Craft Stick Photo Frame
Make an easy picture frame out of craft sticks or popsicle sticks. Find lots of creative ideas to spice up this classic craft in this tutorial.
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Supplies Needed
- Craft sticks or popsicle sticks
- Cardboard
- White glue or glue gun
- Tempera or poster paint
- Paint brush
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Photo
- Magnet or string (Optional)
- Things to decorate your photo frame with: buttons, sequins, felt, craft foam, etc.
STEPS
1Choose the shape of your frame.
Arrange the craft sticks together to form the frame. Below are some examples of how you can put the sticks together:
a.) Basic square frame - arrange four craft sticks to form a square.
b.) Wide square frame - put two craft sticks on each side to form a square.
c.) Custom-shaped frame - think of an interesting design. Cut some craft sticks if you need shorter pieces. Combine the long and short pieces to achieve the design you have in mind. Remember to have a section large enough to put a photo.
2Paint the craft sticks.
After you have decided on the shape of your frame, paint the craft sticks. You can use a single color for the entire frame or color each craft stick differently for a multi-colored frame.
If it works better for you, you can paint the frame after you have glued all the craft sticks together.
3Glue the craft sticks together.
Once the paint dries, arrange the painted craft sticks into the shape or design that you chose in Step 1. Glue them together at the ends using white glue or a glue gun.
4Decorate the frame.
Decorate your photo frame as you please. You can paint patterns or little designs on it; glue on some sequins, buttons, paper, fabric or felt cut-outs; or draw some designs with puffy paint or glitter glue.
5Trace the outline of the frame.
Make a backing board by tracing the outer outline of your craft stick frame onto cardboard.
6Draw a smaller square.
Draw a slightly smaller square inside the outline. The idea is to make a backing board that is slightly smaller than your craft stick frame.
7Cut out the cardboard.
Cut out the cardboard along the inner outline.
8Glue the backing board.
Glue this board at the back of your craft stick frame.
9Place a photo.
Cut out a photo to a size that fits inside the frame. Glue the photo at the center of the frame.
10Use the photo frame.
There are several ways to use the photo frame:
- Lean against the wall - place the frame on a table or shelf, close to the back wall. Let it lean against the wall.
- Create a stand - cut out a rectangular stand from thick cardboard. Fold about an inch on one short side to make a tab. Glue this tab at the back of the frame.
- Attach magnets - make a magnetic photo frame by attaching 1 or 2 small magnets at the back of the frame using a glue gun.
- Hang with a string - cut a length of string. Glue or tape the ends onto the top corners of the frame.
More Ideas
A fun idea for younger kids.
Younger kids can have fun decorating their picture frames with large and colorful materials like buttons, pom-poms, paper and foam cut-outs, big plastic gems, and so forth.
Remember though that these materials are still small enough to be considered as choking hazards. Adult supervision is a must.
Use natural materials.
Use natural materials like dried flowers, twigs, seashells and sand to create a beautiful picture frame.
Leave the craft stick frame unpainted if you plan to cover the entire frame with decorative materials or if the wooden surface of the craft stick is intended to be part of the design.
Add minimal accents.
You don't always have to fill the entire frame with decorations. An accent on one corner of the frame can be as charming.
Give it as a gift.
A craft stick photo frame is an awesome gift for dad on Father's day or for mom on Mother's day. When decorating the frame, find inspiration from things that mom/dad love like a hobby, a favorite TV show, a sport, or even just their favorite colors. Don't forget the most important thing—a photo of you and your parent at the center of the frame!
Make a frame for multiple photos.
Make a long photo frame that can hold multiple photos by connecting 2 or more craft sticks on each long side of the frame.
Be creative!
As mentioned at the start of the tutorial, the frame can be made into all sorts of shapes. Build, decorate, and be creative! This craft can be done by the very young and can still be interesting enough for more mature crafters.
