Upcycled Frames and Photo Holders Tutorial

I absolutely love to repurpose things I find at my local Goodwill San Antonio stores, and Earth Day is a great reason to craft with thrifted items. You can turn nearly anything into a unique frame or photo holder. You just need a little imagination, some paint, and a Xyron Creative Station. Instead of searching for glass to protect your photos with, use the Xyron Laminate + Adhesive refill. This will give your photos the glossy finish of glass while making it easy to attach the photos to your upcycled frames.

Supplies Used to make Upcycled Frames and Photo Holders: (affiliate links included)

Select a variety of objects that you like from Goodwill. Look for items that either have flat surfaces to hold the pictures or that have an opening where you can attach a stand to hold photos. I am using two metal candle holders (that’s my best guess….they look like the screw into the wall and hold candles), a toy mirror, a tart tin, and a wood shoe form.

Paint the objects. I went with a matte gold paint by DecoArt. Let each application of paint dry before adding the next layer. When the paint is dry, use a soft paper towel with DecoArt Metallic Lustre. Gently rub the wax-like tint over the raised surfaces.

Select and print your images. I decided to use fun pictures of animals wearing hats. Aren’t they cute? I did a Google search to find images to use and then printed them out.

Trim the images to fit the desired object. Roll each image through the Xyron Creative Station one at a time. The cartridge will laminate the front while adding adhesive to the back.

Trim the laminate and then peel off the backing. Attach the image to the thrift store item.

For photo holders, use craft wire to make a stand. Create two loops at one end of the wire to hold the image, then hot glue the straight end of the wire into the shoe form.

I love how unique these upcycled frames and phot holders are! By painting them all with the same color I can create a cohesive look, even though the pieces are all different. Have fun crafting and creating with Xyron and thrifted finds from Goodwill San Antonio.