Thrift Store Frame to Holiday Fame!

Hello fellow holiday makers! Today I wanted to share a great holiday decor idea with you all! This is a fantastic way to show off some of your latest Santa pictures or holiday cards along with old childhood photos. I also use it to remember family who’s no longer with us. My husband’s father passed away a few years ago so the holidays can be a bit sad without him. I wanted to find a way to honor his memory without overshadowing the Christmas experience for the kids.

This is what I have come up with. It is an 11X14 inch reminder of his wonderful smile and the life in which he was proud to have lived. I hope that it makes him happy to know that he is remember in our hearts always, not just on Christmas even though he does have a special place on the wall during the holidays. Good luck with your holiday projects! Enjoy!

Here's what you will need:

• Old thrift store picture frame without the glass
• Ribbon (2 different colors)
• Krylon Spray Paint (I've added a link to the one I used)

Tools needed:

• Hot Glue Gun (or tacks, glue, velcro, other form of stickyness)
• Scissors

I love to shop thrift stores and luckily for me there are a ton of them in Mississippi! I have 6 within a 22 mile radius from my warm and cozy home! This frame only cost me 30 cents 4 years ago. The blue color paint on the frame was done by me after I bought it and worked out fine for my son’s bedroom wall until he broke the glass. This frame sat in my guest bedroom closet sadly for the last 2 years but now has been given a whole new reason to live! It holds the memory of a great man and demands a much more important role in our homes décor then it did when it held a picture of a giraffe!

Take your thrift store or unused frame from the closet or parts unknown and bring it into the light! Make sure that it is clean and free from debris. I used a wonderful Krylon Paint that does not require any sanding or priming of the painting surface so most of the hard work is out of the way! One of the many perks of Krylon I suppose!

Let’s take this outside or to a well ventilated area and get to painting!

I took my frame outside and placed it on an old outdoor table I made 100 years ago!

I like to put down old newspaper as a way in which to keep paint off the surface underneath my desired paint project. This is indeed what I did before I began painting!

Follow all warnings and directions on the spray paint can. This is a must! I’d feel really bad if you gave yourself some kind of brain damage in the process of this holiday project. You are warned that reading the paint warnings are important!! Thank you for not injuring yourself today… I hope. .lol

Now spray paint your frame. I like to use short but consistent blasts from the spray paint. With the Krylon Spray Paint can nozzle it is very easy to keep control over where your paint is sprayed. I find this to be a rather relaxing paint experience compared to a lot of very stressful ones I’ve had which we will not speak of… ever!! Haha!

If you need a second coat then do this within the first 4 hours after initial coating. If you miss this time frame you will want to wait 7 days to recoat for ideal paint quality. However, I didn’t need a second coat. Either I’m just that good or the paint is…

Once the paint has dried bring your project into your work space and get out your tacks and ribbon! 

In this step we will be hot gluing the ribbon to the frame. This is a very sticky part of the project and can make or break it. If you pay close attention to the pictures you will see that it is very important to layer the ribbons so you will create a pocket for the pictures to rest in.

This will be an open pocket and if you’re not careful your pictures will fall straight through. I didn’t seal the pockets because I like the freedom feel to the open ends.

I will walk you through this process quickly. The pictures should be enough to guide you if further explanation is needed. Also, with the 3rd degree burn I received from my hot glue gun, I really should be resting… lol.

Starting at the top of the back side of said picture frame apply your thin ribbon. Now do the same to the bottom and middle.
 

That's it! Just hang and enjoy! Add pictures and post cards, holiday cards or letters to Santa! It's all up to you and your imagination! I hope you have gained a ton of good ideas for all those old broken frames lying around your house and if you like this project vote for it! Have a fantastic holiday!!