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
Darlynda Miktuk says
Thanks for the awesome craft idea! I made two of these last night as Christmas gifts for family members. It is my daughter’s senior year so I included a baby picture, a kindergarten picture, and 2 senior pictures. I found everything as you said at the Dollar Tree and Michaels. I printed my pictures in black and white as yours looked black and white, and they look cool illuminated with the “fake” tea-lights I found at the Dollar Tree by the picture frames. No fires here – lol! One tip – make sure the picture frames are flat (no curves or indents) as the flat ones glue better. I used a bit of tape with one end folded for easy removal to brace the frames as they dried.
Lori says
For someone who is not crafty (like me)… maybe my mistakes will help you. The 1st picture frames I bought did not hold the glass in without the backing. The tabs did not reach far enough to hold the glass in by itself. The 2nd frames I bought were “fancy” and were almost impossible to glue together because there was only a small strip. So buy a straight edge for sure!!! Hoping 3rd time is a charm ; )
Thanks for the awesome idea! Love it!!
Sally says
Lori, I’m not crafty either. Did you have any luck on your third try? I bought frames today and the best I can think of is to actually tape the photo along the edges to stay on the glass.
Christy says
Thank you SOOOOO MUCH for this idea! My boyfriend died unexpectedly 6 weeks ago…moneys real tight this year. We’re young…didn’t have life insurance. These are PERFECT gifts for family and friends!! Just wish he didn’t have soooo many!!
Thank you again!!
Cheryl Spangenberg says
I’m so sorry to hear that Christy! His family and friends will love them and love you for thinking of them!
kate says
I found this on Pinterest and so glad I did. I made this for my mom for Christmas. I put all her grandkids in the frames.It was perfect. She loves it. She has a large electronic candle she uses. She was worried about melting and wax. Thanks so much for the idea!
Alexis says
Hey is it okay to use regular photo paper instead of vellum? I can’t find the vellum anywhere but I have everything else.
Cheryl Spangenberg says
Alexis, the regular photo paper will not let the light of the candle shine through.
Sally says
You can get vellum paper at Staples, either online or in a store. My problem has been holding the photo to the frame once the backing is taken out!
Sam Northrup says
How did you get the glass to stay in the frames without the backs. We’ve got ours all built but then we put the pictures and glass it and it just falls over.
Cheryl Spangenberg says
Sam, my frames have the clasps on the frame not the back. So I just put in the vellum, the glass and then folded down the clasps to hold the glass and vellum in place.
Jenn says
Hi Cheryl,
I love your website. I have been trying to figure out what to do as a side business for fun, and I think maybe this could be it. I am going to make some of the picture frame luminaries for my friends event next month. I was wondering if you could tell me a good printer to purchase that isn’t too expensive.
Thank you for your time and shares.
Take care, Jenn
Sandra Gindlesperger says
Is it best with black and white pictures or will it work with color pictures.
Cheryl Spangenberg says
Sandra, I have not tried it with color. The black and white works great because of the high contrast, the images are still able to be made out through the candle light. I am not sure if the color will be too much?
Susan Pederson says
Sandra, did you try color? I am really curious if it worked for you?
Cheryl Spangenberg says
Susan, I have it on my list to try with color! I will keep you posted!!
Linda says
Where do you get the square mirror from to use on the bottom
Cheryl Spangenberg says
Linda I purchased that mirror from Dollar Tree.
Christina says
this is such a beautiful idea…we just lost our uncal and i was thinking of something to make as a rememberance of him at the get together and im on my way to the dollar store to get everything i need to make these thank you for sharing
Jody Searing says
Hi Cheryl,
This idea is very clever and I LOVE the accidental vine printed vellum. I think it looks great and if you hadn’t said it was a mistake, I would have never known. I am going to try this myself, but I am wondering if using a laser printer will work? I don’t have an inkjet.
Thanks!
Jody
Cheryl Spangenberg says
Thanks Jody! Sometimes my mistakes work out ok for me! I am not sure how laser will work but I would think it would be OK. Maybe give it a try and report back! :)