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Give your special memories beautiful homes with these DIY photo frames! Lots of ideas to make frames out of paper, sticks, clay & more!

“A good snapshot keeps a moment from running away.”

Photographs are magical, aren’t they? Think about it, by looking at a photo of yourself from the past, you’re immediately transported to another moment in time, maybe 5, 10 or even 20 years ago. If that isn’t magic, what is?

Even the origin of the word ‘photography’ is beautiful – it comes from the Greek, meaning ‘to draw with light‘. Can’t think of a prettier way to describe taking a picture!

Photography has changed considerably in the past several decades, moving on from analog cameras to digital ones, and then to phone cameras, where you are now able to capture any moment, wherever you are!

Photography Through the Ages

• The word ‘photograph’ was first used in 1839 by astronomer Sir John Herschel, but the first photograph was taken by a French scientist named Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in 1826. It took him 8 whole hours to take that first picture!
• In the early days, people didn’t take pictures of their vacations – the most common photos were of dead bodies
• The development of photographs was a dangerous business initially, involving the use of chemicals like mercury
• Color photography was introduced in the 1930s, but black and white photographs are still popular
• Steve Sasson, a Kodak employee, invented the first digital camera in 1975
• The first commercial camera phone was released in Japan in 1999, and it was the Kyocera Visual Phone VP-210

With World Photography Day being on 19th August, we think it’s a great time to celebrate this amazing invention. One way to do this is to take your camera outside and click some amazing pictures. Once you’re done, choose your favorite and frame it – in one of our DIY photo frames!

15 Creative DIY Photo Frames for Kids and Teens

1. DIY Dot Mandala Art Photo Frame

This is one of the easiest ideas for DIY Photo Frames, and all you need are dot markers and an old frame! It’s an excellent way to upcycle a worn out frame – simply paint it in a color of your choice, and decorate with dots!

2. Cute as a Button DIY Photo Frame

Here’s a project to make use of your button stash, and you don’t even need matching buttons! In fact, the more colors and sizes you have, the more interesting the finished project will be! Great for kids who’re old enough to handle buttons without choking on them.

3. Ice Cream Stick Magnetic Photo Frame

Don’t throw away those sticks after eating up your ice cream – clean them and turn them into DIY Photo Frames! This is a really easy craft project and you can decorate it with whatever you have residing in your craft stash.

4. DIY Handpainted MDF Photo Frame

Plain MDF photo frames are easily available at any craft store, and once decorated, they make for great return gifts at parties! This project shows us how easy it is to customize a plain frame in any color and theme of your choice.

5. DIY Scarecrow Photo Frame

If you’ve got a special Fall memory you want to frame, check out this scarecrow and pumpkin-themed one! Use colors like orange, brown and yellow for an autumnal theme, and add on some leaf embellishments for good measure.

6. DIY Boho Picture Frames

If you’d like to create DIY Photo Frames that are a little more polished and gift-worthy, we recommend using clay, like Crafterward has done in this project! You don’t even need to be that skilled – even a complete beginner can make these!

7. DIY Mini Frame Magnets

One of the best places to pin up your photos is on the fridge, where you can look at them every time you enter the kitchen! Entertain The Idea understands this and uses wooden craft rings to create some cute little magnetic photo frames!

8. DIY Bobbin Photo Frame

Bobbin decor is all the trend these days, and it’s made its way into DIY Photo Frames as well! It’s Whimsy gives us a complete tutorial on how to go about making your own bobbin photo frame, and it’s very pretty!

9. DIY Frilly Frames

DIY Daisy shows us how to make some frilly photo frames that would go great in a room with a girly or boho aesthetic. The best part is that you can experiment with various fabrics to create the frills, so you get a different kind of frame every time!

10. DIY Paper Picture Frames

It’s amazing how you can create DIY Photo Frames from plain paper, as Craftsy Hacks shows us in this project! The frames look quite sturdy, too, and make for a fun craft idea for younger kids.

11. Mini Instant Photo Frames

Got an Instax and went crazy on your last vacation? Well, it’s time to show off your work, and The DIY Dreamer has just the project for you! It’s also a great way to use up all that decorative tape you have lying around.

12. Perler Beads Photo Frame Magnets

It’s interesting how Perler beads can be used to make a variety of things, including DIY Photo Frames! Entertain The Idea makes the most of these little beads and creates multiple patterns in various color combinations.

13. Yarn-Wrapped Cardboard Photo Frame

All you need is plain cardboard and colorful yarn to create the photo frames in this project from Let’s Do Something Crafty, making this a super cost-effective and easy craft!

14. Rainbow Picture Frame with Printable

How pretty is this rainbow photo frame from Lydi Out Loud? It does require a bit of effort and time, but we think it’s worth it all!

15. DIY Mini Photo Diorama Frames

Who says your photos have to be these flat, two-dimensional things? Go the Project Kid way, and turn your fun memories into hilarious little photo dioramas using a few extra craft supplies!

With so many ideas for DIY photo frames, I’m sure you’re more inspired than ever to click more pictures, and better ones! Photography is an excellent hobby for children, even when they’re younger. Who knows, you might have a talented budding photographer in your home!