The short answer: use a shadow box or floating frame, leave out the glass when you can, and fix the piece with a few dots of hot glue. It takes ten minutes and the piece stays perfectly flat.
Framing bead art is easy once you know one thing: do not squeeze it under flat glass. Glass presses the beads flat and dulls the texture that makes bead art special. A frame with depth fixes that.
Best frame types
- Shadow box: a deep frame built for 3D objects. Perfect for bead art, both flat and 3D pieces.
- Floating frame: two panes of glass hold the piece in the middle, so both sides of the beads stay visible.
- Regular frame without glass: a normal frame with the glass removed works fine for flat pieces, and costs nothing extra.
Step by step
- Lay the piece on the frame backing and center it.
- Apply four or five dots of hot glue or craft glue to the back of the piece.
- Press it down and hold for a few seconds.
- If using a mat, choose one with an opening a bit larger than the piece so the beads are not squeezed.
Want the piece to stay replaceable? Skip the glue and use two small strips of double-sided tape on the top edge only. The piece hangs like a page in a book and can be swapped anytime. Need a project worth framing? Browse our pattern library and get supplies in our shop.