Do you have some old pictures laying around but don’t want to spend $50 on them to get them framed?
Here’s a few tricks I used to frame the beautiful, old picture above, for under $27.
-Find old frames at estate sales, thrift stores or garage sales. I paid $2 for this frame at a local estate sale because the glass was broken and it was super dirty. I encourage you to look past the grime, because you can always clean it up!
-I headed over to Hobby Lobby and asked them how much it would be to buy a matte. They actually sell mattes on the shelves, if you have a smaller photo. I bought some for a few other frames I had and even had to I hand cut them down to fit the frame but it saved me SO much money, and I didn’t even buy them on sale. For this frame however, it was pretty big and I needed to purchase a custom matte for the specific picture I was using.
So, I sorted through all of the matte colors, and yes there were a LOT to choose from. They are labeled B or C, and the C mattes are $23 and up, compared to the B-level mattes that are about $16. I went with the $16 option. There’s another benefit to buying a B level matte too-they can cut it right then and there. So I had a custom matte within a solid 10 minutes. So easy!
One thing I want to point out is that they can do a regular bevel, or a reverse bevel on the matte. ADD picture
I chose to do a reverse bevel because I didn’t want the foam portion to show on all four interior sides of the matte.
Another helpful thing to know is that the base of the matte can be either white or black, so if you don’t choose a reverse bevel and want the Interior sides to show, they can be either white or black.
-Next, if I would have purchased new glass at Hobby Lobby it would have been $25, based on the size of the frame. I called my local hardware store (most of which cut glass) and they quoted me $7 for the same cut of glass, and sure enough I paid $7 for new glass!
So with the frame ($2), the custom matte and glass ($16 & $7) and the vintage photo ($2) I paid $27 total. The best part? I was able to save two pieces of history and use them as decor for our family room space. I am going to use this photo as a statement piece, in a gallery wall that we are creating in our family room. Can’t wait to share that with you soon!
Thank you for stopping by the blog today!
Jenna