Father's Day Gift Idea: Nuts & Bolts Frame

You’re about to hear Dad say, “You nailed it!” This Father’s Day, dig through all those jars and drawers in your garage and recycle leftover hardware pieces to create a custom nuts and bolts frame for your dad with a custom mat. Discover our tips to create the perfect arrangement, what adhesive to use and how to ensure this DIY custom matboard fits within your CustomPictureFrames.com frame.

Supplies:

• Frame
• Matboard
• Miscellaneous hardware
• Hot Glue or E6000 glue
• Pencil

As we previously shared, creating a custom matboard (Link: DIY Custom Matboards) is a great way to personalize a gift, play off a photo’s theme or match your home décor when displayed.

For this Father’s Day gift, you’ll first need to take note of the area of the frame you have to craft your custom mat board so it fits after completion. Insert your mat and use a pencil to draw a light line noting your workable area.

Since these hardware materials are slightly weighty, you may choose a heavier-duty adhesive, like E6000. It comes in smaller tubes like this or larger tubes for bigger projects. Tip: smaller tubes are less likely to get glued shut between projects!

Apply a small amount of glue to each hardware piece and attach it to the matboard. You may consider working in some small areas around the mat or try the approach of adding all the largest pieces first, then filling in with smaller pieces.

Whichever you choose, add pieces until they completely fill up the pencil-marked frame.  

Allow the custom matboard to dry thoroughly before reassembling the frame. Tip: If you choose to hang on the wall, you may consider additional security hardware to make it more stable in your home.

About The Author

Tara Nehil is author of SpotOfTeaDesigns.com, a lifestyle blog sharing home décor, crafts, party inspiration and parenting lessons learned the hard way. Her graphic design background is evident in the home she lives in and styles with her husband and 2 young daughters. Follow her creative journey for photo tutorials, printables, budget-friendly decorating tips and ways to celebrate occasions big and small.