Making a Strut

How to make the strut for a paper picture frame

Having made the picture frame you’ll need to make a strut for it to stand upright.

Cut the strut out of a piece of thick card – the length of it should be about half of the length of the frame.

The strut should be in the shape of a tie, like this:..

Cut a piece of your covering paper 3/8 in (1cm) larger at the sides and pointed end – on the top allow 1 1/4 in (3cm). Glue the strut into place with adhesive, then turn in the sides and the pointed end – leave the top extension free.

Cover the other side with some decorative paper – this will be the “wrong” side of the strut, so the extension will bend in this direction.

Cut a small piece of the covering paper 1 1/4 x 2 1/4 in (3x6cm) for the strut strap.  Fold this three times into a strip and glue. The strip should be 3/8 x 2 1/4 in (1x6cm). Fold this in half, crease the ends a little and apply some adhesive.  Glue the strap to the wrong side of the strut – about 2in (5cm) from the pointed end.

Now position the strut to the back of the frame. The pointed end of the strut should point towards the right corner of the frame. Do make sure that the strut does not overlap the corner of the frame – it should be a fraction in from it. First glue the extension bit of the strut to the frame, then the other end of the strap.

Your picture frame is now ready to stand.

Tips for decorating your frame

Buy some interesting covering paper: go to a specialist paper shop and look for hand made, textured, raw or vegetable paper. You can also utilize wrapping paper and wallpaper.

Instead of using a ready decorated paper for the frame, make your own decorative paper: use some tissue or lining paper and decorate it with pearls, glitter, collage, feather, stickers etc.

Recycle old magazines, newspaper, photos & wallpaper and make a collage on the front frame. 

Good Luck!

Read more about how to make your own picture frame – of paper or wood.