DIY: Upcycle Thrifted Picture Frames

Hi everyone, Abby here! It’s almost that time of year: Back-to-school time! If any of you reading out there are like me, back to school was one of your favorite times of the year; the thought of new classes, new teachers and new friends probably kept you up the night before the first day of school with anticipation. But for those of you who kind of dreaded heading back to school, I have come up with an idea to help you take some of your summer memories with you into the new school year: magnetic picture frames!

For those of you not heading back to school, but who’d like to create your own magnetic picture frame anyway, these can also be hung on your refrigerator or toolbox, really any magnetic surface.

I’ll be leading a workshop at Goodwill’s Tallmadge location on Saturday, August 8 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

In the meantime, to get all of your creative wheels turning, I went ahead and did three DIYs.

Check out the easy steps below!

Supplies needed:

  1. Thrifted picture frames
  2. Beads, fake flowers, old jewelry, whatever else you have lying around that would look great on a picture frame
  3. Magnets – either on a roll, or dots
  4. E6000 Glue
  5. Hot glue guns and glue sticks
  6. Sandpaper
  7. Scissors
  8. Pliers

P1

 

For all of the picture frames I created, I started by taking off any of the stands that were connected on the backs. Then I sanded the backs of the frames where I wanted to glue my magnets so the E6000 glue would have a rough surface to connect to.

 

P2

 

Once all of the backs of my frames were prepped, I cut my magnet lengths to the appropriate size. These all varied depending on the frame. Then I followed the instructions on the back of the E6000 glue tube. They recommended placing the glue on both surfaces that would be bonded together and letting them sit for 2 minutes. Once the time was up, I stuck the magnets to the backs of my frames. These I let sit for a few days to make sure they were fully dry.

 

P3

 

The next step was to decorate! For decorations, I used some beads, some fake flowers and some leftover Mardi Gras beads. I sanded the fronts of my frames where my decorations were going, (again to have a rough surface for the hot glue to adhere to) and then used hot glue to affix all of my elements. Really simple!

 

P4

 

I made one frame with a back-to-school theme:

 

P5

 

One with a floral/garden theme:

 

P6

 

And the final one, I kept simple:

 

P7

 

Check them all out on our fridge at home!

 

P8

 

Fun Fact: I found all of my picture frames at the Goodwill Outlet on Arlington Road!

­Hope to see you all for our workshop (details below)!

Date: Saturday, August 8, 2015

Time: 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Location: Tallmadge Goodwill, 15 Midway Plaza, Tallmadge, OH 44278

 

 Don’t forget to register for the workshop: