Take Photos Out of the Picture Frames for a New Look

If you have family, friends, pets or have traveled, you have photos, right? And if you have photos you likely have plenty of picture frames. Picture frames are the number one way of displaying photos in most homes, but there’s a new technique you can do to give your photos a totally different appearance and add uniqueness to your home decor.

Do something radical and different with your photos – take them out of the frames. That’s right, remove the pictures from the frame and you’re on your way to an elegant look that you don’t see everyday. When you remove the photos you’ll still use the frame, but in a totally different way.

After removing the photo from the frame place a piece of cloth, scrapbook paper, wallpaper, an image from a magazine, or even a jigsaw puzzle, in the frame. This will become the background for the photo. If the photo is the exact size of the frame cut the photo down somewhat or use a slightly larger frame for this project.

After reassembling the picture frame with the new backdrop, center the photo on the glass of the picture frame. Use decoupage or white glue to attach the photo to the glass. Be sure and get the glue only behind the photo and not around the edges where you’ll see it.

Now you can use all sorts of techniques to make the arrangement even more impressive. Outline the photo with faux jewels, tiny roping, a foil scrapbook frame, or even a paint pen. Add novelties to the frame, if desired, and your old picture frame will look like a brand new decor piece.

It’s not absolutely necessary to place the photo in the center of the picture frame. Placing it in a bottom corner, for example, leaves more room to see the backdrop. This works great if the backdrop is, say, a newspaper article that the person in the photo had published.

Start with a theme for the new picture frame by choosing something from the photo or a different idea. If the photo is a graduation photo, for instance, you can use paper from a graduation gift for the backdrop, then glue a graduation cap on one corner of the picture frame itself.

There are many different themes you can do and you’ll find everything you need to enhance the art piece at a craft store. Choose from wooden shapes you can paint or write on, ceramic pieces that are colorful and bring life to the photo, or silk flower bundles that give dimension to the project.

So, the next time you print out photos, or bring them home from the developer, get out the picture frames to display the photos – but put them on the outside instead of the inside – you’ll love the change!