DIY Framed Tree Print

Well, I think it’s safe to say you all like the DIY framed tree print in the dining room as much as I do! I’ve been getting a bunch of questions on how I made it, where I got the print, what size it is, and more! It was incredibly easy, and the longest part of making this was waiting in the line at Office Depot while it printed…

Please note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which allows me to make a small commission from your purchase, but your purchase price stays the same. Thank you for helping support my blog! 

Here are the supplies I used to create the print:

• Digital Tree Print (Asked to be sized to 24″ x 36″)
• Printed Tree Print (24″ x 36″) I went here. 
• 24″ x 36″ Frame

To start, I found the amazing tree print from this Etsy shop. (Remember I shared a sneak peek of it in my first TGI-Friday post?) This was a digital file only, and I asked the shop owner to send an even bigger file than what’s originally sent with the purchase. Since I wanted the print to be quite large, I sent a message with my purchase order requesting a digital file that would support a 24″ x 36″ print. She sent it over within the hour… for free.

Once I had the file, I chose to have it printed on regular (non glossy) paper from Office Depot. They have a same day, two hour print window, and while I didn’t order it online, I went in store and chose to wait while they printed it. They were busy with several other print customers, but because the closest store is 45 minutes away, I waited the 30 minutes while they took my order and then printed it. (If you choose to order online, that will save time, just because it took a good 10-15 minutes for them to be able to download the tree file once I e-mailed it to them. It’s that big of a file.) 

For the frame, I decided on this simple, but classic, black 24″ x 36″ frame. It didn’t come with a matte, which was perfect because I didn’t need one. I chose to go with a slightly more expensive frame than some of the others in store (although they were all listed as 50% off in store) because not only was it a nicer, more streamlined frame, but down the road I could see creating a gallery wall with a grouping of them. 

Back home with the frame and print, I originally just placed the print in the frame with the glass in place as well. I was worried the glass might produce too much glare, and I was right…

It didn’t look very good in pictures, and while it wasn’t quite that noticeable in person, there was still a glare. Could be from the angle of the frame resting on the shelf, or that the light from the dining room window is a direct shot into the room. Either way, I decided to remove the glass from the frame. 

Here’s how it went into the frame…

With the glass removed from the frame, I placed the print face down into the frame (carefully, not to wrinkle or tear the paper)…

To give the paper a little bit of stability, I used the cardboard that came with the frame as an extra layer…

Then, the back of the frame went on in place. The paper print fit really well inside the frame, with only a minimal amount of overhang…

And just like that, it was framed and ready to use…

It’s such a beautiful print on the shelves…

My original plan wasn’t to layer the frames. I finished framing the print later in the evening and just sat it on the shelf to see how it looked. I ended up really liking the stacked look of the two prints, and decided to keep them both. The tree adds just enough texture and interest, without overwhelming the shelves…

I also love that it isn’t specifically “Christmas”, so I can keep it up over the winter months as well. It also ties in nicely with my Christmas tree this year, and that was intentional… especially since I switched up my normal fresh tree for a beautiful flocked tree, which I’ll be sharing this week as well!

I found so many other great nature/ tree scenes as digital prints while I was searching for this one, so I’ll share those in a different post this week too! And if you have the frame already, and don’t do such a large print, this is an easy, and cheap, way to switch things up each season, or to add a definite focal point!