Mixed Media Picture Frames With Marbled Book Pages

I’ve been a busy little crafty bee lately adding new goodies galore to my Jennifer Perkins Art Etsy store. A few of my favorite new items include a series of faces in handmade picture frames. Well ok – I didn’t make the frames, but I did embellish them with hand marbled book pages. Guess what! I’m gonna show you how to make your own pages.

Quirky art by Jennifer Perkins in DIY marbled paper frames.

Paper Marbling

These gorgeous marbled sheets of paper are perfect for all kinds of creative projects. I used them to make DIY picture frames here but they are also great in art journals and decoupaged jewelry. There are tons of different types of marbling mediums out there just be sure you get one for paper and not fabric. Once you get the medium it’s just a matter of dip, dry, create – repeat. It was honestly hard for me to stop once I got started. You can use almost any type of thicker paper but vintage book pages really absorb the colors.

Recycled Book Crafts

It all started with a walk in my neighborhood. There was a mountain of books out on the curb free for the taking. My husband and I are both voracious readers so it was a major score. Some of the books however I grabbed for crafting. I know some people would say using books for crafts is sacrilege, but better that than the landfill. Old thick book pages are perfect for art journaling, collage and in this case marbling!

Speaking of Recycled Book Crafts…

DIY Paper Marbling and Beyond

Every so often I go on a bender with marbling. It’s so fun and easy with the right supplies. A few of my favorite DIY marbling projects include…

I’m now adding marbled book pages to this list.

Let’s Marble Some Paper

You will need a craft tub or disposable pan to fill with water and marbling medium. Depending on what type of medium you use they will all have different instructions. All that is necessary with mine is to sprinkle the color into water dip your paper and your done. I could have sat in the sun and come up with different color combinations for days.

While you are marbling paper it is a good idea to have some sort of drying rack or laundry line. I used an old wire plant stand. The key for my particular medium is to dip the paper, not soak it so the actual drying time in the sun did not take very long.

What Will You Make With Your Marbled Paper?

Well as I mentioned I covered several picture frames with mine and added them to my Jennifer Perkins Art Etsy store. You might have other plans. Just like any other types of paper these colorful marbled sheets decoupage like a dream.

Here Are a Few Ideas for Your New Paper Marbling Obsession…

How to Re-Cover a Picture Frame

I used a cardboard craft frame which I pulled apart. Next I coated the entire front of the frame with decoupage medium. While the medium was still wet I put the book page on top making sure to smooth out any air pockets.

Cutting Out the Picture Frame Center

The trickiest part of recovering a picture frame is getting the actual frame cut out. The key is cutting away majority of the excess paper and then making several smaller cuts almost to the edge of the frame to be decoupaged back onto the underside of the picture frame. This may take some tweaking and smoothing but the more small cuts the easier it will be to get the paper around the corners and edges.

Recovered oval picture frame with marbled book pages

Finishing Off the Frame

Before you wrap the edges of the marbled book pages around trim the corners. Not quite all the way to the corners of the frame, but very close. This step will make the corners look more finished. Using decoupage adhere the edges to the backside of the frame.