This week we are setting the Design Team a challeng to create layouts and BTP's using frames. At Aussie Scrap Source we sell a wide range of frames - chipboard frames, cardstock frames, paper frames, acrylic frames, plastic frames, transparency frames, sticker frames, metal frames, wood frames and stamp frames - from manufacturers including Heidi Grace, Heidi Swapp, Carolee's Creations, SEI, Li'l Davis Designs, C-Thru Ruler Co, Scenic Route, Magic Scraps, Deluxe Designs, Pressed Petals and Sassafras Lass, there is a frame to suit every scrapbook page.
Frames have many uses on a scrapbook page; even as a BTP they make wonderful gifts that can be placed on desks or walls around the home. Here are few different ways to use the frames.
- Frame a photo - This is a quick and simple way to display a photo, simply find a pre-made frame and frame your picture.
- Journaling - Use ready-made frames to create features for your journaling; either frame a whole block of journaling or use lots of frames to frame points of journaling.
- Make photo corners - Cutting up frames and using them as photo corners is an easy way to highlight photos on a scrapbook page.
- Decorate Frames - You can decorate frames to suit the theme of your layout with rub-ons, flowers, accents, stitching, patterned paper, buttons, or anything that will go with your theme.
- Embossed Frames - Dry embossing or heat embossing will add a great texture and effect to your frames.
- Handmade Frames - Handmade frames are a great way to add a personal touch to a layout. Try making them from paper, chipboard, metal or even a light weight wood.
- Hide Journaling - Place a framed picture or accent over your journaling and attach it so that it is hinged and can be opened.
- Frame a Title - Either frame the title as a whole, or frame each individual letter for a fun title.
Creating your own personal frame out of chipboard, as we show you here in this weeks step by step, is another way to add a frame to suit your page. Nicole has used a thin backing board with the Sassfras Lass papers to create a frame with mitred corners, to highlight her photo.
Decide on the size of your photo and then decide on the size of your frame. You can either overlap the photo by making the frame a little smaller than the photo, or make the frame bigger and have the photo matted with another piece of paper or leave a small space between the photo and the frame.
- Cut four lenghts of backing board (chipboard) or cardstock to the required width and length.
- Lay two of the strips on a cutting mat at a right angle. The ends will overlap each other at the corner. Cut through both layers of backing board on the diagonal, starting from the inside corner to the outside corner of the angle. Repeat this step for all four corners.
- Cover the strips with paper or paint as desired. You can do this step before or after cutting your mitred corners. Before puting the the frame together you may like to highlight mitred edges using an ink.
- Lay the frame sides facing down and tape the corners together using tape. On the top side, for extra strength or texture, you might like to add some staples or pierce holes to thread ribbon through and tie in a bow.
- Decorate the frame as desired before you attach it to the photo and then to the layout.
Check back next Tuesday to see what our Design Team has come up with for incorporating frames into their work using some of these framing techniques.