Anyone can go buy a ready-made picture frame and put a photo in it so they can display that in their home. That’s actually what most of us do. However, if you want picture frames that are special, different from anything else everybody else has, that is asking for a little bit of DIY love from your part. Today we’re going to show you a few techniques and ideas that you can use to make your picture frames stand out, whether it’s about making them from scratch or decorating those that you already have.

Something that many picture frames tend to lack is texture and character and you can add those by using burlap to make this lovely embroidered cover for them. This is a fairly simple project which requires a few supplies such as a plain frame, foam board, burlap, some raffia, wood beads, glue and a stapler. The raffia and the beads are used to create a cute design for the frame and this is the part where you can get really creative. Check out abeautifulmess for inspiration.

When it comes to making custom picture frames from scratch, it’s important to first decide the style that you want to go for. a cool idea if you want to make an antique-looking frame is to use a repurposed old window. The trick here is to print out the picture so it matches the size of the frame and to then tape it to the back of the window so you can see it through. You can add a back panel if you feel it’s necessary. For more details and ideas, head over to theinspirationboard.

These picture frames are made of pieces of wood that have been stained to gain a weathered look and they’re absolutely charming. The burlap bows are wonderful little details that go really well with this simple and rustic design. These frames don’t have a glass cover so the pictures are exposed which could be a slight inconvenience. There’s a detailed tutorial on shanty-2-chic which explains exactly how they’re made.

One of the absolute easiest ways in which you can customize a picture frame is by wrapping yarn around it. this gives it texture and completely changes its look. All you need is plenty of yarn and some glue so secure the ends with. Use any type of yarn or color that you think would look nice and pay special attention to the corners, making sure there are no visible frame sections. Check out thecraftedlife to find out more about this quirky idea.

Buttons are really cute and a lot of fun to work with. You can use a bunch of them to decorate plain and simple picture frames and to give them more character. The design possibilities here are endless. If you want to keep the frame relatively simple, use a bunch of buttons of the same color. If you want something that stands out, mix and match the buttons as you please. More details and ideas can be found on aestheticnest.

Scrap pieces of wood leftover from previous projects or packaging are not useless. If you have a few saved up that’s perfect because we can show you how to turn them into a lovely frames for your pictures. You can have this project done without needing to make any purchases. All you need is those bits of wood and preferably something to cut them with, a bit of twine or yarn and some embellishments which you can make out of fabric bits, paper and so on. Check out craftsbyamanda for more details.

This picture frame has a really interesting design and is super cool because it lets you add more pictures without having to swap out the old ones. It’s like creating an album in picture frame format. You can build this frame yourself from scratch by following the tutorial on smallstuffcounts. The materials needed include a wood board, a thin project board for the backing, stain and paint, screw hooks and a few tools and accessories.

You could also make use of the picture frames that you already have and give them a makeover. The plain and simple kind are the best because they’re easier to customize and offer more freedom. There’s no need to overcomplicate things with lots of details. An easy way to customize a picture frame is with paint. You can us masking tape to create various designs and patterns and you can also add glitter if you want to make your picture frames sparkle. Check out thekingstonhome for more cool ideas.

A really big frame would also look cool and you wouldn’t have to display a giant picture in it. You could create several rows out of twine to hang small pictures from using mini clothespins and you can decorate and customize each photo in lots of cute and interesting ways. Another idea is to turn this into a themed decor piece. For example, this is a Halloween-inspired picture frame and you can find out all about it on homemadeginger.

Just because most picture frames are rectangular in shape doesn’t mean yours have to be too. Think outside the box and create something special that suits the theme that you have in mind for your decor. It could be really cool to make some circular frames like the ones featured on abeautifulmess. If you can find circle frames for purchase, go for it. If not, you could repurpose some old clocks for this or make the frames from scratch out of wood or something else.

Put your favorite pictures on a pedestal, quite literally. this is a pretty fun and simple thing to do and for that you would need a few specific items such as the picture frames, some wooden candlesticks, wooden doll pinheads, glue and paint. It’s definitely a very interesting and eye-catching way of displaying some pictures. These pedestal frames would look great on the fireplace mantel or up on a shelf. Check out consumercrafts if you want to find out more about the project.