8 Easy DIY Projects With Old Picture Frames

1. Picture frame pegboard substitute 

My crafting area is in the corner of my living room, and I really didn't want to put a pegboard on my living room wall. I had four frames that I got from Dollar Tree some years ago, and I drew a little design with a metallic gold Sharpie paint pen. Then I added two coats of acrylic paint to the glass of each frame. 

I attached a bunch of small command hooks on one of the frames. On two of them, I added three-pound removable hooks from the Dollar Tree along with a lightweight wireframe basket also from the Dollar Tree. In the last frame, I used E6000 glue to attach mini cordial glasses that I got from Dollar Tree.

I put them all on the wall with command strips and was able to store my small and most often used crafting supplies with a little flair, style, and accessibility. 

2. Marker holder

I love coloring with Sharpie markers. I still had some space in the center area of my crafting wall, so I took another picture frame that I had, and I inserted a piece of decorative card stock that I just had lying around.

I screwed a couple of brackets to the wall, added some E6000 glue to the brackets, and I now use the picture frame as a shelf to store the rest of my Sharpie markers. 

3. Dry-erase board

As I continued through my picture frame stash, I came across two 11 x 17 frames. I came up with what I thought was a little bit of a genius idea and simply inserted a piece of white poster board into the frame. I had an instant dry-erase board.

4. Chalkboard 

I remembered that I had a small bottle of chalkboard paint, so I took the other 11 x 17 frame and inserted a piece of poster board. I brushed on one coat of the chalkboard paint vertically and then another coat horizontally. I attached the poster board to the glass with double stick tape and put it back in the frame.

I created a perfectly framed chalkboard. The two-ounce bottle of chalkboard paint can make about five 11 x 17 chalkboards if you want to make a whole bunch of them and put them around the house as I did.

Both the chalkboard and the dry-erase versions are great for to-do lists and to have a space for ongoing shopping reminders.

5. Wall hooks

I have another way to repurpose a picture frame that is super easy and functional. All you have to do is insert any message you like and add some self-adhesive hooks to make a welcoming key holder, a cute little place to hold your oven mitts, or even use it in the bathroom to hang your washcloths. This is an easy-peasy project.

6. Hanging shelf

The natural wood finish of a small Ikea picture frame led me to this next old picture frame idea. I started by replacing the paper with a small piece of gold poster board. Then I hot glued the ends of two long pieces of kitchen twine to the back of the frame and made a chic little hanging rope shelf.  

7. Jewelry holder

My tweenage daughter, who is 10 years old, has started to build up her own girly style.

I thought it would be cute to take a mirror that I got from IKEA almost 20 years ago, cover it completely with some white paint, and then add adorable little self-adhesive hooks I got from Dollar Tree. Now she can use it to store her blossoming jewelry collection.

8. Jewelry catch-all

While I was in jewelry organizing mode, I grabbed another picture frame and started by removing the stand from the back. In front of the glass, I laid in a piece of faux leather that I grabbed from Dollar Tree.

I painted bottle caps and glued them onto the back of the picture frame, and since the glass is fat and kind of deep in the frame, I was able to add in rolls that I made with cotton balls and some more of the faux leather to create a really nice jewelry catch-all and ring holder.

DIY projects with old picture frames

As you can see, some paint and a variety of hooks can go a long way when it comes to repurposing many things, especially picture frames. I hope my old picture frame ideas sparked a new idea for you.

What repurposing projects have you done recently? Share your ideas in the comments below.