apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Aaron Brothers has a good selection, just went into one the other day. Not sure if the frames are made in China or not.

i swear by Target for cheap frames..maybe not at regular price..but once reduced. I rarely buy a frame unless if 75% off, making it only a few bucks.

I bought a set of 5 16x20 frames to put prints in for my mom for xmas, and spent a total on $20 on the frames alone.

yes, it means you have to stop in Target at least 2 times a week to check out their reductions...but who doesn't mind doing that? ;)

Craigslist and relatives'/friend's garages. Its amazing how many people have frames that they don't use but hang on to. A quick coat of spray paint and they look great.

Another place to watch is the adds for the local craft stores. Frames at the ones close to me go to 1/2 off quite frequently.

Home Goods always has a great, inexpensive selection of frames.

I've had good luck with framesbymail.com for custom frames/matting. (I'm not affiliated in any way.) Have ordered from them a few times and have always been satisfied. An easy, inexpensive option.

We get a lot of frames from the dollar store (Usually we go to Dollar Tree). They usually have a lot of random frames, so if you're looking for something specific it's probably not the best choice, but they always have a lot of cool looking frames, and we can always find something to put in 'em.

That light fixture is beautiful!
For a custom framed look I highly recommend investing in a matte cutter. You can find them at your local art supply store, or maybe even at a big box arts and craft store for $20-$40. Using standard frames but custom mattes really adds a customized touch.

I swear by IKEA's Ribba and West Elm's gallery frames. Srsly the best quality (real glass!) for just a few bucks more than the $25 plastic pieces o' junk at Target I bought for so many years...

pictureframes.com for custom sizing- you can upload a picture to test various frame/mat options (of which there are a ton), choose a glass/acrylic/etc. cover, and it's ridiculously cheap! You assemble the frame yourself once it arrives in the mail, which is very easy.

Hobby Lobby ~ they seem to always have some version of the frames they carry on sale for 50%.

Along the lines of HomeGoods, also Ross and Marshalls. Discount retailers are great for frames.

You forgot Walmart!

i'd love to know if anyone has recommendations for affordable mirrors--particularly oversized ones.

I get standard black frames at thrift stores whenever I see them and cover scratches and nicks with Sharpie.

Good sources for fancy shmancy elaborate frames:

Marshall's
TJ Maxx
Burlington Coat Factory (a lot more than coats, lemme tell ya)

*Love* americanframe.com for custom framing and matting. I've used them at least a half dozen times and never been disappointed. When visiting one of the local arts festivals around here I asked a couple of the printmakers where they get their frames from and sure enough, american frame. (They're located around Toledo I think so somewhat local to Cleveland.)

Michael's has very cheap frames and pre-cut mattes in a variety of colors. I've never used their custom framing services, but I assume it's also affordable.

I buy my frames at thrift stores and just spray paint them if I want them to be the same color. Dollar Tree has good frames, as well, up to the 8 1/2 X 11 size. Yup, those are the only places I buy my frames!

I definitely love IKEA, and a bonus with them was when looking desperately for a frame for a post my parents bought me in Italy, they had the perfect European size frame for it for super cheap!

I've bought custom frames from Michaels. If you get a Sunday paper, they often have coupons - last time I went I used a 40% off coupon!

I hit up Michael's just before Christmas. They always have a big sale, if you can handle the crowds.

For us: ikea and target. Both have similar products for good prices.

Kohls usually has great sales on frames.

I also love to go to TJ Maxx, Marshall's, and Home Goods and check out the pre-framed prints. You can usually find them really cheap and remove/cover the original image with your own. I have purchased large framed prints (24x36) for $20 and put my own photo in it.

I recently picked up 6 ribbas and will never return to buy more. The large ones feel flimsy and warp easily, the cheap acrylic falls out sometimes.

I've just placed my second order of americanframe.com and so far, I'm very much impressed. The big test will be ordering larger frames (I have a 26x20 screen print to frame) but so far… very good, very consistent. good mattes (upgrade to their 2nd type, costs a few bucks more), solid backs (also recommended upgrade to archival), good hardware.

Thanks everyone for the sites! *bookmark*

Someone mentioned Aaron Brothers earlier in the thread. Their frames are generally good quality, but the real key is to use their twice a year penny sale and stock up. Buy any frame and the second is only a penny. Basically a 50% sale. I usually stock up during this sale.

Also, be sure to get on their email list as they often send coupons for 40-50% off any single item. Another great way to get good frames for a cheap price throughout the year.

Finally, someone mentioned cutting your own mattes and I couldn't agree more. It's a great way to make artwork standout and an even better way to save money. It's not hard, and one of the most expensive things to have someone else do compared to the relative difficulty.

Oh my god, has no one suggested Big Lots?! They have tons of framed crap for cheap. Just remove the crap and you have a perfectly good frame just waiting for something worth framing!

I have some Pottery Barn frames that are holding up really nicely. Just wish that it had glass and not acrylic.
I will NEVER ever buy an IKEA frame. It's poorly stapled, the paint chipped off easily, and I feel like the next time that I switch out a photo, it's going to fall apart.

I just recently bought a whole slew of 11x14 vintage prints, and was @ Michael's checking out what was on sale. If you wait 'til 50% off (pretty regularly), you can get a decent deal & I've always been happy with the quality- but I'm always looking for very simple frames.

Anyway- just this week our Michael's had 11x14 english walnut frames clearanced to $3.99. They were a LOT cheaper than ikea & nicer too I thought! Bottom line though: just don't ever buy anywhere at full price!!

I get all my frames at a local junk/antique store which sells framed second-hand pictures. In the back they have really terrible pictures (water-spotted, poor quality prints for example) for 50 to 75% off. I rarely pay more than $10 for a good wooden frame, usually with glass included. I spray them all black.

You do have to be willing to cut your own mats, but it's easy to do. You can get the Logan 301 from amazon for $87. Seems like a lot, but I bought it after paying nearly $100 to have two small pictures framed and it has saved me zillions over the years.