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You’ve spent countless hours practicing drills, drove hundreds of miles to get to games and matches, and sweat and sacrifice resulted in lots of metals and trophies! Don’t stuff your hard earned metals in a drawer or haphazardly sling them on your bed post. Instead, follow this simple DIY to proudly display your precious collection of sports memorabilia! Learn how to turn any frame base into a Hanging Sports Ribbon Frame for your wall.

Supplies:

• 22” x 18” Frame (I used Lindley for this project.)
• Cup Hooks
• Drill with small drill bit
• Pencil
• Ruler or measuring tape
• Rubber mallet
• Hanging Hardware

First, collect your ribbons and figure out a rough arrangement on how you’ll hang them on the frame and how long of a frame you’ll need.

Measure the ribbon widths to get a better idea on how far to space the hooks apart and use a pencil to create marks. We spaced ours 1.5 inches apart.

Add your drill bit to your frame but we have a great tip to lessen the chance of drilling through the frame. Measure the length of the screw part of your cup hook. Apply tape around your drill bit slightly shorter than this length.

When drilling holes into the frame, only drill up to the tape marking.

Screw in the cup hooks in these holes.

Add hanging hardware to the back of your frame.

Hang your frame in your home. Tip: Due to the extra weight of the metals on this frame, you might to add double hardware pieces on the back or add a more heavy duty security hanger to the back and/or use drywall anchors to help secure it in place.

Hang your ribbons on each of the hooks.

Whether it’s a participation ribbon or one earned after a weeklong tournament, this personal memorabilia can easily be displayed in your home. Display it along with your other sports trophies, gifts or game balls to keep your collection together.

About The Author

Tara Nehil is author of SpotOfTeaDesigns.com, a lifestyle blog sharing home décor, crafts, party inspiration and parenting lessons learned the hard way. Her graphic design background is evident in the home she lives in and styles with her husband and 2 young daughters. Follow her creative journey for photo tutorials, printables, budget-friendly decorating tips and ways to celebrate occasions big and small.

You’re about to hear Dad say, “You nailed it!” This Father’s Day, dig through all those jars and drawers in your garage and recycle leftover hardware pieces to create a custom nuts and bolts frame for your dad with a custom mat. Discover our tips to create the perfect arrangement, what adhesive to use and how to ensure this DIY custom matboard fits within your CustomPictureFrames.com frame.

Supplies:

• Frame
• Matboard
• Miscellaneous hardware
• Hot Glue or E6000 glue
• Pencil

As we previously shared, creating a custom matboard (Link: DIY Custom Matboards) is a great way to personalize a gift, play off a photo’s theme or match your home décor when displayed.

For this Father’s Day gift, you’ll first need to take note of the area of the frame you have to craft your custom mat board so it fits after completion. Insert your mat and use a pencil to draw a light line noting your workable area.

Since these hardware materials are slightly weighty, you may choose a heavier-duty adhesive, like E6000. It comes in smaller tubes like this or larger tubes for bigger projects. Tip: smaller tubes are less likely to get glued shut between projects!

Apply a small amount of glue to each hardware piece and attach it to the matboard. You may consider working in some small areas around the mat or try the approach of adding all the largest pieces first, then filling in with smaller pieces.

Whichever you choose, add pieces until they completely fill up the pencil-marked frame.  

Allow the custom matboard to dry thoroughly before reassembling the frame. Tip: If you choose to hang on the wall, you may consider additional security hardware to make it more stable in your home.

About The Author

Tara Nehil is author of SpotOfTeaDesigns.com, a lifestyle blog sharing home décor, crafts, party inspiration and parenting lessons learned the hard way. Her graphic design background is evident in the home she lives in and styles with her husband and 2 young daughters. Follow her creative journey for photo tutorials, printables, budget-friendly decorating tips and ways to celebrate occasions big and small.

While there are thousands of custom framing options you can choose to complement your captured memory or memorabilia, sometimes the options are still not enough! Consider creating a custom matboard to match the vibe of your cherished moment in time with personalized accessories outside the framing aisle. Follow along for more tips on upgrading your frame with a custom matboard for birthdays, holidays and special occasion photos.

