Picture frame made of cardboard / paper build yourself - craft instructions

• DIY: Decorative picture frames made by yourself
  • Mini origami picture frame
  • Picture frame to set up
  • Make picture frames out of cardboard

Whether holiday snapshot, family portrait or photos of loved ones: Your best pictures want to be perfectly staged. You can create the right framework for yourself. In three variants, we show you how to make a stylish picture frame made of paper or cardboard quickly and easily - with nothing more than your own hands and a few tools.

DIY: Decorative picture frames made by yourself

Sometimes it just has to go fast - or not cost too much. The priceless photos, however, simply let their life on the memory card, would be a bad alternative. Pictures want to be seen: Especially those who want to create a luscious, colorful photo wall, however, quickly get into a costly affair with the purchase of finished picture frames. Apart from that, most models are not very creative. Very different from our three inspirations of cardboard and paper. The first two models fold artfully but still very easy in the traditional origami method, while the third creation with cardboard and wool is fast to tinker. The best: All frames are due to their raw materials so light that they can easily be attached to the wall with standard poster strips - and also be detached again without residue. You save yourself even the drilling and dowelling: invest this time better in great DIY!

Mini origami picture frame

Actually, "mini" is not the true truth, because you can actually fold this decorative frame to any size, depending on the size of your paper. Since, however, especially small pictures - such as passport photos of loved ones - want to make it big, here we show a small frame model for pictures of up to 6 x 6 centimeters. If it may be a bit bigger, as I said just use to scale larger paper - or continue to the second origami guide!

Difficulty: When the typical origami handles are a bit familiar, it's easy.
Time required: between 5 and 20 minutes, depending on the skill
Material costs: see paper - everything else should already be present in the household

You will need that:

• square origami paper 15 x 15 cm, pattern to taste (the paper is usually sold in sets with several patterns - price is around 10 euros, craft supplies or online)
• double-sided adhesive tape
• possibly stickers, rhinestones, labels or the like for subsequent decoration

That is how it goes:

1. Place your square paper with the patterned side - the one that will later be seen outside as a frame - down towards the table surface. The blank page now points to you.

2. Now fold any corner to its counterpart positioned opposite, so that the paper then lies in front of you as a triangle - now the pattern can be seen again! Press the folding edge firmly.

3. Open the triangle again and repeat step 2 with one of the unused corners. Also press this folding edge well.

4. Unfold the whole thing: The two resulting lines result in two crossing diagonals.

5. Then return the paper to the home position from step 1 to fold one of the corners to the center of the diagonal cross. Repeat with all four corners until the paper looks like a small envelope.

6. And open everything again! The fold lines now show a large square flanked by an isosceles triangle on each of its four sides.

7. Once again, the corners are on. This time, fold it to the side of the fold line square closest to the corner of interest. The same with all four corners.

8. Now fold the square sides, which served as landmarks, to the middle.

9. Then apply the newly created square: The closed area should now face up to you while the open area with the folded edges rests on the table.

10. From this position, fold the corners back to the center of the square. This time, carefully, without much to retighten the edges.

Tip: The desired midpoint is well marked by all the previous folding steps. For very heavily patterned papers, you may need to take a closer look.

11. Open the corners again. Through step 9, a new fold line has been created at each of the four corners.

12. Now, bend the corners one last time, to this new fold line. Press firmly!

13. Finally, just cover your photo with a small strip of double-sided adhesive tape on the back and slide it centered between the tabs that formed on the front of the frame.

14. If you like, you can add ornaments: glittering stones that are glued on create a glamorous effect, while stickers, labels or paintings tend to emanate some retro flair and thus also go very well with this very "artisan" picture frame.

Instructional Video

Picture frame to set up

Standard square format photos are skilfully staged with this chic origami picture frame. Just pick a nice origami paper in advance and its colors and patterns match the of your photo and off you go.

Difficulty: More complex than the mini edition, but very easy - with some origami knowhow
Time required: between 5 and 20 minutes, depending on the skill
Material costs : Origami paper is available in a set for about 10 Euro - otherwise you only need your hands!

You will need that:

• Matching origami paper or A4 paper

That is how it goes:

1. First, turn your paper (with the patterned side down toward the tabletop) in landscape orientation. That means the long pages are horizontal in front of you.

2. Flip the short sides together as if you were about to slam a book (the non-patterned side is now inside). Fold well!

Tip: Pay attention to accuracy. Especially for quite large formats such as this, the corners should be carefully folded on each other so that the result looks as harmonious as possible.

