How To Frame Art On A Budget

I gotta tell ya, being at home has its benefits. It also has its downfalls. The downfalls?  I can’t just run to Hobby Lobby when I need to.  I will say that not being able to run to Hob Lob has made me way more creative. For instance, today I’m going to share how to frame art on a budget, which will prove that necessity is the mother of invention!

I use the term “art” loosely in this case. Last fall I bought this paint by numbers kit. I know that there are a ton of people out there that are fans of the PBNK’s. However, I am not one of those. First, I am not someone who likes to color between the lines. Second, this isn’t the PBNK you had as a child. I needed a magnifying glass to see the numbers they were so tiny! This endeavor took me almost 6 months to complete. NEVER. AGAIN!

However, since I spent so much time on it, I was determined to hang it somewhere in my home. I could have just hung it as it was, but I wanted to add a black frame. How to do that when you can’t go shopping? You make your own!

I wanted a simple black frame to go around my painting. My solution? Make a frame from lattice. At 69 cents a foot, it’s a bargain!

Step 1:

Measure the art.

Since I didn’t want to miter the corners – way too much math for this girl- I measured the top and bottom for exact measurements. For the sides, I wanted the side lattice strip to cover the canvas as well as the entire end of the lattice strips that were on the top and the bottom. This would make a solid frame with no gaps. To do this I measured the sides of the canvas, plus the width of the lattice strip, x 2.

Step 2:

Once I had my measurements, I cut the lattice strips using a small miter box and saw. This is perfect for cutting thin strips of wood! In fact, this is my new favorite tool. It’s small, compact and this small little saw is so easy to control. Definitely not like the one my Dad used to have!

Step 3:

After cutting the strips, I lightly sanded the edges to give them a clean, finished look!

Step 4:

Once I had the strips of lattice cut, I painted them black with multi- surface paint.

Step 5:

Normally, at this point, I would have simply nailed the lattice directly onto the canvas using small brads. However, I was out of small brads. So, I simply stapled the lattice to the canvas. I used 1/2 inch staples to insure that they would go thru the lattice as well as the canvas frame.

Step 6:

To help hide the staples, I painted them black, using the same paint that I used on the wood.

This is my finished frame. Not too shabby for my first attempt.

Honestly, not only was the frame budget friendly, it was also an amazingly easy project.

So easy that I couldn’t not share how to frame art on a budget with you!

Total cost: $4.14

Time: less than an hour.

Most of that time was spent watching the paint dry! Most important – I love the way my new piece of art looks in the powder room.

Until next time…