MATS

At CustomPictureFrames.com, our matboards are 4-ply and 8-ply thick and come in 85 different colors to fit your needs. Use one of these matboard options as a base for your custom-framed piece. When creating a custom mat board, consider starting with a basic white or black or choosing a color that may help your materials camouflage into the frame.

In the case of this Swiftie-inspired custom matboard on our Smooth White mat, the matboard color is irrelevant to the finished design as it was covered with these adhesive mirror strips.  

The Grey matboard was a great compliment to the silver hardware used in this Nuts and Bolts Frame.

ADHESIVES

Consider various adhesive options when crafting your custom mat boards, depending on what you attach. Flatter, thinner materials, like tissue paper, patterned paper or decorative napkins, will easily adhere with decoupage glue. Slightly dimensional items, like the birthday candles, will likely adhere well using basic white tacky glue. Uniquely shaped items, like twigs, may adhere easily with hot glue. Thicker and slightly heavier items, like nuts and bolts, might adhere best using a sturdier, more permanent glue, like E6000. Tip: They sell mini tubes of this glue that lessen the chances of gluing the tube shut after each use!

TIPS

• Measure First. There must be a little overlap for the frame to hold in a mat. This may limit the amount of surface area you have to create your custom design, especially when it involves thicker decorating materials. Before working on your custom matboard, insert it and assemble your frame. Use a pencil to lightly mark a line on the matboard so you don’t have a challenge adding the mat back in.
• Check your weight. Putting too heavy of material on your custom mat board will certainly change the weight and possibly the weight distribution of your frame. Consider this when hanging your frame, as you might need to add extra hardware to secure it to the wall or add weight on the easel back so it doesn’t fall over.

• Make a plan. Your material choice to build your custom mat board may require more planning on the arrangement before gluing, while others are fine to be applied without any planning. In the case of this googly eye frame, the tacky glue we used allowed for slight readjustment as we added the eyes to the frame. Tip: don’t use hot glue with googly eyes; it may melt the eye and limit the googly action!

To add acrylic or not to add acrylic? This may be one of your questions. Custom matboards with dimensional items may limit your ability to add a protective acrylic piece to the front of the frame. If you still want this dimensional look but with a protected front, consider choosing a shadowbox instead of a picture frame as a house for your custom matboard piece.

About The Author

Tara Nehil is author of SpotOfTeaDesigns.com, a lifestyle blog sharing home décor, crafts, party inspiration and parenting lessons learned the hard way. Her graphic design background is evident in the home she lives in and styles with her husband and 2 young daughters. Follow her creative journey for photo tutorials, printables, budget-friendly decorating tips and ways to celebrate occasions big and small.

You may be well past the glory days of being a star player on the varsity team, but the memories of long practice sessions, endless drills and a stacked win/loss record are as strong as ever.  Commemorate those happy days by float mounting your varsity letter in a beautiful shadow box frame in your home. Whether this piece is a family heirloom varsity letter from a grandparent or your own, learn how CustomPictureFrames.com can help protect this important piece of memorabilia with UV-resistant acrylic in their beautiful frames.

Supplies:

• Shadow box frame (I used Brindle)
• Adhesive-backed foam core
• Straight pins with small heads
• Craft knife
• Pencil
• Ruler

Sure, you can mount your varsity letter directly onto the backer of your shadow box, but this float mounting technique helps elevate -- literally! -- this displayed look.

Lay the adhesive-backed foam core with the sticky side down (and the adhesive not yet peeled) on top, and lay the varsity letter face down on top. Trace this face-down letter with a pencil.

Lift the letter and now draw a second shape inside this shape about 1/8” all the way around. This ensures the smaller shape will be hidden behind the varsity letter when mounted.

Use a craft knife (with a fresh blade) and cut out the inner shape drawn on the adhesive foam core.

Use straight pins to attach the varsity letter to the non-adhesive side of the foam core shape, and do your best to hide the pins behind the letter. This allows you to secure your varsity letter to the foam, but not ruin it with adhesives.

Peel the adhesive backing from the other side of your mounted varsity letter and press down onto your shadowbox backer.

