Cat Arts & Craft Ideas

Make a handmade picture frame to hold all your favorite cat pictures.  You'll find beautiful craft projects to make your own personalized picture frames and mats.

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Make a Handmade Fabric Mat for Your Picture Frame

Enhance your cat photos by creating a luxurious handmade fabric mat for your picture frame.  This mat will look beautiful inside any picture frame.  Try to match the fabric to your picture, and the theme of your room.

A lot of the time, this craft can be made with odds and ends from around the house.

Materials Required:

Instructions:

This project requires cutting and spraying, so please cover your work surface well with drop cloths or newspaper. Ensure you have something thick to cut on, so your surface will not be damaged.

Any fabric will work, but try to match it to the theme of your room or the picture.  For instance, if you want a luxurious look, try using silk.

Cut the material 1 1/2 inches (3.75 cm) larger that your mat. If the material is patterned, decide which direction you'd like the pattern to be viewed when on the mat (either horizontally or vertical). Place the material face down with the backside facing you.

If the fabric is thick, trim the corners of the material slightly, so the will be less material later when you fold the material over the back of the mat. Ensure you leave at least one inch (2.5 cm) for each corner.

Spray the back of the material lightly with adhesive glue (if using regular glue, skip this step and only apply the glue to the mat). Now spray the front of the mat with adhesive.  (If using regular glue, spread the glue as thin as possible using a piece of cardboard, a plastic knife or a sponge brush.)   Place the glue side of the mat onto the center of the glue side of the material.

Now using a razor knife, cut an "X" in the material in the opening of the mat. This will create the hole for the picture. Spray the back of the mat lightly (or use craft glue), and then fold the "X" flaps onto the back of the mat.  Apply pressure to allow the flaps to stick. You should now have a whole where the picture will be viewed.

Lastly fold the outer edges of the material over the back of the mat, so it resembles an envelope.   Allow the mat to dry fully before assembling the picture, the mat and the picture frame.

If you used a sponge brush to apply the glue, clean the brush right away so the glue does not harden.

Another Variation:

Want to enhance your picture even more?

Try making two mats for your picture frame!   Ensure to select complimentary material, colors and patterns. The center of one mat must be slightly smaller than the other one, so you see a thin border of the smaller center mat after you assemble them.

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Make a Picture Frame from a CD Case

Here is a great way to find a use for all those old CD cases.   Make them into beautiful handmade picture frames!

Materials Required:

Instructions:

Remove the inside cardboard jacket (label) from the CD.   On the backside of your picture, use the CD jacket to trace the size of the jacket.  Cut the picture to the jacket size.

Trace the jacket onto the construction paper, and cut it out.  Now cut a hole in the center of the construction paper.  Basically we're making a mat.   The picture will be viewable through this hole.  Make the hole as large as you want -- the bigger the hole, the more picture you will see.

Glue the construction paper to the inside of the CD case where the jacket used to be.   Now glue the picture to construction paper which is inside of the CD case.

Voila!  You have a beautiful matted picture frame.  Open the CD case to create stand for the CD case.

Another Variation:

Want to enhance your picture frame even more?

Try using ribbon instead of construction paper -- or use them both.   You can also glue on any decoration you like to decorate the outside of the "frame".  It would be cute to make cut-outs of paw prints, and glue them to the outside.  Allow them to hang over the edge of the frame (ensure they do not hang over where the frame will be sitting on the surface of your table/counter).  Another nice touch is to make a mosaic pattern with beads.

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