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September on CraftStylish

How to Embellish a Picture Frame with Buttons

Susan Beal, contributor

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The finished button picture frame has a flower charm at the lower right corner.

 

Susan Beal

Here's everything you need to embellish a picture frame with buttons.

Susan Beal

Arrange the buttons as you like around the perimeter of the frame before you glue them down.

Susan Beal

The finished button picture frame has a flower charm at the lower right corner.

 

Photo: Susan Beal

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I love using buttons for all kinds of crafts, but they're especially perfect for decorating little things around the house—they make such fun, pretty embellishments. I recently found an old, beat-up frame at a thrift store and thought it would be great for fancying up. This is a nice instant-gratification project: In about a half-hour, you'll be deciding which picture to put in your new buttoned-up frame!

For one frame, you'll need:

• A plain frame with some flat areas to embellish over
• Assorted sew-through buttons in the same color family (I used 33 for mine)
• One flat flower charm
• One glossy shank button
• Hot-glue gun and glitter glue sticks
• Newspaper to protect your work area

1. Set your frame down face up onto newspaper, removing the glass if possible. Think about the pattern (or lack of pattern!) you want to use with your buttons along the sides. I chose to alternate large, medium, and small ones in a pretty random arrangement, so no two identical ones were next to each other.

2. Place your buttons on the frame, leaving a tiny space between each one, and rearrange them until you like the order. Be sure to place a medium or large, flat button in one corner for your flower embellishment.

3. Begin gluing down each button one by one with hot glue. I think it's easiest if you have them all in place to start, so you lift one at a time to glue it down, instead of grabbing each one from a pile. You'll have a few seconds to make adjustments if one is crooked or out of place. I used glitter hot-glue sticks (available at big craft stores next to the regular ones) so that the dried glue that showed through the buttons' holes was prettier, but of course plain is fine, too.

4. Once you've glued down each button, place your flower charm on the medium or large button you added in a corner in step 2. Use a generous dab of hot glue to attach it there. Now add a smaller dab of hot glue to the center of the flower and press your glossy shank button into it.

5. Let the glue dry completely before replacing the glass and adding your picture.

For variations on this idea, you might want to use a few dozen of the same buttons for a simple, clean look, or go in a different direction and use lots more colors or sizes for a lively effect. Or choose a different embellishment, like a star, alphabet letters, or a shape cut out of felt.

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Comments (2)

Sister_Diane writes: Super cute idea! Makes me wish I had more wall space. :-)
Posted: 9:32 am on August 31st

MaeveQ writes: Hi, Thanks for this great project. I am an art teacher and this would make a terrific project to do with my kids for the holidays!
Posted: 8:18 am on August 31st

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