Trash to Treasure: Spray Painted Picture Frames


When I was cleaning up in the basement to make room for my crafting stuff, I came across some boxes of picture frames. I went through and sorted them into three piles: get rid of, keep, and make into something new. The "make into something new" pile was filled with frames that were dinged up or missing glass--ones that would probably end up in the trash if they were donated to a thrift store. So I figured I'd show them some love, or end up up throwing them out myself.  

This pair of matching frames was at least intact. The back pieces were all there and in good shape, both frames had glass, but they were dirty and dinged up.  So, time for a quick makeover!


First, I took off the backing and took out the glass and set it aside to be cleaned. Then I wiped off the old frames with a damp cloth and went over the dings with an emery board. Some fine grit sandpaper would probably work even better.


Then I propped the frames up in a box and took advantage of the much nicer spring weather we've been having and sprayed them with some shiny silver spray paint.  It took a few coats since I had to keep turning the frames and letting them dry.


After they were completely covered, I let them finish curing inside, and they were like brand new picture frames!


I printed out some black and white photos and made some cute homemade mats to frame the photos out and jazz up the plain silver frames.  I'll explain how I made the mats in a bonus post on Thursday. These frames make a cute addition to my mantle next to my spray painted sea shells.

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