Sometimes the picture frame needs to be a decorative element in a room, too. Here are some fun ideas for making picture frames out of spoons and forks. You can make an ornate-looking frame or a Shaker-style simple one, depending on the kind of spoons and forks you want to use. There are large wooden spoons and forks, used for serving salads, or gold or silver plastic forks and spoons used at anniversary parties. You can also find plain plastic utensils in colors to match anyone’s kitchen décor.
To make a frame approximately 8 to 10 inches wide by 16 to 20 inches long, you’ll need three sets of salad serving spoons and forks, two lengths of wood lath for the base or support frame (at least 40 inches long for smaller spoons and forks; 60 inches long for the larger ones), a dozen or so craft sticks, some sheets of paper, a measuring tape or yardstick, a small saw, a pencil, a piece of poster board for the backing, some white household glue, some super strength glue and a picture-hanging kit from the home improvement store. You may also want a small amount of craft paint or wood stain, if you don’t want to leave the utensils their natural wood color: follow directions for use and drying time on the bottles or can of paint or stain.
Your frame will have one spoon at the top and one fork at the bottom, and your choice of either a spoon and a fork for each side, or perhaps you’d prefer two spoons on one side of the frame and two forks on the other side. Another choice for you to make is whether you want the two utensils on each side of the frame to be placed handle-to-handle, bowl-to-bowl or handle to bowl. Use your own judgment and decide what looks best to your eye!
Now that you have your decorative frame laid out, it’s time to make the support frame halves. Measure the top, the bottom and the side lengths of the decorative frame. Mark these lengths on the wood lath and saw the lath into the needed lengths. Repeat for the other piece of lath, but don’t cut a top piece. Using the super strength glue, glue the craft sticks diagonally across the corners of the support frame, thus making the three pieces of frame one solidly glued unit. Weight this piece with heavy books and let dry at least overnight. Glue the spoons and forks onto the other frame with super strength glue, then drape a piece of plastic wrap over the decorative frame, cover the plastic wrap with a towel, and then weight this piece overnight with heavy books too.
The next day, first trace the shape of the inside of the frame onto a piece of paper, so you’ll know how to cut and trim the picture you want to insert into the finished frame. Then use the super strength glue and glue the second half of the support frame, the four-sided frame, to the craft sticks. ‘Weight and wait’ this piece too. The next morning, all you have to add is a poster board backing to the support frame and then follow the directions on the picture-hanging kit to install that device. Glue the decorative frame to the support frame and you’re done!
The other frame won’t need to be as sturdy, since the plastic utensils weigh far less than the wooden ones do. For this frame, you’ll need a package of silver or gold spoons and forks, or a package of them in a color that matches the décor of the kitchen where the frame will be hung. You’ll also need a measuring tape or yardstick, a pencil, some sheets of paper, super strength glue, some heavy poster board or cardboard and a sturdy craft knife with which to cut it. Remember to pad your work area with an old carpet square or a thick pad of newspapers, so the craft knife doesn’t cut through the poster board and scratch the surface underneath.
Move the spoons and forks around until you form the design you want. Now measure around the outside of the utensils and then mark this rectangle or square on the poster board. (You could even make a triangular frame if you wanted.) Now, measure inside that line to the width you want the frame to be: you may have a single line of utensils, or two lines, or whatever you want for the perimeter of the frame.
Carefully cut the poster board or cardboard along this line. This is the inside border of your picture frame. Now cut along the outside line. Repeat for a second piece of poster board. Next, using the super strength glue, affix the spoons and forks to one of the pieces of poster board in the design you created. Cut about a dozen small squares from a piece of left over poster board and glue them to three sides of the back frame as a series of small pads. You’re forming the ‘gap’ so a picture can be slipped into the frame but not slide out of it. Take the back frame and glue it to the decorative top frame, small squares inside, like a sandwich filling. Let the glue dry overnight, and you’re done!
Keep in mind that a frame of this sort would be a great gift for someone just graduating from chef’s school, or to frame a favorite recipe for a bridal shower. You could also make a series of frames in unusual shapes – like the triangular ones mentioned above – and then frame photos of an apple, pear, or even a picnic basket to hang over the dining table.
