Custom Frames

Frames are so important in my household; I have them hanging from every wall! Obviously, the picture inside the frame is more important than the frame. But that doesn't mean the frame can't be a work of art itself!

The weathered frame was made from common board scraps for my Mother-in-Law for Christmas. I took the scraps and cut them to length to fit an 8X10 photo. I hit the strips with a hammer, drilled them with screws, and basically took out all my frustrations using different tools and materials. I used wood glue on the joints and let it fully cure for a couple days. I added some staples across the joints for added security. Using dark walnut stain, I rubbed the frame with a thin layer. Once fully dried, I used a white-wash combination of 1 part water to 1 part paint. I painted this on thick and wiped away within 5 minutes. I was getting ready to cut out glass and rout out a ledge for it to sit on, but my wife recommended saving time and screwing a cheap Target frame to the back. This worked out well, and was a lot less work. Next time, I think I would use more whitewash to give it a more weathered look. My Mother-in-Law was so excited about the picture inside, but it was the frame that she couldn't stop talking about.

Ah, memories. That's exactly what we created on a trip to Pigeon Forge, TN in the summer of 2017. My Mother-in-Law's birthday is in August, so the trip was still fresh in her mind. I bought this frame from Michael's using a coupon (bargain!) and wood burned the design into it. The picture was part of a photo shoot on the last day of our vacation out in front of our cabin. The cabin was huge, and this vacation was actually my daughter's first vacation ever! What a great reminder of a great trip!

The Grandpa's Girl frame was made for my Father-in-Law for Christmas. We actually had a professional photo shoot done at a studio to surprise our parents in 2017. Yes, of course the picture is cute! It's the most important part of the frame, without a doubt...but that lettering was not easy! Now, this is one project that was well received at the time, but hasn't moved since it was gifted to my father-in-law. It remains downstairs in the house, far away from his personal effects... Not sure if he didn't like it, doesn't know what to do with it, or some confusing combination of the two. If you knew my Father-in-Law, you would understand...maybe. Either way, it came out nice, and I elected not to stain it because the naked basswood looks very "Christmas tree-y"...if that's a word.

--Kevin