Decorating Frames

I had a bad morning and needed to make myself busy with something, so I went to the BX and bought a cinnamon roll, some cheap little frames, and a world map. The cinnamon roll was unrelated to this project but significantly improved my mood.


I just tore strips of the map and arranged them on the frame with rubber cement. I’d still like to find something to help seal them but will have to look to see what’s available around here. Edit: I soon got my hands on Mod Podge, and it fit my needs perfectly as both a glue and a sealant!  I’ve been making these for a while now, using a variety of papers and switching between glossy and matte glue.


I tried a few different designs–the one in the front has a lot of water, the middle is mainly land, and the back is a good blend of both.  It was lots of fun!  I don’t know what I’m going to do with four of the same frames but I’m still itching to make more.


Name the book (I make sure the photo had a few recognizable names)! I had to sacrifice one of my (four) copies for this, but it’s worth it. I wanted to use a novel that will make me happy when I read snippets of it on the frame.


I have the perfect photo to put in this frame!

Edit:
Since I first posted this, I’ve made even more frames. I used the same book, but “antiqued” the torn pages using coffee and a flame. The frames smelled strange for a few days but are fine now!


I also finally got my hands on Mod Podge–a absolutely fantastic glue and sealant. I’m obsessed with it now!

16 comments


  • Pride & Prejudice!

    The frames turned out awesome! I’ve really wanted to represent the world map in the decoration of our house and this is a really great, subtle way to do so.

    April 29, 2010
  • Beautiful idea!

    April 30, 2010
  • The book frame is Pride and Prejudice :D.

    Wow, I love all of them! What’s rubber cement, though? Is it a kind of glue? oh, so did you find something to seal them on top?
    Lovely! :)

    May 4, 2010
    • Alyssa

      You’re right!

      Rubber cement is just a cheap adhesive made by Elmer’s. It holds pretty well, but I’m going to seal over everything with Mod Podge! I’m going to use that for my glue from now on hopefully. I couldn’t find any where I live so ordered some off Amazon, but It hasn’t come in yet.

      May 4, 2010
  • ka7

    A cheap way to seal them would be to cover the pieces of map you’re using in packing tape prior to putting them on the frame. It would make it (sort of) waterproof and definitely less likely to rip. I made a frame like this using the comics from the Sunday paper, great for a kid or teenager. If you’re doing this as a gift you could go to any comic shop and go into their bargain bin and find something related to the person’s favorite childhood and use that. Nostalgic and only around 78 cents!

    January 27, 2011
  • GREAT idea! LOVE it!

    August 1, 2011
  • Ali

    Thanks for the great idea! I made one for my best friend who is off to college but instead of using rubber cement, I paper mached it.

    Here are some easy paper mache recipes…
    http://www.dltk-kids.com/type/how_to_paper_mache.htm

    August 7, 2011
  • [...] Surprisingly, I only used two Pinterest ideas in the whole shower; the rest was all on my own. (Although I’m sure someone out there has a similar idea on Pinterest that I just never saw.) One of those was these map-wrapped frames:  [...]

    February 28, 2012
  • Thanks for the great idea! I used ModPodge to make some for a friend’s wedding shower.I linked to this tutorial from my blog: http://naturalbutnormal.com/2012/02/27/journey-a-bridal-shower/

    February 28, 2012
  • [...] You can see the original post here. [...]

    July 31, 2012
  • Hey Alyssa,

    We just wrote about your frames on our site and thought you’d like to know! Best,

    Taige

    October 28, 2012
  • [...] Map Decorated Frames – Alyssa B Young [...]

    October 30, 2012
  • These are a lovely idea, looking for something I could make for my sister for Christmas and I have a great photo of the 2 of us from a recent weekend away so this would be perfect, thank you!

    November 5, 2012
  • [...] world map frames are simple and perfect for the mom who loves to travel (or who’s family is spread out all [...]

    May 1, 2013

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