Thrift Store Makeover: DIY Wall Decor

I recently completed a new DIY wall decor project that turned out to be a thrift store makeover.  I found these nice solid wood frames with these plastic leaves in the center at a thrift store for just 25 cents each! 

I actually liked them the way they were when I first saw them.

But I came home and hung them up next to this macramé wall hanging I made, and they just didn’t do it for me.  It kind of screamed the 90’s to me after awhile and I decided they needed to be brighter with a pop of color.

One of them also had a small crack in the glass in the corner. 

So check out the full tutorial below and see how I made completed this thrift store makeover into new DIY wall art!

Materials needed for your thrift store makeover wall decor:

• a picture frame that needs updating
• Antique White Spray Paint
• Dremel Multi-Max Tool – with sanding attachment
• (2) 6 inch Boxwood Wreaths
• White Organza Sheer Ribbon
• Staple Gun

First I took out the glass and peeled off the plastic leaves.  Then I spray painted the frames in an antique white spray paint.

When spray painting, its always a good idea to spray 2 or 3 thin coats vs. one thick coat.  A thick coat of spray paint always drips and won’t come out evenly.

Because I knew I was going to do the distressed look on these frames, I knew they didn’t have to be painted perfectly even, which meant I quickly sprayed on two coats instead of meticulously spraying on three, very even coats.

My favorite way to get the distressed look on anything wood is to use a Dremel Multi-Max tool with the sanding attachment. 

I used this when I updated a bunch of furniture in my guest room.

After I let my spray paint dry for a few hours (ideally overnight), then I turned on the Dremel and let it do a very quick sanding job on the edges where I wanted distress marks to show through.

It’s super fast and took me probably less than 5 minutes per frame to complete.

I do recommend doing the sanding outside or in a well ventilated area since paint dust will be flying!

After the frame was painted and distressed, I hung this 6″ Boxwood wreath on the frame using sheer organza white ribbon.

To hold the ribbon, I used my staple gun and stapled the ribbon to the top of the frame.

After the ribbon was stapled in place, I also glued down the boxwood wreath to the back of the frame using a generous amount of hot glue.  Otherwise the wreath would have not sat flat against the back of the frame if I let it hang with just the ribbon.

I also tied a bow with the same sheer white ribbon and hot glued that to the top of the wreath, onto the hanging ribbon wrapped around the wreath.

I hung it back up next to the macrame wall hanging and loved how they turned out!   I didn’t make a blog post on how to make it (I watched a YouTube Video) but you can find one similar to it over here!

I like the dark brown frames so much better with a lighter color.  I love the farmhouse feel to it with the distressed wood and pop of green color from the boxwood wreaths.

This was a very cheap project for me to make.  The frames were 25 cents each.  I already had the spray paint and ribbon on hand, so I only had to pay for the boxwood wreaths which were $13 each on Amazon.

I bet you could find something even cheaper at Michael’s with a coupon!  I know that if I were to buy something similar to this at Joann Fabrics or Michael’s, I’d pay $20-$30 easily!  Not only is this a cheaper way to decorate by completing a thrift store makeover, its also a lot of fun creating DIY wall art that I know I made myself!

Looking for more DIY home decor ideas?  Check these out:

• Shabby Chic Display Shelf Makeover
• How To Make Mason Jar Wall Sconces
• DIY Drift Wood Mirrors
• Mason Jar Vase With Puffy Paint Flourishes
• How to Re-Decorate a Room on a Budget
• DIY Wood Tray Made From an Old Photo Frame