Picture Frame Centerpieces

October 7, 2019 / No Comments

Overflowing with silk flowers or displaying flickering candles these DIY picture frame centerpieces are beautiful for either everyday use on your table or as part of your party decor. You can easily make your own following this tutorial! These can be customized to match your home’s decor by changing up the color and patterns, as well as the shape (see bottom of post).

Frames for this project can be found at a dollar store and any size frame will work as long as they’re all the same. As for the window film, Amazon has a ton of awesome options for relatively cheap. I found the stain glass film I used at a store here in Japan, so you likely won’t find the same design (unless, of course, you happen to be in Japan… in which case, go to Makeman). But the whole idea is to make your own unique decor so do it up!

Materials needed.

4 identical wooden Picture frames
Roll of Window Film
Acrylic Paint color of your choice (not shown)
Paintbrush
Small screwdriver
Masking or Painters tape
Pen
Paintable Wood Glue
Strong Craft Glue or Glass Glue
Empty Cereal Box
Scissors
You may also need sandpaper.

Be sure to prep your workspace with newspaper or cardboard before you get started. You’ll be painting and I’m sure you don’t want to get any paint on your table.

Step one

Start by using your tiny screwdriver to remove all hardware from the backs of your frames. Remove and discard the backing and any paper. Set aside the glass panes, as you’ll need them in a minute.

4 identical wooden Picture frames
Roll of Window Film
Acrylic Paint color of your choice (not shown)
Paintbrush
Small screwdriver
Masking or Painters tape
Pen
Paintable Wood Glue
Strong Craft Glue or Glass Glue
Empty Cereal Box
Scissors
You may also need sandpaper.

Be sure to prep your workspace with newspaper or cardboard before you get started. You’ll be painting and I’m sure you don’t want to get any paint on your table.

Step one

Start by using your tiny screwdriver to remove all hardware from the backs of your frames. Remove and discard the backing and any paper. Set aside the glass panes, as you’ll need them in a minute.

Step Two

NOTE: If your frames have a “shiny” finish on them you will have to sand them down before you paint them otherwise the paint and glue won’t stick to the wood.

Paint all sides of your frames. You will probably need two coats depending on the color you’re using. Let dry between coats.

I used black paint, but you can use any color you want. Make it POP with a bold, bright color or use white for a more subtle farm-house vibe.

Step Three

While your paint is drying, cut open your cereal box. Cut it right up the front, not along a corner or seam. Next, cut out the corners of your box as I have in the picture above. Leave about 1/4 inch on either side of the corner (it doesn’t have to be exact.) You’ll need four strips, each being just about as long as your picture frames are tall.

These cardboard strips will serve as hinges for the corners of your centerpiece.

Step Four

Once your frames are thoroughly dry, lay them out in a row. Edges flush with each other.

Spread paintable wood glue along the printed side of three of your cardboard strips and glue them down in between each frame. Line up the crease of the cardboard with the space between the frames. It’s important here that you make sure to glue down the outside side of the strips. Make sure that the crease folds upward, away from the frames.

On the fourth “hinge” you will only apply glue to half of the strip of cardboard and glue it to the edge of one of the end frames. The crease should line up with the edge of the frame (see picture.)

You may have to apply weight to the strips because they will likely want to peel away from the picture frames. As you can see, I just used a paint jug and my teacup!

Leave your frames and cardboard hinges to dry. They need to be completely dry before you can move on, so maybe even an hour or two to be safe. I ended up letting mine sit overnight simply because I ran out of good photo-taking daylight.

Step Five

Once your wood glue is dry, remove the weights and give the cardboard hinges a coat of paint.

Step Six

Now you you can move onto your glass panes.

Lay out your glass panes on the window film and trace around each one with a pen. Cut out these rectangles, you should have one for each picture frame pane. Peal off the film’s backing and carefully stick them onto the glass, making sure to line up the edges. Rub any air bubbles out with your thumb from the center outwards.

Step Five

Once your wood glue is dry, remove the weights and give the cardboard hinges a coat of paint.

Step Six

Now you you can move onto your glass panes.

Get out your strong craft glue or glass glue. Spread an even strip of glue along the inside lip of one of your picture frames, the same lip the glass originally came out of. Gently place a glass pane into the lip, glass side up, window film side down. Set it in place and add a bead of glue to each corner for extra hold. Repeat with each frame and let dry.

Step Seven

When that glue is dry, you can lift up your frames and gently fold each “hinge” inward, setting each frame upright. Apply wood glue to the other side of that last cardboard hinge and attach it to the inside of the opposite frame to form a square box. Use masking tape to hold it in place while it dries.

When it’s dry you can remove the tape and give each corner a coat of paint where the cardboard shows through. You can also touch up any spots that might have got bumped up along the way.

After that, you’re basically done! Set it on your table, fill it full of candles or whatever you’d like, and wallah! A beautiful new centerpiece that you have created yourself!

Other Options for your Picture Frame Centerpieces

These picture frame centerpieces can be even further customized. Here are two other things you can try to change up your piece.

Triangle

You can make this centerpiece into a triangle instead of a square by using three picture frames instead of four. Each step will be the same, only change the number of things. Three frames, three hinges, three film cutouts.

Here’s a challenge. Try adding a frame and making one with five sides! I haven’t done this, but if you do please share your creation with me! I’d really love to see it.

Hanging

Your picture frame centerpieces can easily be turned into a hanging decorations like this! I used a small triangle one, but you can do this to any shape or size of them.

First, you have to change up step one. When you remove the hardware, don’t take off the triangle brackets at the top of each frame. If there are any on the sides those can come off but leave the top ones. You’ll use these to hang it.

Follow all the other steps exactly the same as written above.

Now, take the left over cardboard from the cereal box we used before and trace the bottom of your centerpiece. Cut this out and paint both sides of it. The glossy, printed side of the cardboard may need two coats.

Use wood glue to attach it to the bottom of your frames, this will give it a bottom so things won’t fall out when it’s hung up.

When it’s dry, flip it over and tie a long piece of string to each bracket. The length of string will depend on how high you want to hang it from. I hung mine from my curtain rod to hang in the center of my window and so the strings I used were about a yard long.

I put a tea light in my hanging box, it looks great at night and is much safer than actual fire candles! You never know if it could get knocked down or anything. We’re all better safe than sorry when it comes to fire!

If you have any questions along the way, please don’t hesitate to contact me. And don’t forget to send me a picture when you’re finished to be featured on my social media pages!