About six months ago the hubby and I went out on a date.
Where did we end up?
Goodwill.
Bless my hubby’s heart! Being married to a blogger means the occasional trip to Goodwill to check out some potential project pieces.
This trip was well worth it. I scored two 8×12 frames for $3.00 each!
The hubby didn’t quite understand my excitement at such lackluster frames. I can understand because they were not pretty. But I could see the potential. I knew I could make them into something special.
Here’s what they looked like before…
…and here’s what they look like now!
They don’t look like 3 dollar frames anymore!
One of the things I was most excited about was framing my favorite photo from our wedding.
Today I’m going to share a couple little secrets on how to find the perfect used frame so you can do this yourself!
When looking for frames, look for ones that can be easily modified. There’s two big qualifications I look for in a used frame:
- Tabs make the backing and glass very easy to remove so the frame can be spray painted. Frames with tabs like this are some of the easiest to modify because the photo mat, current photo and glass can be easily taken out. Then the frame can be painted, the glass cleaned off and your new photo or artwork can go in.
- Hanging features enable the project to be hung on the wall if desired. I’ve had to say no to a lot of frames because there was no way to hang it on the wall. You an also choose to install a hanger on the frame, but I’m too lazy for that!
Project Details
This project was super simple. It literally took 4 steps!
- I removed the backing and glass from each of the frames.
- Next I gently sanded the frames for about a minute. I just wanted to give the paint a little texture to adhere to.
- I started the painting by priming both frames with spray paint primer. Then after the primer dried I sprayed on a couple coats of the white spray paint.
- Then I put the beautiful photos in the frames, hung them up and then it was done! Doesn’t that sound easy?
Project Cost
- Frames: $3.00 each
- Spray paint: $1.00
- Photo prints: $4.50 (one was a gift)
- Total cost: $8.50
I’d say results like this are well worth $8.50!
We just did a budget makeover of our master bedroom and these frames made the perfect decor addition to our room.
Do you like this project? Come check out some other great DIY projects!
This post linked to Family Fun Friday, Eat.Create.Party, Inspire Me Please, Serenity Now, Weekend Wind Down, Link Party Palooza, Saturday Sharefest, Skip The Housework Saturday, Saturday Show Licious, Get Schooled Saturday, DIY Sunday Showcase, Thursday Style, Share Your Creativity, Inspiration Monday, Give Me The Goods Monday, Do Tell Tuesday, Awesome Things, Whimsy Wednesday, Hit Me With Your Best Shot, Lovely Ladies, Create It Thursday, Moonlight and Mason Jars, Thrifty Thursday, Throwback Thursday, and The Weekend Re-Treat.
Carrie your frames turned out beautifully. I love the quote. And, your wedding photos are beautiful. Thanks for sharing at Throwback Thursday.
xoxo
Denyse
Glad I was able to share this at your party, Denise!
These are such great tips Carrie!!! Xo, Aimee
Your frames turned out great! I love it! Your date night is at Good Will, mine is in our garage! We married good ones!
Thanks SO much for linking up to Hit Me With Your Best Shot! Hope to see you again soon!
Our favorite kinds of frames are old and … gently used. Your makeover turned out really nice and pictures are so endearing. We are co-hosting the Moonlight & Mason Jars this week and wanted to stop by and say hello.
Best to you,
Sharon and Denise
Gosh, I love what you’ve done! This is not only practical and resourceful but it’s economical too! BRILLIANT!
These look fabulous in white! A friend and I did this a few years back with black paint, but I never would have thought you could get white to cover over old stain! (See on Do Tell Tuesday.)
I think using the spray paint primer first really helped the white paint stick to the frame. You should try it sometime!
This is gorgeous! I love your frames makeover and gallery wall! Such good advice about how to pick good frames. I never think about all of those things, grab something and the final project ends up being more trouble than a new one. Next time I’ll spend the effort to look for all of this stuff! Thank you so much for linking up at Thursday STYLE!
great finds! the boyfriend doesn’t get my frame hoarding, either.
