I dunno, Charles.
I think what I would really be thinking about is keeping all of the purchased photos as standard sizes....5x7, 8x10, 11x14, etc... (Maybe throw 8x12 in there as well). Then you can pick up frames and mats locally (either a nice art supply store, framing shop or even Target) and not have to worry about framing and matting yourself.
I've cut my own mats, though not often at all, and have never bothered with a picture frame though I have all the needed tools in the shop.
Unless you decide that you want all the frames to have the same profile and finish and the same color mat:
- By time you find the right molding and a source for purchasing
- you get the equipment to make EXACT 45° corners
- you deal with staining, painting, or other methods of finishing the frames
- you buy sheets of mat board in various colors
- you buy a mat cutter (even a handheld one)
- you deal with wire, mounting hooks, framing points, etc......
You'd be better off just buying the finished mats and frames.
Don't forget: Every miter cut for the frames has to be exactly 45° (or you'll go through expensive molding really quick trying to get it right), and every other step has to be just right or it goes into the trash: a mis-cut mat, staining on the frame done less than perfectly, etc....
My opinion is that it won't be worth it. There's a reason most homeowners don't make their own frames....
And just think..... the money you save by not having to buy all this stock could be used to buy the entire Buffy series!