3. Now fold the rectangle that is now in front of you with the short edges and fold it strongly.

4. Undo step 3. It remains only the resulting folding edge as an orientation line. There you now fold the two upper corners. The closed side points upwards. After that, your paper should look like a little tent.

5. Now it gets a bit tricky: First, unfold the corners again. Then grab between the folded pages and fan them slightly.

6. The closed edge points up, the bottom of the paper is open: Slide the top folded corner between the two sides of the paper as if to hide in between. Pull to the middle. The newly created oblique edges again result in approximately a triangular shape. Follow suit!

7. Repeat step 6 with the second upper corner. After that it will be easier, promised!

8. Now the paper has a tent shape again. Fold down the bottom edges of each of these at the front and rear, along the bottom edge of the tent triangle.

9. Unfold again. Now pull the top of the tent roof to the center of the fold line created by step 8.

10. Turn over so the un-patterned side is facing up. Fold the tent slightly apart: the top of step 9 stays where it is. However, the corners move outward on the table surface, so it looks like a patternless square in front of you, which is indented on two sides.

11. Now reinforce these indentations by pushing them down along the predetermined fold lines. This creates a triangular shape at these points.

12. Then fold the long side edges inwards until they are flush with the natural limits of the indentations.

13. Now take your photo and place it centered on your now rectangular construct.

Tip: Attention, the area where the tip sticks out, lies on the table - it is the back.

14. Along the photo fold the protruding edges forward.

15. Take your picture out again and then push it into the formed square recesses.

16. Done is her picture frame!

Tip: Thanks to the rear tip, you can also set up this model!

Instructional Video

Make picture frames out of cardboard

This noble picture frame made of cardboard will inspire you - with only a few materials you succeed such a beautiful, rustic picture frames. The advantage of this model is that you can adjust the picture frame to the size of the picture as you like.

Difficulty: needs a bit of tact, but still simple
Time required: 1 h
Material costs : If you already have wool rests, other cords and cardboard from a cardboard box at home, you do not have to spend a lot of money on this practical picture frame. A ball of wool is also available in selected shops for less than 3 €. All in all, this picture frame costs between 5 and 7 euros, if you have to get everything new.

You need that exactly:

• 2 pieces of cardboard in the desired format
• Cutter knife, scissors
• Ruler and pencil
• Glue and double-sided adhesive tape
• Wool and / or natural fiber tape, other cords
• Bastelfilz

That is how it goes:

1. At the beginning, cut a frame. Our picture frame is square and should have a size of 20 cm x 20 cm. Sketch these outlines on the piece of cardboard and cut it out. The window of the frame should have a size of 12 cm x 12 cm. This is also drawn with ruler and pencil exactly in the middle of the cardboard. Carefully cut out the window with the cutter.

2. Now the frame is wrapped with wool, natural fiber or another string. Use the hot glue gun to put a dab of glue on the back near a window corner. The wool is fixed there with the glue. Now wrap what it takes. The ball is now pulled through the window again and again - pull the thread taut each round so that the wool is accurate on the front. From time to time you can attach the thread to the back with glue. At the end, in the other corner of the window, the wool is cut off and the thread end glued on the back.

3. All other pages are wrapped as described in step 2. The remaining, square corner surfaces are covered with a piece of felt.

4. And now the picture is placed in the frame. Take a second piece of cardboard measuring 20 cm x 20 cm. Stick your photo with a piece of double-sided tape in the middle of this cardboard. Then, place a piece of the tape on each of the four sides of this cardboard - the frame is then simply glued to the cardboard. Be careful that picture and window match exactly, otherwise you might see a piece of cardboard.

Tip: If you want to avoid unsightly edges, size the window of the frame slightly smaller than your picture. Although the edge of the photo is somewhat covered, but the cardboard remains invisible.

Now you can lean the frame upright on a shelf against the wall, hang it on the wall or even attach a foot to the back with a small piece of cardboard - that's how the frame stands firmly on the desk.

Done is the homemade picture frame made of cardboard - definitely a real eye-catcher!

Tips for quick readers:

Mini picture frame Origami for about 6 x 6 cm

• Fold square origami paper several times
• Slide picture between created tabs
• secure with double-sided tape
• possibly decorate
• so leave well by pattern paper as well

Rectangular origami frame

• for standard format
• fold as instructed and insert image
• Stand at the back

Noble frame made of cardboard

• Cut cardboard with window
• Wrap frame with wool
• Cover corner surfaces with felt
• Glue the picture onto a second piece of cardboard
• Frame and back wall, together with picture, glue each other on