Today I want to share my new favorite family photo. We took this picture over the summer in Michigan with the beautiful lake and sailboats behind us. This photo reminds me of how much I love the lakes of Michigan. So when the kind people at Canvas Factory reached out to me, I knew I wanted to turn this photo in to a canvas. This is the 16″ x 20″ canvas and I just love it. I wanted to make a frame for it that would fit in with the other decor in my house. I made this wooden scalloped frame. I love the scalloped detail that makes it just a bit more whimsical and femanin than a normal frame. And since I was making it myself, I could have it exactly the size and color I wanted. Giveaway details below!! 😉

D I Y   S C A L L O P E D   P H O T O   F R A M E

Materials Needed:
Canvas print
2″ wooden dowel
1″ x 2″ common board
1″ x 4″ common board
Metal corner brackets
Metal straight plates
Picture frame hanger
Nails
Wood glue
Paint

First, using the 1″ x 2″ boards, cut a frame around your canvas print. I used a chop saw to cut the angles. I just used the nail gun to attach the corners.
 

Then make a frame around that, with the 1″ x 4″ board.

I attached the larger frame with corner brackets.

Then I used a nail gun to nail the smaller frame inside the larger one.

For the scalloped edge, I used the 2″ wooden dowel. 

Using a table saw, I cut a line right down the center of the dowel. But only about 3/4 of the way down the entire dowel. Keeping it attached at one end gave me greater stability when slicing it. 

This part was a little time consuming… but I would sand the end of the dowel and then using a chop saw, slice the dowel rod. 

I marked the dowel so that I would have 1/2″ thick slices. I would sand the dowel, then slice, then sand, then slice and repeat like 20 times!

But then you have a bunch of little half circles.

Use some wood glue and glue the half circles on to your frame.

Then paint. I used one coat of white chalk paint. Then sanded it really well. I finished it with a coat of furniture wax, bit I’ll leave that up to you, I think you could get away without the furniture wax depending on what type of paint you use. If you don’t use chalk paint, you don’t need to seal it with anything. I think you could even get away with not sealing chalk paint, if you know that the frame won’t get dirty. Once dirt or some sort of mess gets on chalk paint and there’s no wax on top, your chalk paint will get stained. 

When the frame was all painted, I used the metal straight plates to attach the canvas photo to the wooden frame. 

I also used a metal picture frame hanger and nailed it to the wooden frame. I was worried that the little metal hanger on the canvas wouldn’t be strong enough to support the wood frame. 

I just love it. The canvas is perfect and the frame turned out just how I wanted. Very simple, but the scallops add such a fun detail to it. 

Now for the giveaway! One of you will win your own 16″ x 20″ canvas print from Canvas Factory.
Just enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Open to US and Canada only.