Think Outside the Box: 3 Unique Picture Frame Ideas for Your Home

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. And it's true: having photos up around your house can say more and mean more than many other forms of decoration.

Whether you have pictures up of family and friends, of travel destinations, or of various pieces of art, you are creating a wonderful atmosphere for your home. But these photos can't just hang on the wall plainly: they need to be framed.

There are a ton of unique ways to use photo frames that you may not have thought of. If you're bored of the traditional framing methods, it might be time to try out some new and exciting picture frame ideas. Read on, and we'll walk you through a few unique methods that can really make your home design pop.

1. A Branch and Twine Frame

What if you're going for something like a rustic look and feel in your home? A traditional plastic black or white picture frame is likely to ruin the whole vibe that you've created. Not only that but it's just not very creative, is it?

One of the most unique picture frame ideas out there is to use branch and twine to frame your photos. This is a true DIY craft project that can be fun to do and can bring your family together.

Simply go into your backyard and find four branches of similar size. You'll want to bring them inside and clean them off a bit, so there's no dirt or grime. Once you've done this, lay them out in a square with the ends of each stick overlapping.

Grab some twine and tie them together, creating the shape for your frame. Once you've created the structure, you'll need to add the photo that you're looking to frame. Stick it to the back of the sticks with glue or a glue stick. Then use the twine on the topmost stick to help the whole thing hang from a nail or other support structure.

Voila! Just like that, you have an eye-catching frame that's sure to be a conversation starter. If you're creating a rustic home-in-the-woods vibe for your house or even just for a particular room, this can be a great addition.

The glue and sticks might mean this isn't the perfect frame for a photo that is near and dear to your heart. But if you're just trying to create an atmosphere, this should be more than enough to do the job.

2. Oversized Frames

Many people complain that the frames in their home simply don't make the impression they want them to make. Custom art framing allows homeowners to get around this problem and create something they can really love.

One amazing version of this is the oversized frame. You can think of it even as framing a frame, in a kind of Inception way. This look is accomplished by adding an external mat around a standard frame. This creates a much beefier and more substantial look than you would normally get.

How can you make it yourself? You can take some MDF and measure how much space you'll want on either side of your original frame. Once you have your measurements, you can cut it out and then paint it to your liking. You can make this extra area match the color scheme of your photo, the room you're hanging it in, or both.

If you really want to get creative, you can even add certain additions to the extra frame. This could be words or phrases related to the photo at hand or just decorative illustrations. There's no wrong answer as long as you're creating a frame that you can enjoy and love.

Even if you leave the extra space unembellished, the beefier frame size can help your photographs make a much larger impression.

3. Popsicle Stick Frames

One of the most adorable ideas for pictures frames is not really a frame at all. If you're feeling very DIY and want to make something with your kids, this idea could really be a winner. The final result is so simple and homemade in a way that can really warm your heart.

First, you'll need to print out the photos that you're looking to frame for this project. Similar to the branch and twine frame, this project can get messy: that means you shouldn't be doing this with any rare or valuable photos.

Photos of a smaller size will work better as well. This project doesn't quite work for large size photos. Think more of the size of a traditional disposal camera printout. If you're creating these frames with your kids, consider using their school photos or pictures that they find interest in.

Once you have your pictures ready, gather your popsicle sticks. Line them up in rows together until they create a square shape, and glue or tape them together. Once this has dried, flip them over. This will be your basic frame.

To make it more exciting, break out the paint or markers and let the kids decorate this frame to their hearts' content. Tape or glue the pictures onto the surface after and you've created a perfect popsicle picture frame.

Unique Picture Frame Ideas

It can get so boring framing pictures in the same fashion again and again. The above picture frame ideas are just a few unique ways you can think outside of the box when it comes to framing photos.

Need more great crafting advice, tips, or tricks? Check out our DIY page for more.