Mats and Frames Lesson

Mats and Frames Lesson 

Tools needed for this lesson: 

Paper
Paper trimmer
Embellishments

Mats and frames can be made using a wide variety of tools and products, depending on how you decide to decorate them. You can also purchase pre-made frames with various designs that look great by themselves, or when embellished and decorated.

Lesson:

Creating a Simple Mat - To create a simple mat for a square or rectangle photograph, it is easiest to use your paper trimmer. Stick your photo to the background paper with repositionable adhesive. Leave an equal border on two sides to use as a guide to create an even mat all the way around the photo. If you are not comfortable with “eyeing” the measurements, you can use a ruler to measure an equal distance around each side of the photograph. Draw small pencil marks where you would like to cut the other two sides of the mat. Line the pencil marks up with the blade on the paper trimmer and trim the mat.

Matting Odd Shapes - If you are creating a mat for an odd shaped photo, letter or journaling block, you can use matting discs which allow you to draw an even mat for your photo.

A matting disc is a thin metal disc with a hole in the center for your pencil point. To use it, put your pencil point in the hole and roll the disc around the outside edge of the element you are matting, using your photograph as the guide. Your pencil will create a border around the item that is an equal distance in all areas.

Once your border is drawn on the paper, cut along your pencil lines to create an even mat. When using a matting disc, turn your photo or letter and your paper over so that you are tracing the mat on the backside of the paper, eliminating pencil marks on the front side of your paper. Matting discs come in a variety of sizes allowing you to create mats of varying widths and work best when matting photographs or thicker cardstock. Thicker papers are sturdier and keep your matting disc in place.

Double Matting - Double or triple matting will place additional focus on your photographs, and is a great way to incorporate patterned paper into your matting without taking away from your photograph. Mat your photo with a thin border of a solid color. Then double mat with a second color of paper. For an even more finished look, triple mat with another thin solid border.

Creating a Simple Frame - Creating a frame is slightly different than creating a mat, but it starts the same way. Using your paper trimmer, cut a box larger than the size of your photo. Allow as much space as desired on each side of the photo to serve as the frame. When you are ready to cut out the center of your frame, look at your photograph to decide how big the hole will need to be. Measure the area of the photo that you want to frame with a ruler. Then make small pencil marks using the measurements on the backside of your frame where you want the hole to be. It’s best to make marks at each corner of your opening, so that you’ll know where to start and stop your cuts as you cut out the center of your frame.

To center the hole of the frame, first measure the height and width of the frame. Then measure the height and width of the hole you would like to make. Subtract the height of the hole from the height of the frame. Next subtract the width of the hole from the width of the frame. Divide each of those resulting numbers by two to find out how far to measure from the top and side of the frame to center the hole. Make small pencil marks on the backside of your frame using a ruler that cross at the corners to know exactly where to cut the hole.

Once you have the guidelines, use a paper trimmer to cut the center of the frame. Place the blade directly on one of the pencil marks at a corner. Then cut until you reach the next corner. Turn the paper and continue cutting from corner to corner until you’ve cut each side of the hole.

Decorating Mats and Frames - Creating a frame or mat is similar to creating a mini layout on a page. You can add borders, embellishments, titles, and journaling all within the frame or mat. Adding mixed media embellishments such as buttons, fibers, eyelets and brads helps to give the mats and frames texture and added interest. Combine other techniques such as stitching, tearing and chalking to create unique and beautiful mats and frames.