How To: Matting a Photo

I know that some of you are expert scrappers and already know how to mat a photo. BUT...not everyone that reads this blog is an expert and that's why I'm doing this how-to today!
There are a ton of ways to technically mat a photo and this is just how I happen to do it. This way works no matter what size your photo is and you will come out with a perfect mat every time.
Matting your photos will really change the way your layouts look! It will make them look more professional and it will really make your photos pop!
I'm going to show you how and then I will show you some matting options!

Supply List:

- Paper Trimmer
(I have used the Cutterpede paper trimmer for the last 5 years. The parts are replaceable and inexpensive and I just love how it measures and cuts. It also has decorative blades you can buy. I use these for a lot of my trim work.)

- Photos

- Cardstock or Patterned Paper


STEP 1:
Take the photo you want to mat and measure both sides. Write it down if you are forgetful like me! ;)
We are going to trim the cardstock 1/4 of an inch larger than the size of the photo.
For this How To we are going to use a 4x6 photo.


STEP 2:
Trim your cardstock to 1/4 of an inch wider than your photo width.
For 4x6 photos and this How To we will trim the width to 4 1/4.



STEP 3:
Now trim the other end of your cardstock to 1/4 of an inch wider than your photo length.
For 4x6 photos and this How To we will trim the length to 6 1/4.


STEP 4:
Adhere your photo to the center of your cardstock mat! That's it!
Above you can see how the 1/4 of an inch mat looks.


This is how the 1/2 of an inch mat looks. If you want a wider border just cut your mat to 1/2 an inch wider than your photo!
That's it! Super easy! There are so many different ways to use this!



For this layout I simply matted all of the photos with orange paper. Since there are so many photos on this small page it keeps them separate, but makes them stand out.



For this layout about Brodey's birthday I only matted the main photo. I did this by trimming one side of my blue patterned paper 1/2 of an inch larger and leaving the other side the length of my page. I even matted that piece of patterned paper with a striped piece!
A shortcut to matting a photo is to simply sand the edges of the photo. I did this in this layout. If you don't have sandpaper you can also use white acrylic paint and your finger or a paintbrush to lightly paint the edges of the photo. I like to use the white acrylic Paint Dabber by Ranger. It has a foam applicator similar to a Bingo dabber. It's super quick and easy!


I did this layout a couple of years ago about my sister. Not only did I sand the edges of the photos (like I talked about above), but I also matted my photos with patterned paper. I love doing this because I love patterned paper and I will jump at any opportunity to use it! You can even mat and stack different sizes of patterned papers mats!

This is a super easy way to make your photos really pop! If you haven't tried this I hope I have given you the courage to!
If you have any questions feel free to comment or send me an email!
If you have any suggestions for future How To's let me know!
Have a wonderful Thursday!

LUV APRIL :)