Picture Frames That Won't Break the Bank

When we first moved in, I was sort of overwhelmed by all the huge blank walls in this house. I mean, I'm a sometime-portrait-photographer-- I have SO MANY photos and frames and all that. The walls in our old house were absolutely covered. But that house was about one-third the size of this one, which meant that I had a Very Serious Problem. I needed more frames. And my hubby wasn't about to let me drop several hundred bucks on something so non-essential(to him!), either!

I actually stumbled onto a solution without even trying. It was fate! One weekend, we went to a street fair in the next town. One of the booths had a craft area for kids, and my two little ones made a beeline for it. While they worked, I learned all about this cool local recycling facility! It's a place where people bring their yard sale leftovers, etc.-- many things that could have probably been donated to charity, but weren't. And it's absolutely free for local residents (you have to show ID to get in). There were TONS of picture frames to choose from! Some had artwork in them, some were hideously ugly... but they were frames, and they were in good shape! And, best of all, they were FREE! I stocked up! Here are a few of them. These ones weren't too bad at all!

The next step was to clean them up and paint them. I removed the backings and the glass, and very carefully tapped some finishing nails into the back side of the frame. This was so the frames wouldn't touch the ground when I painted them. I put down some newspaper outside, and sprayed them all with Rust-Oleum "Universal Gloss Spray Paint" in black. I swear, I don't work for Rust-Oleum. But maybe I should, because then I could get free stuff? I buy it often enough, haha!

Anyway, it really was that easy. I had some really funky-looking frames that looked great when they were all painted black. And while I understand that not everyone will have access to a cool recycling center like I did, it's easy enough to find ugly old frames for SUPER cheap at yard sales and thrift stores. Never underestimate the power of paint, and its ability to make something old look new again. Plus, you're recycling! Go you!

Check out one of my wall displays of refinished frames (it's at one end of the kitchen, so the theme is "picking fruit"). You'd never know, right??

Note: The "Family" frame was one I actually bought... I want to say it was like $7 at Wal-Mart? It didn't exactly break the bank. :)