By Paul Dunwell, writing for EasyFrame
© Copyright EasyFrame 2018
What this article is about
'Frame Academy I' covered the essential terminology. 'Frame Academy II' was a step-by-step guide to making a picture frame. 'Frame Academy III' explained how to gild a frame, and 'Frame Academy IV' asked why anybody would bother with a frame and what sort to look for. Now, in 'Frame Academy V', we examine interesting things to do with old picture frames.
Where old frames come from
One of the problems with picture frames is that we never buy enough of them. We buy a set to house photographs of everyone in the family. Then, damn it, somebody gets married or has a kid, and we're in a quandary, because whoever supplied the frames is unlikely to have the same ones in stock.
The same goes for framed qualifications. You may have two or three that have sat on the wall for decades. Then, in your twilight years, you earn another piece of paper to prove to the young upstarts in the family that you haven't lost your marbles. The old frames are impossible to match. Even if you could get something similar, it wouldn't be aged or distressed, so the set would look mismatched.
You may also simply have a few empty frames collecting dust. Or you may find odd items, like the framed photo of an old boyfriend that your wife has inexplicably been hoarding for years, which she'd surely never miss.
You might read this as an incentive to buy more than you need. I couldn't possibly comment. But it does make sense to plan ahead and have frames to spare. Life keeps changing, for us and for those around us, and that provides opportunities to reframe what we have and squirrel away spares in the process.
All of which begs the question: what should I do with the old ones? Ponder no longer!
Functional, frugal and fun
Most of the examples here are easy to replicate. You could even set the kids to work on them when they complain in the holidays that they have nothing to do. They're functional because they're useful. They're frugal because they cost less than mass-manufactured alternatives. And they're fun, because every chance to make something personal that doesn't look too shabby is a chance to have fun.
The Internet is awash with ideas like these. A couple of my favourites are below. I particularly love the papier-mâché animal heads (below right). Not every idea takes an age, though. The one on the left, which pairs a little boy (whose name apparently begins with an 'M') with his love of toy cars, is super yet simple.
Much of the ingenuity is incredible. On the left below, some proud parents have found a way to put the most important ephemera of their offspring on permanent display. In the middle, a couple have set frames within frames, so that any onlooker would blink and wonder how they did it. On the right, my favourite: somebody has turned frames into an indoor climbing wall for their dolls. It would be easy to do with teddies too, and I'd have been tempted to add a rope, harnesses and more.
Fill entire walls for virtually nothing
The frames cost next to nothing, and what goes into them can be free, or close to it. The examples below use shopping bags, stones and buttons.
Don't just repurpose old frames. Refurbish them too
The web is a treasure trove of ideas that can be copied, adapted and improved. One site worth visiting is www.property24.com/articles/10-creative-uses-for-picture-frames/18126, which has great advice on refurbishing old frames as well as repurposing them. It even suggests using old frames to hold air plants and succulents. It has no illustrations, but those below may give you an idea.
Conclusion
It seems a terrible waste to throw old frames away. Almost all of us have some, often only because we bought replacements as our collections grew. So have a go at using the old ones before you chuck them out. All of these ideas are cheap, and you can carry them out quickly yourself.
If you are reframing something precious, it's always worth going straight to a professional framer like EasyFrame for advice. They can do the whole job or help with the part that has left you jittery, and can supply much of what you need to do it yourself. EasyFrame is on 01234 856 501 and sales@easyframe.co.uk.