This is one of my favorite little tips for customizing framed artwork…just strip it!

My little sister recently bought her first house…As a gift, I framed a page from one of our favorite childhood books and used a pretty blue polka dot scrapbook paper to edge the mat. So simple, but it was a gift she absolutely loved!

This trick is especially cute in hallways and kids rooms for an extra pop of color or pattern, and if you have a rotary cutter that will make precise cuts for fabric, you can use your most fabulous fabrics as well.

Using a paper cutter, cut 1/4 inch strips of your favorite scrapbook paper or card stock, apply a thin ribbon of glue to the back (glue sticks work fine), then simply glue the paper strips to the inside edge of the mat of your frame. Some frames have a channel like the one I used – you can glue the paper to the channel. If yours does not, just glue to the inside edge. To make the edges look super-professional, cut the edges of the top and bottom strips at a 45 degree angle making a mitered edge. (See the picture below.)