It's my Dad's 86th Birthday this week. What do you buy someone who says he has everything? I decided not to buy him something - but to make it - as he is always so appreciative of my crafting efforts! I decided to make a metal-effect photo frame for this shot of him in his beloved garden which I changed to black and white, added text, and printed off on 6x4 photo paper.
The metal-effect technique is nothing new, but as some of you may not have seen it done, here's what I did. The top photo shows how I used thick cardboard to cut the back and then the sides of the frame, shaping the corners with a craft knife and steel-edged ruler.
Then I passed silver card (mostly scraps) through my Cuttlebug using different embossing folders. Black acryllic paint comes next! Just smear it over the embossed card with a sponge - or a finger, like I did! Crafting's no fun unless you can get messy! Remove the excess straight away though as the paint dries quickly.
I cut the card roughly into 2 inch squares but some were larger - the size is up to you - and arranged them to cover the frame pieces in a design I liked.
I adhered the embossed card to the frame pieces. Using a sharp craft knife and steel-edged ruler, I trimmed off the extra card and inked around all the edges with black ink. Then I adhered the photo to the frame back and the frame pieces around that. Nearly done!
I used a piece of thick cardboard to make a stand for the back of the frame and scored it one third down before attaching it. You could always paint the back or cover it with patterned paper, but I left it plain.
Now for the result!
An easier option might be to cover an existing photo frame but I always like to make things from scratch. If you've not tried this technique before, it really is as easy as I've shown, and it really does look like distressed metal. I hope you've been inspired to have a go yourself.
Now all I have to do is post it and hope it gets there in time!
