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Sunday, July 25, 2010

Fast and Furious Framing....

If you are anything like me, sometimes you would like to have a framed piece of art to hang on the wall without the fuss of the miter box and saw, staining and gluing.

I woke up at 3:00AM with one of those harebrained ideas that come at that time of morning. This is what came of it.

I have 1/4" copper and lead tape and I think that you can now buy other metallic in the scrapbook section. For experimentation, I decided to use the copper. It is very easy to work with and I just cut it right from the roll as I went.

I have a bunch of microscope slides in different sizes. Some are actually medical from many years ago and others can now be purchased at Michaels in the scrap booking section.

For framing, I used the simplest methods and materials that I could find. I needed the slides, tape, some pictures and just for fun, I had some metallic strips of sticky die cuts.

I cut the cardboard and the picture to be framed, the exact size of the slide. Then, starting with two opposite ends, I wrapped lengths of the tape from the front(where I made sure that the edges were straight) around to the back. I trimmed the edges flush with the corner of the slide. I have one more edge to go on the one that Tessie is holding.

This is what the front looked like after I finished. The frames could be used just like this for a modern room, but I wanted something more traditional.

I purchased some strips of metallics at the last mini show that I attended and now I have finally found a use for them.

In the last photo, I simply laid the trims on top of the copper tape and found that they made a very convincing ornate frame.

The photo doesn't do them justice. The glass dulls the colors in the pictures. They are much brighter in real life.

So....The next time you want a fast(about 10 minutes) frame that looks pretty good, go for the tape.

I imagine that, with a little experimentation, other tapes could be used to the same end. I know that there is chrome tape available. Check out the nearest hardware store for that and other kinds to use.

I am going back and experiment some more now.

See you tomorrow.

6 comments:

Debbie said...

Casey, I've used microscope slides in my scrapbooking pages. I've also made hanging charms like this. Now I have another use for them. Great idea. xxx

Lainie said...

Wonderful idea! Love the frames. I'm definitely going to make some:~)

The Dangerous Mezzo said...

What a marvellous idea!

Sans! said...

Thanks for the tip, Casey. I have just started working with thin metal pieces (like the t-light cups) and find them so easy . They can be manipulated to work like paper. Almost. If there is a way to dull the edges so that they don't cut, it will be even better.

miniacollection said...

What a very good idea! The result is stunning.
Geneviève

Wendie-kins said...

What a simple, effective & brilliant idea!!! thankyou x