Need to create a meaningful project that is perfect for holidays, celebrations, centerpieces, and more? These Picture Frame Luminaries are your answer! A wonderful handmade gift, keepsake, or decorations for receptions or showers! Highly personal and highly customizable! With the majority of supplies from the dollar store, they are inexpensive as well!
I am REALLY, REALLY excited to share these picture frame luminaries with you today. They are perfect for your dining table or mantel.
They work wonderfully for events like wedding or baby showers, receptions, and graduations! Really…any time of the year! I am pretty sure I will find a place for this year-round! :) Last year I shared my wine bottle luminaries…I tend to like things that light up during the holidays!!!
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Supplies for Picture Frame Luminaries:
- 4) 5 x 7 frames (I found mine at my local Dollar Tree)*
- Gorilla Glue or super glue
- 2 sheets of 8.5 x 11 Vellum ( solid or patterned )
- Home printer – I use the HP Envy 5540 Wireless All-In-One Printer and signed up for HP Instant Ink.
- Family photos
- Square mirror
- LED Candles
*It’s important when choosing frames that you choose ones with square flat edges and frames where the little pegs are on the FRAME not part of the cardboard backing since we are not using the backings.
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HOW TO MAKE PHOTO LUMINARIES:
I started off by finding four photos that I wanted to feature on my centerpiece. I took some photos of my boys in August and so I used one of Michael, one of Ryan, one of both of the boys and then I had to dig back to the really, really archives and dig out a photo of Fred and I …FROM OUR WEDDING…(in 2008) because apparently, that is the LAST time we took a decent photo together (read: that is the last time I was not BEHIND The camera taking the pictures!).
I bought two pieces of vellum at Michael’s. You can find it in the open scrapbooking paper section or I linked to packages of it above. (In case you don’t want to leave the house or have multiple to make!)
It looks like wax paper (opaqueness) but not waxy! It’s awesome. The only vellum I could find had a print through it. I thought “Hey what will this faint vine print do to my photos…probably nothing”…WRONG! It shows through! (as you can see the vine pattern in the photo above) So I linked to both solid and patterned vellums above. Your choice. I was happy with the surprise after I made it!
I printed my photos on my home printer directly onto my vellum…and then I trimmed them down to size.
I took out the happy family that was in the dollar store frames and I replaced it with our family photo printed on vellum…ON TOP of the GLASS! So it goes frame face down, vellum photo face down and then glass on last. You don’t not use the frame backing at all. I did this so that when you place the candles inside…you don’t risk lighting your house on fire! Just sayin…kind of important!
Once in your frames, glue them together into a cube. NOTE: Gorilla glue (which is what I used) expands when it dries…so be sure to apply a thin line and towards the inner side of the joint.
Then you are ready to assemble your centerpiece. Simply put the cube frame over the square mirror. This will help reflect the light from your votive making the photos clearer and more prominent. Then place the votive inside and light!
Even when not lit, it’s still a focal piece and something everyone comments on when they come over!
Update: You may also love this Seasonal Luminary that celebrates the seasons! Highly customizable and you can just rotate for the new easy! Multi-tasking home decor!
Uses for picture frame luminaries:
- Handmade gift idea – Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Christmas
- Centerpieces for Weddings, bridal showers, baby showers, birthday parties
- Home decor – mantel, side tables, shelves
- Party Decor – Graduations, Birthday parties, retirement celebrations.
And here it is lit at night! How cool?!?!? What a great centerpiece this will be on your holiday table or mantel!
Some other great handmade keepsake ideas to try:
- Thumbprint Heart Pendant Charm
- FootPrint Butterfly Placemats
- Gratitude Journal
- Thumbprint Ornament
- String of Lights Fingerprint Frame
This post was originally part of my yearly 25 days of Christmas Series! Be sure to sign up for my emails so you get all the current year’s posts for free, to your inbox!
You might also like this Thumbprint Christmas Light Frame
PIN THESE PICTURE FRAME LUMINARIES:
Comments & Reviews
jamie lynn says
this is really cute!! i love easy – and cheap! – crafts, this may make a great xmas present for the in-laws!! thanks!!!
Cheryl says
Thank you! I was thinking perfect present for grandparents also! They would love this and you can make several and not go broke :) Thanks for the nice comment!
Marlene Moniz says
Can I use a wooden block as my base or does it need to be glass and if so why?
Cheryl Spangenberg says
If you are using real candles, I would recommend glass. Otherwise you can use whatever you’d like! The Mirror actually sits inside the square of the frames so that the frames sit flush on your table top. The frames do not sit on top of the mirror.
