How To Turn A Boring Photo Frame Into A Vintage Ruler Inspired Keepsake

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As children head back to school this month, parents may experience a whirlwind of emotions. They may feel relieved, happy, proud, sad, and/or nostalgic as they think about just how fast their kids are growing up. Although my child is now an adult, I remember feeling all of the aforementioned emotions at the beginning of every school year. To capture and soak in the memories, I took a ton of back to school photos. Who am I kidding?! I took a ton of photos period.

I have a gallery wall in my home where black and white photos of my daughter’s childhood span the years and the hallway. I love revisiting those memories and I love the black and white uniformity of the gallery wall but sometimes, you want something unique and distinctive. What if I turned a boring photo frame into a keepsake? According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a keepsake is defined as something that helps you remember a person, place, or occasion. So today’s tutorial is inspired by remembrance. And a whole lot of love.

How To Turn A Boring Photo Frame Into A Vintage Ruler Inspired Keepsake

Materials Needed:

• empty frame
• 2 packages of Tim Holtz ruler pieces (or similar)
• scissors
• superglue
• twine
• Windex® Original Glass Cleaner (to clean the frame glass)
• sandpaper block

 

 

Instructions:

Empty the first package of Tim Holtz ruler pieces. Using very sharp scissors, cut the wood into uniform smaller pieces. The size is up to you and it will depend upon the dimensions of your frame but since I was using a 4 x 6-inch frame, I cut my ruler pieces to approximately .5 inches each.

 

 

Note:  For this project, I used a frame where the glass inserts in the front so I didn’t have to worry too much about the placement of the ruler pieces. If you’re using a frame where the glass inserts in the back, leave the glass inside the frame when you attach the ruler pieces. 

Lay out the ruler pieces onto your glass until you’re happy with the appearance. If you need to cut pieces to size to cover edges, use the ruler pieces from the second Tim Holtz package.

 

 

If your ruler pieces have rough edges, sand them down using your sandpaper block.

 

 

Once you’ve arranged the ruler pieces on the top and bottom of your frame, start arranging pieces on the side.

 

 

You’ll notice that there’s a gap between the ruler pieces and the edge of the glass frame. I did that intentionally so that the glass will be able to fit back into the frame.

 

 

Once you’re happy with the layout of the ruler pieces, place a few drops of superglue on the back of each piece and secure to the glass.

 

 

To give the picture area a more defined appearance, I super glued twine along the interior edges of the ruler pieces.

 

 

This is how the frame looked when I was done. It totally has that vintage ruler vibe thing going on, wouldn’t you agree?

 

 

Now the hard part…choosing which photo I want to display!

 

 

I ended up selecting a photo of my daughter taken during first grade. First grade!! She’s currently a senior in college which is really hard for me to wrap my head around!

Since the photo frame is probably full of fingerprints and twine lint, you’ll need to use some Windex® cleaner to clean it off.

 

 

Because of the convenience, I used Windex® Original Glass Wipes I purchased at Kroger. As you can see, Windex® made the glass appear almost invisible!

 

 

To help you with your glass cleaning and photo needs, Windex® brand currently has a special offer available: Buy 2 Windex® products and get $20 to shop at Shutterfly®. Disclaimer: Offer valid 7/15/17 – 12/1/17. Visit here for terms and conditions.

If you want to see the gorgeous photo book Shutterfly® helped me create, click here. I already have a few ideas in mind for the $20 credit (from Windex® brand towards Shutterfly®). Christmas is coming after all!

 

 

Why Windex® brand?

I’ve always used Windex® Original Glass Cleaner just like my mother and grandmother. Generations have relied on it for its famous streak-free shine. Windex® Original is perfect for cleaning windows, mirrors, glass shower doors, glass top stoves, and more. Because it’s formulated with Ammonia-D®, Windex® Original starts working on fingerprints, dirt, and other messes even before you wipe. That’s good news in my household where fingerprints on glass and mirrors seem to run rampant.

 

 

 

I have to admit that I feel a bit emotional every time I look at my new keepsake. It’s a reminder to cherish each and every moment with your child because time flies by in the blink of an eye.

 

 

 

What photo would you place in this DIY Vintage Ruler Inspired Keepsake?