I thought it would be fun to do a little woven ribbon project and upcycle this old black 8 1/2 x11 picture frame, so today I’m going to show you a few easy steps to achieve some pretty, decorative wall art on a budget.  Have you seen the price of woven art?  I don’t know about you, but if I can make it myself and save some money in the process?  Cha-ching!  

You will need these ribbons:

• 427-15-10 1.5 ” Black Grosgrain Stitched Edge Ribbon – (28″)
• HA-78-46 7/8 ” Double Faced Satin – Parrot Green – (5.8 yds)

 * You’ll need 11 strips of satin ribbon, cut into 9.5″ strips and another 9 strips cut into 12.5″ strips.

Additional supplies:

• 8.5″x11″ frame
• Xyron adhesive runner
• hot glue gun, glue sticks
• decorative centerpiece

To begin, run a strip of adhesive across backside, top and bottom of your mat.

Take your 12.5″ strips and line them evenly across the front, tucking both ends of each strip to your adhesive backing.  Since this is an 8.5″ width frame, your last strip will have some excess which you can trim as it won’t show, once framed. Next, run a strip of adhesive across the back of your mat on the left and right side.  One by one, take your 9.5″ strips and weave one at a time through your other ribbons.  Fold both ends to your adhesive backing when finished.  To make quicker work, I used a sharp tipped tool to help me grab my ribbon and pull it through each weave.  A toothpick would even help.

To make the hanging bow, trim your black grosgrain ribbon into one 12″ strip and one 16″ strip.  Hot glue the 12″ strip to the top and back of your frame.  Fashion a pretty bow with the 16″ strip and hot glue it to your hanging ribbon.  *I did not do this, but if you wish, particularly for gift giving, you may want to take some brown paper, trim it to the proper dimensions and adhere it to cover up your work on the backside of the frame.

Lastly, add your decorative centerpiece.  I purchased this nautical keychain for $1.00 a few months ago at a hobby store and thought this would make a nice accent to my wall art (keychain removed). Another great idea would be to hot glue one or two decorative large wooden clips and use this as a photographic gallery.  You could change out pictures frequently, photos of the kids, etc. 

The final tally of this wall art on a budget?  Under $10.00.  The satin ribbon is just over 5 yards so that’s a little over $6.00, the black ribbon is about $1.00 for a little over 2 feet and the nautical accent cost $1.00.  I’d say less than $1.00 for your adhesive as well and the frame was recycled….. so, there you go.  Now that’s a bargain!  Much cheaper than the $30 – $50 price range or more in upscale stores.  I hope you enjoyed my project today.  Thanks so much for stopping by!  

By Terri Burson