How to Make a Photo Frame

Decorate the ice cream sticks. You will need six or seven large ice cream sticks to look your best, but you can also use smaller sticks. Wrap them with decorative tape or patterned tape, or decorate with markers, crayons, or paints.

Stick the ice cream sticks together to make a picture frame. Place two sticks vertically, about 13cm apart, and stick a decorated stick horizontally across the top. Stick the next decorated stick right next to the first, being careful not to let the glue show between the gaps. Continue until the two vertical sticks are completely covered by the decorative sticks.

Decorate photo frames. Stick wooden shapes, beads, paper, buttons, ribbons, or whatever you like on the front of the picture frame.

Paste your photo. Small photos would work better for this type of frame — using a purse-sized photo to decorate the room makes both the photo and the frame look great. Use glue, tape, or pins to attach the pictures to the frame.

Attach a magnet on the back. Stick the strong horizontal suction magnet in the center near the input to the back of the picture frame so you can hang the photo on the fridge or anywhere that attracts magnets.

• You can use hangers instead of magnets if you prefer, but the small and lightweight picture frame makes it the perfect decoration for your school fridge or locker.

Completed!

Collect 4.8, or 12 sticks. The number of sticks depends on the thickness of the frame you want. They should be about 30cm long and about 3mm to 13mm in diameter. Choose rods that are relatively straight, and free of nodes, branches, or any other unsightly features.

Prepare sticks. Make sure they are the same length, about 30cm. Remove all leaves and branches. Rinse the sticks if they are dirty. Then divide the sticks into four groups (groups of 1,2 or 3 each), and arrange each group into a picture frame, with one group lying along one edge of the image.

• Arrange the sticks in each group side by side instead of bunching them at the top to create a wider frame.
• Make sure your photo will fit into the rectangle in the middle of the sticks you just stacked.

Use string to tie the sticks in the corner of the picture frame. Use a glue gun to attach the end of the wire to the back of the corner of the frame (you can also use hot glue to fix the two sticks in front). Pass the rope diagonally around the front corner of the frame. Then thread the wire across the back where the two sticks intersect. Bring the diagonal line through the front again this time it will be across the other diagonal (so if you first brought the rope from the top right corner to the bottom left corner, this time you would bring it from the bottom right corner) to the upper left corner). This time wrap it around the back. Again, cross wrap, then cross wrap, then cross wrap, then vertical wrap. At this point, the front of the corner will have two lines wound through each diagonal, so the wire will have a thick X shape. The back will have a longitudinal winding line through each rod where the intersection, so the back wire will have a thin square shape. Secure the end of the wire with hot glue.

• Keep the sticks on each side flat and close together. Make sure the knot is fastened so that the edges of the picture frame are secure.
• If you want to try other styles, try any of the ties to tie the corners. Try square and diagonal ties, or experiment with your own. ^[1]
• Repeat this step with the remaining three corners. Once that’s done, you’ll have a sturdy photo frame.

Paste the photo onto the back of the frame. Adjust the image to fit if needed. If you don’t want to paste directly on the photo, or if you want to be able to change the picture in the frame, stick a larger piece of paper on the back of the picture frame. Glue the three sides of the paper and insert the photo through the gap on the bottom edge.

Glue a rope to the top of the frame as a hanging rope. This rope will be 15cm to 18cm long, depending on the size of your photo frame. Again, use a glue gun to attach it to the top two corners. You will be able to hang the picture frame with this piece of wire.

Completed!

Frame the photo if desired. You will have to glue the photo straight onto the wooden frame. If you don’t want to stick it directly on the photo, or if you want a border around it, frame it, or just stick it on good quality paper or plain colored paper.

Prepare two equal squares or wooden sticks. Use wooden sticks 2cm wide, or square wooden sticks 6mm to 13mm wide. They should be 2 cm longer than the width of the photo.

Paint or spray polish on the stick or stick in the color you want. For a simple picture frame, a glossy paint on a wooden frame will look best. However, you can also paint it with watercolors or decorate it with paint if you want.

Glue the wooden stick to the top and bottom of the photo. Align the image horizontally to the center, and make sure the wood is perfectly straight and evenly level on the top edge. Stick the wooden stick on the top edge of the photo so you can see the image below. If you find yourself covering the photo too much, use another sheet of paper underneath the photo and stick the wooden stick over the paper.

Attach the rope to the upper wooden bar. Take a rope that you will use as a hanging rope. It should be about 20-30cm long, depending on the size of your photo. Drill small holes in the back of the stick halfway between the corner of the photo and the end of the wood. Tie the rope into these holes.

• If you don’t want to drill holes, then simply glue the wire to the wood with hot glue. This will be strong enough and the wire will not be exposed to the front of the picture frame.

Completed!

Buy or build a basic frame. Cut the cardboard to the size of the picture frame you want, and cut in the center to place the photo. Photo frames can be as simple or as creative as you like – from a basic rectangle, or cut out a large background with cells to nest two or three different photos. Paste craft paper behind each photo box to keep the photo inside. Glue the three sides of the paper so that the picture can be inserted into the frame.

• You can also buy simple wooden photo frames if you don’t want to make your own.

Collect lots of old magazines or other papers. The color and shine of magazines will make them perfect for picture frames, but you can also use old newspaper, cardboard, or any scrap paper you have around.

Cut the paper into several strips. If you’re using paper from a magazine, simply cut it in half lengthwise. If you’re using newspaper, cut it into strips 10cm wide and 25cm long.

Use a wooden stick or skewer to roll the strip of paper into a tube shape. Place the wooden stick at an angle of the paper, which is more than 45° to the paper. Roll the corner of the paper around the wooden stick. Holding the paper tightly, use a wooden stick to roll the paper into a tube.

• When you roll, the ends of the wooden stick will be covered by the paper. Do not lose them, as it will be more difficult to remove the wooden stick from the tube. Just put the stick aside to make sure you always have enough grip when you remove it from the paper tube.

When near the corner of the paper, apply glue along the edge to secure the tube. You can just put a drop of glue on the corner opposite the starting corner; This will hold the whole paper tube in place. However, if you cut the paper tube later, you can cut the glued part and break the tube. To prevent this, apply glue over the entire outer corner of the paper tube. This way it will stay in the tube no matter how or when you cut it. ^[2]

Repeat the steps above to roll enough paper tubes to make your picture frames. You’ll need more than you expected, so make sure you roll up a lot of paper before you do.

Apply Mod Podge to the background photo frame. You can use other glues to secure the paper tubes, but Mod Podge is more effective, strong and easy to use, so it is a great choice for this type of frame.

Line up the paper tubes along the edges of the picture frame. This will help the corners look clean and smooth, and you won’t have to worry about trimming the bottoms of the other tubes.

Glue the paper tubes onto the picture frame. Cut the paper tubes short before gluing, or trim them to fit when placed. With a simple picture frame, stack all the scrolls vertically on the frame, one next to the other. This will create a classic simple look.

• Try stacking the rolls diagonally or perpendicularly, or even use them to create textures. For example, arrange the paper tubes in a small square rotated 45° from the outside to form a diamond in the center of the picture frame. Bend the paper tubes to create corners, or glue them to the edges of the picture frame. Get creative – the arrangement of the scrolls will define the look and feel of your picture frame.
• Make sure to stack the rolls very closely together so that there are no gaps or holes in the picture frame.

Apply a coat of Mod Podge to the paper tubes. Once you’ve stacked the paper tubes onto the picture frame, apply a thin layer of glue that will act as the adhesive holding them firmly in place. It will also provide a coating that strengthens the frame and keeps it nice and shiny.