Trends come and go and styles change but some things remain the same, at least at their core. In the world of interior design and decor one of the constants is the idea of framing pictures of the loved ones and displaying them around the house. This idea is driven by the desire to keep close those that we love most and to surround ourselves with friendly faces or beautiful images that make us smile every time we look at them. The ways in which we get to do that are reflections of our personal style and in that sense DIY picture frames are absolutely wonderful.

With Instagram being so popular right now, it’s easier than ever to capture and share beautiful moments with the world. Take some time to select your favorite memories and print them on paper so you can then frame them and display them in your home or so you can gift them to someone that you love. An Instagram picture frame like the one featured on Smallstuffcounts is very easy to make and very stylish too.

You could also group several pictures together to display them as a set or to tell a story in images, in which case you’ll need something bigger than a regular picture frame. A cool option is presented on Pillarboxblue where we found this awesome map picture frame made out of a pallet. If you like the idea and you want to do the project yourself, you first need to cut a section of a wooden pallet and then to decorate the boards with maps. After that you just hang some pictures there with push pins and paper clips.

There’s also always the option to get yourself a plain picture frame and to customize it and decorate it. One idea is to use a wood burning tool with the condition that the frame is made of wood, obviously. Use the tool to draw a pattern or to doodle on the frame and then use wood stain to finish the design. This is a great project for pretty much anyone. You don’t have to be talented or a good painter. It’s the idea that matters and the fact that you’re doing this yourself. Be sure to check out Craftylittlegnome for more details.

If the idea of decorating your home with framed pictures seems too old-fashioned to you that’s probably because of the traditional look that picture frames usually have. You can easily remedy that by crafting your own updated frames just the way you like them. There’s no need to overthink the design. In fact, the simpler the better. Check out these rustic frames made out of scrap pieces of wood. The pictures are attached to them with thumb tacks.

Those old-fashioned picture frames are not entirely useless either. You can revive and transform an old and ugly frame into one that’s better-suited for the modern and funky decor in your home. The solution is actually quite simple: just dip the frame in paint. You could use some frames you already have or you can get some cheap ones second hand or from a local store. Use masking tape if you want to get a clean paint line.

Making old pictures and frames look fresh and new is definitely an exciting idea but the opposite is possible too. By that we meant that you can make new framed pictures look old and timeless. As far as the pictures themselves are concerned, the sepia filter is all you need. The frames can be simple like these rustic wood ones and you can craft them from scratch so they perfectly match the size of your photos.

For a sleek and contemporary look, you could try decorating the walls with some oversized pictures with faux acrylic frames. In order to do that, you need two pieces of acrylic sheeting for each photo as well as eight round slotted brass machine screws, eight brass hex nuts plus clamps, pliers, a drill, a large nail, a ruler and a candle. You can use lucite instead of acrylic if you prefer that look although that means the cost of the project would rise considerably.

Of course, it can be easier to just decorate a plain existing picture frame than to revolutionize the entire concept of decorating with photos. In that case, one of the option we’re suggesting is to make some of these cute egg box flowers and to attach them to the corner of a frame just to add some color to the space and to jazz up the frame. Check out our video tutorial to see step-by-step instructions for this craft.

Are you crafty with paper? If yes, you might enjoy making some origami photo frames. They’re cute and pretty easy to make as well. You can actually make them in any size you want and they’re really great if you want to offer someone a picture as a gift. Check out our video tutorial to find out all about this project and to learn how to actually craft these charming frames.

Most picture frames are rectangular and lately the square ones became popular too but these aren’t the shapes you should limit yourself to. Round frames, for example, can also be an option. Sure, that means you need to cut the pictures into circles so be sure to find some that would look good in this form. As far as the frames go, you could repurpose some from circular mirrors after you pop the glass out and you can wrap old belts around them so you can hang them. This original idea comes from Abeautifulmess.

Let’s also talk about materials a little bit. Most picture frames are usually made of wood or plastic so we didn’t really think that concrete would be an option, at least not until we saw these cool frame on Apieceofrainbow. Yes, that is in fact a picture frame made of concrete and you can make one just like it if you like the idea. This is what you’ll need: concrete mix, boxes for molds, plastic containers and bags, scissors, glue/ tape, hangers, screws, turn buttons and small pieces of wood plus the glass from an old frame.

The frame is just as important as the picture so don’t ignore it. That, however, doesn’t mean you should overthink its design. Keep things simple and make something timeless, something that goes with everything, like this barn wood frame. That’s right, it’s a frame made out of wood reclaimed from an old barn. You could do something similar with driftwood or with recycled materials in general. Check out Apieceofrainbow if you’re interested in the details of the project.

Reclaimed pallet wood is also a great resource and not just when it comes to small things like picture frames but let’s stick to this for now. What’s lovely about this frame featured on Ohmy-creative is that it’s intentionally imperfect. the boards don’t line up perfectly and the finish is a bit funky too, having a worn look. In any case, this seems like a lovely way of displaying photos around the house.

Concrete isn’t the only unusual material you can use to craft original photo frames. If you’d like to add a bit of industrial flair to your space, we suggest copper frames like the ones that we found on Ajoyfulriot. They’re made out of 1/2” copper pipes and 90 degree copper elbows secured together with glue. They’re lovely not just for photos but also for posters and pretty much anything that you can display on a wall.

Did you know you can also crochet a picture frame? We just found out about this while browsing Handcraftedvintage and we’re pretty impressed about the results. What’s nice about this project is that you can make small frames for small photos and that you can hang them as ornaments in the Christmas tree. Of course, you shouldn’t feel limited to this use only so be creative.