Assemble your shadow box! Our frame-grade acrylic frame fronts are transparent, lightweight, UV-resistant and shatter-resistant. These are great for beautifully displaying memories and memorabilia while protecting them from dust and UV light.

Add this framed piece of family memorabilia to your home, bringing a piece of history and personality to your walls or shelves.

About The Author

Tara Nehil is author of SpotOfTeaDesigns.com, a lifestyle blog sharing home décor, crafts, party inspiration and parenting lessons learned the hard way. Her graphic design background is evident in the home she lives in and styles with her husband and 2 young daughters. Follow her creative journey for photo tutorials, printables, budget-friendly decorating tips and ways to celebrate occasions big and small.

As we journey through life, we accumulate milestones that mark our achievements and successes. Among these prized possessions are our diplomas, degrees, and certificates, each representing significant milestones in our educational and professional endeavors. Yet, often, these symbols of hard work and dedication end up tucked away in drawers or forgotten corners rather than proudly displayed where they deserve to be.

At CustomPictureFrames.com, we understand the importance of preserving and showcasing these achievements with care and pride. Our solid wood frames, paired with frame-grade acrylic and acid-free materials, offer the perfect solution for protecting and preserving your diplomas, degrees, and certificates for years to come. Here are some tips to help you frame and display your accomplishments with style and elegance:

1. Choose High-Quality Materials: When it comes to framing your diplomas and certificates, quality matters. Opt for solid wood frames that provide both durability and aesthetic appeal. Our frames are crafted with precision and attention to detail, ensuring your documents are protected and displayed in style.

2. Protect with Frame-Grade Acrylic: Unlike traditional glass, frame-grade acrylic offers superior clarity and durability while providing UV protection to prevent fading and damage over time. This ensures your diplomas and certificates remain pristine and vibrant, even when displayed in sunlight or high-traffic areas.

3. Embrace Customization: Make your display truly unique by opting for custom framing solutions. Our diploma frames feature some of our most popular frame styles, ranging from sleek and modern to classic and ornate. Choose the perfect frame to complement your personal style and decor preferences.

4. Enhance with Acid-Free Materials: Acid-free mats and backing boards are essential for preserving the integrity of your diplomas, degrees, and certificates. These materials prevent yellowing and deterioration over time, ensuring that your documents remain in pristine condition for generations to come. Our diploma frames come with acid-free double mats in various color combinations, allowing you to create a customized display that reflects your individual taste and style.

5. Consider Conservation Framing: Conservation framing is a must for valuable or irreplaceable documents. This specialized framing technique uses museum-quality materials and techniques to provide the highest level of protection and preservation. Our team of expert framers can help you select the right framing solution to ensure that your diplomas and certificates are safeguarded for years to come.

6. Display with Pride: Once framed, your diplomas, degrees, and certificates are ready to be proudly displayed in your home or office. Choose a prominent location where they will be noticed and admired, such as a home office, living room, or hallway. Our frames come with easy-to-use hanging hardware, making it simple to create a professional-quality display in minutes.

7. Rotate and Refresh: Keep your display interesting by rotating your diplomas and certificates throughout the year. This lets you showcase different achievements and keeps your display fresh and engaging. Our frames make it easy to swap out documents whenever you like, so you can update your display with ease.

At CustomPictureFrames.com, we're passionate about helping you preserve and proudly showcase your achievements. Our diploma frames are designed to protect and preserve your diplomas, degrees, and certificates and elevate them into works of art that you'll be proud to display for years to come. With our high-quality materials, expert craftsmanship, and customizable options, framing your accomplishments has never been easier or more stylish.

Don't let your hard-earned diplomas and certificates languish in obscurity. Frame them with care, display them with pride, and let them serve as a constant reminder of your dedication, perseverance, and accomplishments.

About The Author

Brittany DeMauro is the Creative Director here at CustomPictureFrames.com. With a background in creative writing and a passion for all things DIY, you'll find her in the shop crafting content. She can always find space for a fun gallery wall and loves discovering new artists to display around her home (in custom frames, of course!) When she's not creating content for our brand, she can most likely be found binging shows on Netflix with her two cats.