| Framed Album Cover (Web Exclusive) |
From "Scrapbooking"
episode SCB-238 |
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Frame up! Top a favorite family photo album with a photo, mat and molding to make it look like a framed photograph.
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By Holly Christian
Craft designer and writer Mat and frame a scrapbook cover to look like a framed photo. Combine decorative molding with a heavy oval mat and vintage photo for an elegant heirloom look, or make it simple and clean with a narrow black frame and a neutral mat. With a little imagination this idea can be adapted to almost any theme. Click here to print templates for the featured Framed Cover.
Templates may be viewed by using 
Materials: Scrapbook
Photo
Framing materials
Fine-grade sandpaper
Materials for decorating frame (stain, paint or wood markers)
Matboard
Mat template
Ruler
Craft knife, sharp blades and self-healing cutting mat
Steel straightedge
Cellophane tape
Wood glue - Choose a photo for the front of your album and enlarge. I chose a 4" x 6" photo that I scanned, cropped and then enlarged 180 percent.
- Plan the look and the dimensions of your album cover. Print out the mat templates and choose one that best suits your enlarged photo. An oval frame fits a single figure well while a circle or rectangle is usually a good fit for a group shot. The exterior dimensions of the mat and frame match the size of the album cover. The dimensions of my 8 1/2" x 11" album were 9 3/4" x 11 3/8", so I planned for my mat and frame to both be that size.
Note: A frame shop can cut a mat and frame molding to your specifications. - Choose plain or decorative wood molding for the album frame. I bought simple 1/2" wide wood molding at my neighborhood hardware store and had them miter-cut the pieces to my dimensions. I made a little sketch of the frame with the outside dimensions of the pieces shown. For my frame I had two pieces cut 9 3/4" long and two cut 11 3/8" long.
- Lightly sand the wood molding, then stain or paint as desired. I lightly stained the wood, then drew designs on it with a black wood marker. When the stain and marker were dry, I brushed on areas of gold enamel.
- Use a steel straightedge and an craft knife to cut the mat to size. Use the mat template to lightly draw the opening in the center of the mat. The interior opening in the mat is usually cut at an angle, a beveled cut. Professionals use special mat cutting equipment to make perfect bevel cuts. It's possible to make a bevel cut with only an craft knife but the results will be less finished.
Tip: To make a bevel cut, hold the craft knife as you normally do, between your index finger and thumb, but instead of holding the knife straight up and down as you cut, lean the knife into your middle finger and keep your middle finger touching the mat while you cut the design. This takes a bit of practice and is easier with straight cuts than curved. - Center the mat on your photo, then turn both face down and tape the photo to the back of the mat.
- Use wood glue to attach the frame pieces to the matted photograph. Set the wood in place before gluing to make sure the corners meet nicely. I thought my mitered corners fit each other perfectly but when I glued them in place I found they didn 't quite match. I had to pull them off and sand them to make the fit better.
- When the frame is set, glue the finished framed photo to the cover of the album . Open the album and place it facedown on your work surface. Apply wood glue to the front cover and set the framed photo in place. Put a piece of scrap matboard or cardboard on top of the framed cover, and weight it with heavy books for an hour or two.
Holly Christian was a frequent contributor to HGTV Ideas magazine and has written for other national publications.
RESOURCES :
500 Great Heartwarming Expressions for Scrapbooking and Cards
ISBN: 0968664814
Author: Sandy Redburn
(2001)
Crafty Secrets Publications
Website: www.craftysecrets.com/aboutus.htm
Art of the Scrapbook: A Guide to Handbinding and Decorating Memory Books, Albums, and Art Journals
Model: 0823010198
Author: Diane V. Maurer-Mathison
Watson-Guptill Publications
Website: www.watsonguptill.com
Crafting Beautiful Journals and Albums: How to Personalize, Embellish. . .Scrapbooks
Model: 1581801351
Author: Anna Morgan
Order this title from Amazon.com.
Country Living Handmade Scrapbooks
Author: Editors of Country Living
Order this title from Amazon.com.
William Morrow Books / Hearst Books
Website: www.harpercollins.com
Holly Christian
Craft artist and writer
Holly Christian
Website: www.hollychristian.com
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