One of the most inspired projects I have completed in my first home was a present for my Hubby. As a former theater lighting technician I knew he would like a little celebration of his former passion.

Day-dreaming at work one day I thought about how empty our living room felt without anything on the walls. Hubby is an avid photographer and I knew he wanted more photos around the house.
Then, BAM! It hit me.

Theater lighting uses gel frames to change the color of the light. These frames are typically about 5 inches square and slide into the bottom of the light equipment. Hubby always had a string of these in his truck to prepare for every gig, perfect!
After a couple calls around town, I found a theater with a stash of unwanted frames and off I went!

The next step was to ask his photographer mother to print me out some antique tinted family photos.
Lastly, I chose a coordinating fabric with a graphic print.

A couple hours of cutting and assembly, then hang! He was very surprised when he got home that day. Everything about this project screams "US!" and it was completed for under $15.00.
:D It's my most favorite project in the whole house.

If you would like to make your own frames the biggest hurdle is finding the gel frames. Sure you could buy them brand new, but then they don't have that beaten up and "loved" look.
Here is a photo of a theater light for reference:

This gel frame is octogon shaped versus my square ones. This project would be great for anyone involved in theather, singing, dancing and performance art.