Any ideas for picture frame decorating? Any theme is appreciated, but especially elegant or refined looking?

I'm very big on pictures of all occasions and need suitable frames. My budget is in the "extremely limited" range, but a good idea pays for itself. I think I'm fairly proficient in the crafts area, but simplicity is always appreciated.

I'm very big on embellishing picture frames. Here are some techniques and ideas that I've used on inexpensive frames to make them look more elegant. I've glued buttons around the frame, sometimes I use all of the same color, sometimes I use different gold or silver ones by cutting off the shanks. I've decoupaged gift wrap on frames. I've used Spackle and stencils to make raised images on the frame which I then spray paint gold or silver and age using antiquing medium. I've covered the frame with ribbon roses or silk flowers, sometimes I add leaves in the corners. I've covered them with pearl beads that are already strung. I've covered them with fabric. I've antiqued chopsticks, tied them together with leather cording and glued on Asian coins. I made a dog themed frame by taking small bone shaped dog treats, sealing them with polyurethane and gluing them to frames. I've glued lace to frames, sprayed it gold or silver and then antiqued it.

By the way, an inexpensive way to make a frame is to purchase canvass stretchers at the craft store. You can have glass cut to size at the home improvement store and either get a diamond shooter to secure the glass or glue it to the back with Goop household glue. After you embellish the stretchers they look like an expensive frame.

The cheapest frames you can find will be at places like Goodwill or other thrift stores. Buy the size you need, get a hot-glue gun and some spray paint and decorate them with things like dried flowers, ceramic tiles, pretty rocks or bamboo pieces. Spray the frame and the glued-on decor in a uniform shade that matches your room colors. There is nothing prettier than a wall full of interesting textured frames in the same color to hold your pictures.

You can also make frames by using pieces of balsa wood (very cheap at any craft store) and gluing them into frames, then painting, texturing, or gold- or silver-leafing them. They make some fabulous texturing paints that make things look like stone, crackled paint, or old patinaed copper, or burnished bronze. They also make "antiquing" glazes for the wood.

You can forgo frames altogether with nice mats if you like. These don't last as long, though. Or fix your pictures to large pieces of slate, or to placemats that have nice textures--like wicker or bamboo.

you should dry some roses and the laminate them on over a white papar and use them a for ure frame. ir you can aslo take 4 normal wood strips and then colour them with sof colours and thenuse super glue to stick them togather to make a square thing.
hope it helps

Porcelin crackle paint is very elegant looking and a nice contrast to most frames.

Gold/silver "leaf" is cheap and also contrasts/compliments nicely.

Get an old frame in a garage sale--- buy broken pieces of china and mosaic it -- and then grout it --- You can also get small pieces of tile and mosaic it.. If the subject of your photo is tropical ,, find a cheap china palm tree and glue it to the frame -- so you create a story.

Alicia
http://www.AliciaTappDesigns.com
Any image on tiles