Using Glue Dots to Alter a Frame

I enjoy altering frames to hold pictures or hand made home decor. I love the personal touches you can add with just a few small steps. Long before I was on Glue Dots'® Design Team, I discovered that Glue Dots® are the perfect tool for adding embellishments to the inside and outside of a frame. Here are a few of the pros of using Glue Dots® to alter a frame:

1. Altering a frame inside and out adds dimension and layers to your framed art.
2. Altering a frame adds and a personal touch to your home decor.
3. Glue Dots® will keep anything (ribbon, fabric, paper, metal) stuck to the glass or frame part of a picture frame.
4. If, over time, you get bored with your creation, applying a little heat to the Glue Dots® will allow you to remove your embellishments so you can use the frame again (you may need to apply a little glass cleaner as well to remove the adhesive residue).
5. You can create your own art to frame, or you can use your embellished frames for photos.

If you're ready to try this for yourself, grab some Glue Dots® and a frame. For this project I used Micro, Mini, and Craft Glue Dots®. Just uses the size that fits best with the embellishments you are adding to your frame. Here are the alterations I made for my project:


To create a layered effect, I stamped a tree on the inside (picture part) of my frame. I then stamped and cut out the tree trunk. I used Mini and Micro Glue Dots® to attach the paper tree directly to the glass of the frame.


To add bulkier items like brads, I first clip the "legs" of the brads off. This allows the brad to lay flat on the glass. Then all you need to do is apply the appropriate sized Glue Dot® and attach to the frame or glass.


It's always a bit hard to tell in the photograph, but adding embellishments inside and outside of the frame adds a lot of dimension. Here there is the picture, there is stamping and ribbon on the mat, and finally the tree and brads on the outside of the glass. When you use Glue Dots® to embellish your frames, the only limitation is your imagination!

Additional Supplies:
Kanban Stamp Spring Silhouettes
American Crafts Hello Sunshine Fabric Brads and paper
Better Homes and Gardens Frame

I wrote this blog post while on the Glue Dots® Design Team