Walnut and paintbrush from Ace Hardware (I obviously love this store), laid out all the frames, and stained away.

These completely dried for a few days because I hid them inside our stock room. It’s a good thing anyway because real work got in the way. But I love how it all turned out! And then it’s finally time to install the pictures. To stick the photo onto the template, I used a double sided tape and placed it all around the inner edge of the matting. I did this to ensure that all sides of the photo are securely in place.

Here are the square prints all with matting:

And for the final step of installing it onto the frame, I just used paper tape and secured the back.

And the finished product! Can you spot which one is crooked/uneven?

I did the square frames a bit small so the matting didn’t turn out to be as wide as I imagined them to be. But at this point, any booboo wouldn’t, in any way, compare to the happiness I have from building all these frames from scratch. For a first time, I think these aren’t bad at all.

I’m so excited to hang these and brag about them for a few months. Haha! Here are the A3 prints on their assigned wall, temporarily resting on the bar table. I'm so happy!