Mat and Frame Your Own Pictures by Using Poster Board

If you're like me you love pictures but don't want to put the money into them to be framed and matted. Matting and framing can get quit expensive, especially if you have several big pictures. I have been able to cut the cost in half and sometimes even more by matting and framing my own pictures and the plus is that you can teach other people to do this like I have! How would you like to learn? No they won't look like an amateur did it and your relatives and friends will be quit impressed!

All you basically need is to buy the frame, color of boaster board that you want for your mat and a craft knife. If you are a crafter you probably have one already. If you don't they are not very expensive, a few dollars, and they are handy for other craft projects too. All other supplies you probably have right in your drawer at home.

This is how you mat and frame your own pictures.

First - Decide on the type of frame that you want. If you have several pictures you would like to group together like I did, then you might want all the frames to be the same.

I even went a step further and bought all very cheep frames, then took them apart, laid an old sheet on my garage floor, propped all the frames up using my husband's car products and spray painted the frame black. Now my husband can't read the car products but that's okay, he knows what they are!

Now you need to decide what color you want the mat to be and purchase boaster board in the color you have chosen. I was going for the black and white look but you can choose about any color of poster board you want for the matting.

Once you get home then take the frames apart. Throw away the advertisement but keep the cardboard that comes with the frame.

The next step is to lay the poster board on the table with the cardboard that came out of the frame on top. The cardboard is your template. Oh, by the way, you might want to grab a cutting board or any other hard surface. I used my cutting board. Now draw around the cardboard with a pencil. Now you have a square or rectangle drawn.

The next step is to use a crafter knife. Take the craft knife and score the line that you have drawn. This is where you probably should put your hard surface under the poster board, like the cutting board. I learned this the hard way, now I have a line on my wood table. You want to take it a little slow so you stay on the line.

After you have scored the line, do it again but this time press a little harder. You will begin to see the poster board coming away from the bigger piece of poster board. Go back and score any parts that are still hooked on the big poster board. Now you have your backing for your mat.

Now you have to center your picture. Turn the picture you want to frame over. You are now looking at the back of the picture; center it in the square or rectangle you just cut out.
Draw lines around the picture like you did in the beginning with the cardboard that came with the frame.

Now here is the tricky part. Take a ruler; you are going to draw a square or rectangle inside the square or rectangle. Did you get that? Take a look at your picture that you are framing. Decide how much you want to cover (not showing) after it is framed. Usually it is just an inch or inch and a half. Take your ruler and draw another square or rectangle an inch or inch and half inside the square or rectangle you just drew; measuring inside or down, from the line you just drew.

Now take your crafters knife and score like you did before. Go slow, this is what will show around your picture so you want it to look nice. Once you have this piece cut out, toss aside. You now have your mat!

Next take your picture and scotch tape it to the mat, tap on the back of the picture. Just a couple of pieces will hold it. I forgot this step when I did all mine so after awhile the pictures all slid down inside the frames and I had to take them all apart and secure them with tape.

Put your picture in the frame and surprise; you have a beautiful matted framed picture that cost you hardly anything to do!