An Affordable and Beautiful DIY Gift Idea: Marbled Print in a Gilded Frame

Love this diy framed wall art? Learn how it was made on the CreativeLive blog.

When I spotted the Creative Live’s Introduction to Paper Marbling course with Robert Mahar, I knew it was something I wanted to dive into.

My sister had gifted me a suminagashi ink kit last year and even though I was SO excited to test it out, I kept it in the box because it intimidated me.

After watching the videos in the class, I was so ready to tackle a bit of marbled art. I decided the art deserved a gilded frame- not one of the standard Ikea frames I have kicking around. I was able to create a slim gilded frame, exactly as I was picturing for a fraction of the cost I was finding them in store.

Love this diy framed wall art? Learn how it was made on the CreativeLive blog.


‘Tis the season. Gift the creative in your life something special – check out our curated holiday gifts


The marbling with the gold- they really were made for each other! The best part is that this whole DIY (assuming you have the tools) is really inexpensive. But looks like it’s high end.

That’s the best kind, isn’t it?

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own:

Marbled Art, ready to frame
Outside corner moulding (I used Hemfir 11/16”) which is sold by the foot in the trim section at hardware stores
Chop saw or hand saw with miter box
Super Glue (I used Gorilla Glue brand)
Masking tape or quality wash tape
Foam board with knife to cut to size
Gold spray paint
Liquid Gold Leaf and small paint brush
Glass or plexiglass and matt (either cut to size from a framing shop or salvaged from a thrift store frame)

1. The first thing you’ll need to do is create your art. I followed the Robert’s instructions and had more than a dozen pieces to choose from, this was my favorite. It reminded me of agate in a way.

I won’t go into the details since the videos do such a great job BUT I do have a couple tips. Go for the cheap paper! I know he says this in the course, but I totally didn’t believe him and ended up wasting some high quality paper that the ink ran all over before I switched to a newsprint (which worked perfectly!).

I also used my bathtub instead of a wash bin since I created some larger pieces as well. The ink washed right off the bathtub (woohoo!). Lastly, I wanted to have a darker blue colour than is standard with the suminagashi kit, so just make sure you mix the ink in a palette before adding it to the water.

2. When you know what size your art is, it’s time to get started on the frame. I sourced a piece of glass and matt from a thrift store frame- this is the most affordable way you’ll find these pieces! When you have your glass, you can use it to measure your corner moulding.

3. Mark the edges of your glass on your corner moulding. You’ll want your mitered cut to run right through this mark to ensure a snug fit. Use a chop saw or hand saw with metering box to make these cuts.

Make your own gilded frame – the easy way! http://blog.creativelive.com/an-affordable-and-beautiful-diy-gift-idea-marbled-print-in-a-gilded-frame

4. When your cuts look wonderful (we used a really sharp blade so I was able to skip sanding!), it’s time to glue them together. Since the end grain cuts of wood act like a straw, sucking up glue, you’ll need to apply the glue a couple times. Once to seal the ends, and once to adhere them together- this won’t take long as super glue has a speedy dry time.

Make your own gilded frame – the easy way! http://blog.creativelive.com/an-affordable-and-beautiful-diy-gift-idea-marbled-print-in-a-gilded-frame


‘Tis the season. Gift the creative in your life something special – check out our curated holiday gifts


Before adhering them together, use a piece of quality wash tape to affix the pieces together, it’s kind of a makeshift clamp and it works wonders. Glue the opposite corners together and let dry before moving on to the last two corners to create the full frame. The last corner will be a bit tricky since it’s mostly assembled, you can use a piece of paper or cardboard to get the glue in between the pieces before taping together.

Make your own gilded frame – the easy way! http://blog.creativelive.com/an-affordable-and-beautiful-diy-gift-idea-marbled-print-in-a-gilded-frame

5. Let your frame dry completely before removing the tape and giving the frame a good coat of gold spray paint.

Make your own gilded frame – the easy way! http://blog.creativelive.com/an-affordable-and-beautiful-diy-gift-idea-marbled-print-in-a-gilded-frame

6. When the spray paint is dry, it’s time to pull out the magic- the liquid gold leaf. I’m such a fan of this stuff. I find real gold leaf (although beautiful), difficult to work with and ensure even coverage- especially on smaller surfaces like this frame. Liquid gold leaf has excellent shine and can be brushed on like paint- easy peasy. I usually go back over and dab with my paint brush to add texture.

Make your own gilded frame – the easy way! http://blog.creativelive.com/an-affordable-and-beautiful-diy-gift-idea-marbled-print-in-a-gilded-frame

7. When it’s totally dry, it’s time to frame your art work! Since the frame is held together by glue, I also used super glue to adhere the glass to the frame. This helps distribute the weight of the glass so when it’s hung it isn’t all on the lower piece of moulding. Tape the art to the matt and then tape the foam board to the frame to squish it all in there. I know you’re questioning me with the tape… but hear me out. It’s affordable, it’s easy to switch out your art when you want something new, and it allows you to create a super slim frame like this with no added weight.

Make your own gilded frame – the easy way! http://blog.creativelive.com/an-affordable-and-beautiful-diy-gift-idea-marbled-print-in-a-gilded-frame

Love this diy framed wall art? Learn how it was made on the CreativeLive blog.

I’m so in love with this piece! It turned out better than I had imagined (don’t you love when that happens?). I am thinking of making a few of these frames to create a bit of a marbled gallery wall with the other art I created.

Make your own gilded frame – the easy way! http://blog.creativelive.com/an-affordable-and-beautiful-diy-gift-idea-marbled-print-in-a-gilded-frame


‘Tis the season. Gift the creative in your life something special – check out our curated holiday gifts


Colleen Pastoor FOLLOW >

Colleen is a wife, Mama to 23 month old twins, and the DIY and lifestyle blogger behind Lemon Thistle where she shares printable art and hands on tutorials for DIY home decor, parties and gifts.