Photo Display | Repurposed Frame

I think you are going to love my latest repurposed frame into a photo display project! I love collecting frames of all kinds at thrift stores. But, my specialty is old artwork frames that I can get for $5 or less!

The thrift store frame isn’t perfect, but well worth five bucks! Honestly, when I picked it up, I had no idea what I was going to do with it.

When I started working on it, I saw that it needed a few repairs. Did you notice the two large holes at the top of the frame in the first picture? Someone had screwed it directly to the wall. In addition, the joints were sort of loosy goosy. I tried gluing, patching and clamping.

Because the frame was so large, it was difficult to keep it “square” while repairing.

I used Plastic Wood for filling the two holes. It works GREAT!

I decided to add support pieces to the frame that will soon be a unique photo display!!

You can see I added screws for twine or wire in order for the frame to hold photos. However, when I added the first screw on the opposite side, I realized this method would NOT work because the photos displayed would be up against the wall, and not near the FRONT of the repurposed frame.

Not show: I then tried to add screws to the inside of the wooden frame, but that wasn’t working either.

Finally, in order to make the photo display work the way I had planned, I drilled holes on an angle.

How to drill on an angle

• Start drilling upright
• Slowly angle bit
• Angling bit too quick will cause the bit to break
• After angled hole is complete, drill back and forth to make a smooth hole

What size drill bit do I use?

I found that 5/32 drill bit was the perfect size. I tried a smaller bit, and broke it during the process. This size bit was perfect for the wire I chose for the photo display frame.

Using a sanding sponge, I smoothed all the rough edges.

How to twist wire

I like the look of twisted wire instead of a single line.

1. Double length of wire (I used Galvanized Steel Wire 25 lb)
2. Fold in half
3. Attach to a screw
4. Insert ends of wire into drill
5. Slowly start drill
6. Watch wire twist

See a video of twisted wire technique here.

I made five wires to thread through the holes on the photo display frame.

How to attach wire to photo display frame

1. Thread wire through hole
2. Pull tight and fold
3. Wrap long end around 1 to 2 times
4. Cut off excess
5. Use pliers to fold sharp end under

Don’t you agree that the twisted wire looks better than a single wire?

I printed some black and white photos. Can you find the two holes I patched? Neither can I!

To hang the photos, I ordered a package of small clips from Amazon. They are pretty small, but I think they are PERFECT!

The frame was painted with Iron Gate from Heirloom Traditions.

See more picture frame ideas here.