How to Frame an Album Cover Collage
After taking the time to create a collage from your favorite CD covers, you want to be able to enjoy and proudly display it for many years. Framing your collage is a wonderful idea. Instead of fretting over the price to have your artwork professionally framed, why not do it yourself for little cost?
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Things You'll Need
- Frame
- Mat board
- Ruler
- T-square
- Straightedge
- Utility knife
- Single-edged razor blades
- Masking tape
- Hanging wire
Instructions
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Hunt for framed pictures at discount stores or garage sales. Look for sturdy corners; you can sand, re-finish, and re-paint the frame if it is needed. Toss out the artwork in the frame and the glass if it is broken or cracked. Information about replacing glass can be found at craft stores and their websites such as Michaels.com.
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Practice your cutting technique on scrap pieces of mat before you begin cutting the mat board that will frame the actual collage. Be sure to use decent quality mat material used to frame pictures; ordinary cardboard can shrink and expand with humidity and can become moldy. Redimat.com provides purchasing information on the correct types of mats for picture framing. You will want to cut a larger mat border if you have a small picture, and a smaller one if you have a large picture. Design the mat so that its lower border is 1/2 inch wider than its top and sides.
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Tape the picture onto the mat. Measure the left and right sides of the mat until they are equal and trace a line around the back of the picture. Add an additional 1/8 inch around your tracing to position the cut. Place your straightedge on a line of your tracing (at the point where you added the 1/8 inch) and hold it down firmly. Position the utility knife over the sketch with the sharp edge facing the straightedge. Sweep the knife in one constant motion over the mat. Cut the corners with the razor blade for a cleaner finish.
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Place your collage face down in the center of the window with the mat also face down. Attach the sides of the frame to the back of the artwork with simple masking tape or artist's tape. Next, place your matted collage on the glass and center it. Position the frame around the collage, adding a layer of cardboard of you have a deep frame, and screw it into place. Cut some hanging wire and twist it through the screw holes of the frame to display your album cover collage.
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Tips & Warnings
Cut your mat with the backside facing you; you can mark your measurements or sketch on the back side without worrying if the marks will show.
Lay down cardboard to protect the surface you are cutting on.
Be very careful when handling the razor blades and utility knife. Be fully aware of what you are cutting at all times and watch where you place your hands while you cut.
