"Custom" Framing

If you've ever had anything custom framed you know how shockingly expensive it is.  I've had this Map of Maui (purchased on my honeymoon) for almost 8 years now and I've shied away from having it framed because of this.  When my husband and I finally decided to decorate our bedroom I knew it was time for this map to find a home.  I almost bit the bullet and had it professionally framed but then it dawned on me "what if I could find a frame at a thrift store and just purchase the matting?"  Later in the week I went to a local thrift store and found "The Perfect Frame" for $20.00!  Here's how I customized it:

1.  I removed all the staples from the backing with a pair of pliers and some elbow grease.

2. I carefully removed the original artwork from the matting (which also happened to coordinate quite nicely with my map!)

3.  I went to my local Michael's and asked them to cut a custom mat to surround my map.  The man working in framing did this for me and charged me about $8 for the service, including the mat.  I am pretty sure this is not something they commonly do so you may want to call around to a few different locations to make sure they can and will do this for you.

4.  I took my mat home and taped my map into it.  Then I placed this into the frame and original matting and secured in place with tape.  I added a piece of cardboard behind the print and matting to help add some bulk and push the map up against the glass.

5. Lastly, I found my husbands staple gun and carefully stapled the backing back in place.  (Tip: Be sure glass is clean on the inside before performing this final step!)

Here is the result:

Let's do the math now:

Cost of Frame: $20.00

Cost of New Mat and Custom Cut: $8.00

Cost of Map: $25.00? (can't remember exactly, it was 8 years ago!)

Total Cost: $53.00

I'm guessing (based on past experience) that this would have cost me well over $200 to have custom framed.

Eco-friendly, budget friendly and beautiful = Happy Home-Maker!