Creative Photo Mat Ideas

Some art photos are so stunningly composed that they deserve to stand on their own with a simple mat or no mat at all. But when we frame more casual snapshots – vacation pictures, images of friends or family, and other “fun” camera captures – creative photo mats can add panache to a portrait. When you buy a photo frame at a craft store, it may already have a solid-colored photo mat in it. If not, you can often add one for a dollar or so. Using these creative photo mat ideas, you can then shape an original border to reside within your frame.

Note: This may be obvious, but since the mat reduces the amount of viewable photo space within a frame, ensure that the picture can be displayed within the mat’s dimensions and that the mat then fits into the frame.

Ribbon: Creative Photo Mat Idea #1
Who said that photo matting needs to be four-sided or even use a “real” mat? By affixing your choice of thin or thick ribbon, you can create two simple sidelines for a photo mat. This involves thinking outside the realm of conventional matting by skipping the mat altogether. You can simply affix the ribbon to the back of the photo board (included with nearly all frames) such that it’s tautly wrapped around the front of the photo itself. Because this technique is intended for photos the same size as the frame, try to choose a photo with adequate “blank” space for effect. I find this is a smart way to add tasteful strips of vertical color to black and white photos.

Wallpaper: Creative Photo Mat Idea #2
I normally despise wallpaper! But when used on small crafts instead of giant walls, it has redeeming kitsch quality. First, select an attractive piece of wallpaper – if you’re lucky enough to find one. Then take your photo mat and glue the back of the paper to the front of the mat, making sure that there is some excess around all the edges. Cut out each extra corners of paper, and fold the edges over neatly to the back of the mat and glue them down. Then, using a utility knife, slice the paper out of the photo opening, leaving excess paper to be folded over and glued. If my directions are confusing, think of it this way: your job is to wrap the front of mat with wallpaper.

Pasta: Creative Photo Mat Idea #3
Do you think I am crazy yet? If you can find a right-sized frame and you take care when handling dry spaghetti noodles, pasta can be used to create matting. I’d recommend using a photo of which you have an extra copy or a digital backup, as this technique will be rather permanent. Just take the photo, center it on the photo board, and use clear glue to affix the pasta (vermicelli works well), in strips on each side. I know this idea may be hard to visualize, but I promise that you can make it work. It’ll become an instant conversation piece. You can also glue the pasta onto a storebought mat, but that (surprisingly) tends to be more complicated.

Buttons or Bottle Caps: Creative Photo Mat Idea #4
For an object-based edge, you can cover a storebought photo mat with buttons, bottle caps, or other glue-able items that are reasonably flat. Of course, be sure that the frame still fits together with the new depth you’ve added. While people often glue buttons onto the outside of a photo frame, placing them directly on the mat is a creative way to give the buttons a tidy “inside” look while leaving the exterior frame sharp.

Stickers: Creative Photo Mat Idea #5
At first, this will sound like a sixth grade project, but it can yield a bright, fun mat for a child or anyone else who responds well to loud color. Pick up some round circle stickers at the office supply store, the kind you might use for pricetags at a yard sale. They often come in sleeves of white, yellow, blue, red, and other bright solid (even neon) colors. Take an ordinary photo mat and, well, plaster it with these little circular stickers, overlapping them haphazardly until you have a poor man’s mosaic.

Sand: Creative Photo Mat Idea #6
I suppose this is thematically appropriate for beach photos, but it can be used to add some texture to mats for any picture. All you need is some clear glue and plenty of sand to cover the front of the mat. After spreading on the glue, keep sprinkling the sand on and shaking it off until you’ve covered the surface of the mat. Once the mat dries, frame the photo. If you’re lucky, the sand not only endows the frame with a gritty, grainy lookâÂ?¦but some of the quartz granules will catch light in a playful way.

Carpet Squares: Creative Photo Mat Idea #7
Carpet squares can also be used to make photo mats. For details, please see my article on Creative Uses for Carpet Tiles and Squares.