LOVE this, Carrie! I actually need to go and buy some Goodwill frames for a project in the kitchen I’ve wanted to work on and your tips are really useful! I need to get some spray paint primer, I didn’t know that existed! Thanks for the tips!
I have to give credit to my hubby for discovering spray paint primer. He uses it all the time! I can’t wait to see what you end up creating for your kitchen!
LOVE how those turned out! What a change.
Thank you for the tips and inspiration! I really want to do a new gallery wall in my hallway and would LOVE to use used frames (that I paint to match). I never thought to look for hanging things on the back, but you bet I will now! And I love what you did…very sweet.
Wow!… quite a transformation! Very sweet! xo
Great transformation! I LOVE cheap frame redos. Well, really, cheap beautiful decor in general 🙂 I’d love you to link these up at our Thursday STYLE party (live now).
Thanks Melissa! I’ll head over to your party now!
those turned out great! I’ve made the mistake of buying frames and then realizing I couldn’t easily get the glass out before. doh!
Yes I’ve done that too! Now we both know better!
Thank you for coming back to link up and share at the #WWDParty. Have a wonderful weekend.
Oh, how lovely!! I can’t believe that the paint even covered the gold trim on the inside of the frames! Did you use Valspar for the white paint, too? And is there just one finish, rather than matte, satin, or gloss options? One last question, I promise! Do you recall which grit sandpaper you used?
I love your “Us” wall! The white frames pull everything together, and the blue is the perfect backdrop for the gallery!
Thank you for sharing this project.: ) xoxo
I know–I was surprised the gold on the frame painted so well! No–I just used some generic white spray paint for the final coats on the frames. The primer really helped the paint to go on smoothly. I used matte spray paint for this but if you like the gloss look you can use that if you wish. I don’t remember what grit sandpaper I used but it was just enough to rough up the surface a bit. With most wood frames a little sanding and a good primer should get you great results!
Thank you so much for your kind words! I really appreciate it!
looks awesome great job on frames and gallery wall love how it looks
I love seeing before and after photos. What a change! Looks good!
hillmade.blogspot.com
This is an absolute gorgeous project. I’m such a fan. Btw… I’m in love with the font that you have for comments! Lol. I spotted you over on SITS, and just had to come see! 🙂
Thank you Jessica! It’s nice to hear that you like my font for the comments because sometimes I worry it’s too hard to read! Headed over to your blog to check it out!
So pretty! I’m in love with that “I Love Us” print!! I want to try and make something like that for my daughter’s room. Thanks for sharing! Visiting from SITS today!
I know–that saying really caught my attention and ever since I saw it I knew I wanted to incorporate it into our bedroom somehow. So glad I did!
I love this! The advice is really good and I absolutely love what you did with the frame! So cute. Happy Saturday from a fellow SITS girl. I love your blog!
Your words were so kind and encouraging! Thank you Jenna! I love how this turned out so it’s really fun to share it with great people like you!
Good grief I will never look at Goodwill frames the same ever again!! I really need to invest in some frames (and spray paint for that matter), and get to work! Thanks for sharing…such an inspiration!
I’m so glad to see this inspired you! It took a couple trips to Goodwill before I found these so it may take some time but it’s totally worth it in the end!
Now aren’t you the little Martha Stewart of all things thrifted, I know your hubby was impressed because I was! Have a wonderful weekend.
You’re too kind, Antionette!
These frames have a unique look, too.
Thanks for joining the WWDParty again!
One million times prettier!
Thank you, Luisa! I agree!
I’m not a Goodwill kinda gal, but I’m always all: WHAT?! when I see stuff like this. I don’t have the eye, I fear.
I bet you’ve got more eye for this than you think! The great thing is the project is so inexpensive it’s worth the risk.
How do you paint the frames? Do you just use white spray paint?
I used a Valspar white primer and then the plain white spray paint on top. It was super easy!
Oh my goodness! You are SO right about the small metal tabs on the back. I don’t know how many frames I have struggled to get the glass out of! Thanks for pointing that out so the next time I will remember.
😉 Ashley
Those little tabs really make the whole project much easier! I know if I don’t make it easy on myself then the project will never get done! I hope this inspires you Ashley!