Creative Framing & Display Ideas

March 1, 2011

Creative Framing & Display Ideas
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    Pictures, artwork, mementos and more deserve just the right presentation to truly stand out. Learn how to put your favourite artwork front and centre with our basic framing tips, then use our inspiring slideshow to discover lots of creative ways to showcase your items.

Framing on a Budget

Instead of spending a fortune on custom framing, use our tips to proudly display artwork and photos:

  • Cropping your piece: Before framing your piece, consider cropping it to a size that enhances its features. Cropping is often useful for portraits, especially when you want to centre in on a focal point. 
  • Choosing your frame: Simple, solid-coloured frames with clean lines are a great choice—especially when trying to unify a variety of pieces. We like black or white since they go with almost anything. For an eclectic look, try visiting thrift stores to find unique frames, and spray paint them one unified colour.
  • Selecting the size of your frame: Frames with pre-cut matting are always convenient for common dimensions, but when you have an unusually sized piece, purchasing a custom-cut mat will allow your artwork to fit in almost any frame. Though you’ll have to visit a framer, custom mats are significantly cheaper than the full price of framing.
  • Working around standard-sized matting: If your piece won’t work with a standard-sized mat and you’d prefer not to purchase a custom-cut mat, consider mounting your piece to a neutral-coloured backing. This will create an additional border around the piece that will allow you to fit it behind a mat that would normally be too large. When choosing your mounting material, archival paper is ideal for preserving the quality of your piece.
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Repurpose Magazines

The colourful pages of your favourite magazines can offer more than meets the eye. Show off favourite photos by turning periodicals into magazine picture frames.

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Use a Frame as a Border

Forego your frame’s glass and try treating it as a decorative border. Create a personalized bulletin board, then dress it up with a frame!

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Unexpectedly Artistic

Decorating on a budget? Try framing the pages of old calendars, magazines, books and more. It’s fun to look for art in unexpected places—and affordable, too!

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Attractive Odds and Ends

Clean out your drawers and use the various knick-knacks and trinkets to create frame-worthy arrangements. Follow our instructions to make your own inexpensive artwork.

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Tick Tock Frame

Consider treating common items like clocks as unique frames. Simply make a copy of your photo or art, cut it to the correct dimensions and use it as the new face of your clock.

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Frame Arrangements

Put the idea of “less is more” to work by painting frames a uniform colour and hanging them in an arrangement. Uncover an array of affordable frames at your local thrift store.

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All About the Family

Celebrate your family in a creative way by framing the silhouette of each family member. Mix and match your frames and allow the silhouettes to bring the arrangement together.

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Sun Prints

Use a special, light-sensitive paper or fabric to fill your frames with one-of-a-kind artwork. Lay items atop the material and watch the surrounding areas turn a pretty shade of blue!

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Shadow Box Arrangements

Mix and match a variety of shadow boxes, filling each with an item that can range from interesting to sentimental. The depth of these displays is also handy for acting as shelving.

Quick Tip

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