DIY Photo Mat | Baby Room Decor

A DIY photo mat is a lovely way to make your memories stand out. But it can also be a quick-fix when you have the wrong size frame for the photos you want to show off! *raises hand*

You may be thinking: But, Toia, why don’t you just buy a frame that fits?

Well… cuz I don’t wanna! LOL! 🙂 Here’s what had happened.

In my first post about Micah’s teal and gray room fix-up, I showed you a couple of the photos that I was all set to hang up in the room.

It was cool until I unpacked this three-photo frame and noticed that the same pic in the silver frame was already in there…

Well, I obviously don’t need to have the same photo up twice but, no problem, I’ve got others. Onlyyyyy all of the other photos are smaller than the 8×10 frame. Gaaaah!

Now, they did give us a flash drive of our images so I could have very well just printed another photo of the right size. But I decided to use this opportunity to get my DIY on!

What I Used

• 12×12 scrapbook paper from a previous project (Michaels)
• Scissors
• Scotch tape
• Pencil
• Ruler

DIY Photo Mat Steps

I started by measuring out 8″ by 10″ for the size of the frame and cutting that out. I then measured 1 ½” in from each edge and used the new (5×7) photo as a guide to outline the shape on my now 8×10 paper.

{Sorry, I have no pics of the measuring process but I’m hoping between my description and photos, you get it!}

Normally, I’d use hubby’s X-acto knife for the next step but, with no idea where that’s been since our move, I grabbed the scissors. To get an accurate cut, I did a little “cheat” by carefully cutting into the paper from a corner.

And there’s my mat! 🙂

To make sure the picture stayed in place, I applied two pieces of tape to the back and affixed it to the mat.

I also placed a piece of tape on that corner I cut into.

As I was working, I noticed a tiny space between the photo and the mat. I realized maybe I should have made the cutout just a tad bit smaller than what I needed to make sure the photo was well-covered with no spaces.

Since this was the only piece of paper I had, I just used the excess pieces to cover up that space. I taped those down as well.

And there you have it! All done. Looka my widdle mish-mush! ♥

Sure, you can buy ready-made photo mats but you may not always find the color or design that’s just right for the look you’re going for. With a DIY photo mat, you get just what you want every time. The teal paper I used was only like $.60 plus 50% off at the time — definitely a cost-effective way spice up photos around the house.

If you thought this was helpful, go ‘head and Pin It! 😉

Since I was a little thing, I’ve looked for ways to use what I have to decorate my room or for quick fixes. I slowly got away from that as adulting became my main concern. But now that I’ve got more time as a SAHM, I can get my creative juices flowing and actually execute some of my ideas… as baby will allow, of course. 🙂

I’m looking forward to finishing up Micah’s room and doing more DIY projects around the home!

Now that summer is just about here, what DIY projects do YOU have coming up?