Marlene Moniz says
Right, I just didn’t know if the wood would make it darker to see the photos meaning it wouldn’t reflect from the candle/light. Where did you get the mirrors?
Marlene Moniz says
I’ve called OfficeMax and Staples and they’re unable to do it because it might melt the paper because they use higher power..I hope that doesn’t happen when I do it from a home printer..lol and can I use a regular printer or does it need to be a laser?
Cheryl Spangenberg says
That’s interesting Marlene. The Office Max by me has done it several times for me before we had our own printer. I brought them my vellum and they printed it no problems at all. I used inkjet to make these.
mary lou says
Im stuck, what do you do if you don’t have an ink jet printer?
Cheryl Spangenberg says
Mary Lou you could got to a print shop like Office Max. They should be able to print them for you. I bet they even have vellum already, but I would call and double check first. Otherwise I have had them print on paper I brought with me before!
imklvr says
Wonderful idea! Again! And might I say, you have a beautiful family!!
Cheryl says
Thanks Dona…I am partial to them as well :)
Jill @ Create.Craft.Love. says
How did I miss this yesterday? This would be a great Christmas gift for the grandparents! Lovin’ the creativity, friend!
Cheryl says
I posted late…apparently I don’t know the difference between AM and PM when scheduling posts ;)
Megan says
I love this!! I have it bookmarked now so hopefully I will remember to make it. You should add a little pin it button so everyone can easily pin it too!
debbiedoos says
You girl have been busy and so very creative. Glad you shared this with the dollar tree party. We are almost up to 100 clever and inspiring Dollar tree Christmas ideas.
Cheryl says
Thanks Debbie!
Cupcake Mama says
This is a great idea. I can see using text for this project too. I think I’d use the battery tea lights though – I have a beagle who is TOO curious!
Brenda says
This is a great idea for a graduation party too. Just use pictures from k through 12 and place on your tables. My daughter loved this.
Cheryl Spangenberg says
That is a great use for these Brenda! Even a baby shower…put in baby photos of the mom & dad to be! I’m so happy your daughter loved it! Thanks for stopping over!
janet dycus says
I just love this idea but how do you hold the vellum onto the the front of glassthat is my question thank you
Cheryl Spangenberg says
Thanks Janet. You just cut the vellum the size of a photo. Then just sandwich the vellum between the frame and the glass (just opposite than normal with the vellum on the outside of the glass) like normal. No tape or adhesive needed.
Anna Terry says
Do you have a video tutorial on how to make this photo frame luminary? I love this and plan on making for Xmas gifts. Thanks
Caitlin says
Do you print the pictures out in black and white?
Cheryl Spangenberg says
Yes Ma’am! On Vellum paper!
Moira says
Did you use an inkjet printer or a laser printer? I have had unpleasant experiences printing onto different “papers” in the past :-)
Samantha Senff says
Do you think it would work to print in Sepia, or do you think Black and White would look better?
Cheryl Spangenberg says
When they are lit, they look sepia so I am not sure how sepia would look lit up? You could certainly try it with one side and see if you like it?
Diamond says
I have actually done the Martha Stewart version with the 3 frames. I did color, black & white, & sepia, all of them look amazing!!
Johanna says
Hi! I love this idea for a Christmas gift!! But one question- do the frames just rest on the mirror? Or is the mirror glued on? And does it have to fit the size exactly? Thanks!
Cheryl Spangenberg says
My frames just rest on the mirror…just to give a bit more reflection! It does fit exactly inside my frames!
Anne says
Can you please provide detail on the placement and size of mirror? I thought the cube gets glued on. I’m having a difficult time finding amirror this size.
Trina Rasa says
I’m so glad I found this! I am making these for my sister, mom, mother-in-law, and both of my sisters-in-law for Christmas! Are the picture frames you used plastic or metal? Thanks!
Cheryl Spangenberg says
Trina they are plastic ones from Dollar Tree. :)
Melanie says
Did you use an inkjet printer or a laser printer? I am having trouble printing on the Vellum.
Cheryl Spangenberg says
Inkjet. A really, really old Lexmark from college! Mine printed really easily. Make sure you have a thicker paper selected on your settings.
Melanie says
the thick paper setting worked great!! I was using custom paper. OMG what an easy fix! Thank YOU
Cheryl Spangenberg says
Awesome! Totally welcome!
Megan says
Please help! I can’t figure out how to get the frames glued together. I bought the same ones from dollar tree. The sides are flat but there is only one thin line of plastic to try to glue it to when you are putting them together. What am I missing?
Cheryl Spangenberg says
Hmm…Megan mine are pretty solid on the backs and if you look in the first photo, I had a pretty good area to glue together.