How to Cut Your Own Photo Word Mat

Find a suitably large piece of matboard (they are usually available in 32-inch by 40-inch pieces) that can be cut down to fit your frame. Using your utility knife, cut the mat to fit the dimensions of the frame.

Pick out stencils to spell the word you wish to cut into the mat. You can purchase plastic or wooden stencils, or make them yourself out of cardboard or paper. Make sure your stencils are large enough to show the photo that will appear behind the cut, but small enough to fit the entire word into your mat. Bold, "bubble" letters tend to work best.

Trace around each of the stencils lightly with your pencil. You will want a line dark enough for you to see and cut on, but light enough to be easily erased afterward.

Lay your metal straight edge against any straight line you have traced. The straight edge will help to guide your cut and keep it from becoming wavy.

Cut against the straight edge using your mat knife, which is similar to a utility knife but features a 45-degree beveled edge, starting and stopping at the appropriate points indicated by your pencil tracing. If you do not want beveled edges or do not have a mat knife, the utility knife can also be used to create a vertical cut.

Cut any rounded edges freehand, or with a circular cutting guide that can be attached to your mat knife.

Continue following steps 5 and 6 until each of the letters have been cut out. Both knives are useful to go back over any edge that needs to be touched up. You can affix your chosen photos to the back of the mat so that they display through each letter.