apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

it looks great!

Indeed it does!

That's not hacked.
It's called "Cropping" - and it's done all the time...

Just today I ordered a 24"x36" frame that's too big for my Chicago poster but much, much cheaper because it's a standard frame. If only I would have thought to cut off the words, I could have had that thing framed months ago! Thanks for the idea!

One of the easiest way to make framing an oddly shaped piece of art inexpensive is to find the frame you want to use, and then have just a mat cut to fit the picture and then the mat will fit the frame. A custom mat is just so much cheaper than a custom frame.

I really like the idea of the hack. How much time/money did you invest in the project? Would be curious to see in-person how the spray-painted silver looks with an otherwise natural-colored print.

Ooh, thank you for the reminder! I need to get the Boston print. :)

Nice hack! Did you use the poster or the screen print for it?

I just framed and hung the Brooklyn poster in my bathroom! Next is Manhattan!

I like your framing job!

Thanks for the compliments! As to your questions, I spent about $35 on the frame and $6 on the spray paint (it's actually gray, not silver, and not my first choice but goes better with the other colors in my room). I'm sure you could find a cheaper frame at ikea or the like. I used the poster, not the print. The whole process took maybe an hour, including time for the paint to dry.

Can't wait for LA and some international goodies! Thanks for the heads up!

that's exactly what my SF poster will look like after paying to have it framed. argh! Should have thought outside the box on this one, but I got so frustrated that I couldn't find any cool frames to fit the dimensions of the poster - not even at ikea! sigh.

Another option for custom framing at a fraction of the cost is doing it yourself through Pictureframes.com . I recently framed six Matson Cruise line dinner menu's from 1950's by using them...and it came out a LOT better than I'd anticipated at a fraction of thecost....and NO....I'm not shilling for them....I just think they're a great source for doing it on the cheap. I'll be more than happy to post the results if people are interested.

I usually go LauraE's route too. You can get custom size matting done at Cheap Pete's (if you're in SF) for under $20 usually. And they do it while you wait.

I found an inexpensive square frame at Bed, Bath, and Beyond that fits the poster perfectly. It had a matte in it designed to put several small photos in it, so I just got rid of the matte. IKEA also has a Ribba frame that fits.

Tip: Got the same poster awhile back (love it) and put it in a Ribba frame from IKEA (only $16!). You just have to cut the poster a little since it's a 19 3/4 x 19 3/4. Much cheaper than custom framing! :)