11 Picture Frame Wreaths That Turn a Thrifted Frame Into Holiday Art

A real evergreen wreath is lovely for about ten days, then it drops needles on the good rug. A picture frame wreath does not know what a needle is. It hangs flat, it survives the whole season, and it starts as the kind of frame nobody wants anymore.

Picture frames are commonly for sale at thrift shops, which means the base for this project usually costs less than a coffee. Strip the glass, pick a finish, glue on a holiday idea, and the ugliest frame in the shop becomes the best thing on your door.

Eleven looks follow, grouped by how each frame is finished rather than by what hangs off it, so you can match one to the wall, the budget and the amount of patience you actually have left this year.

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Painted and Lacquered Frame Wreaths

Paint is the fastest way to make a scuffed frame look intentional, and a glossy finish photographs better than raw wood ever will. Before any paint goes on, remove the old picture and glass insert from the frame, leaving only an empty frame behind, so you are working with a clean shape.

If you want more doors dressed than just the one holding the wreath, the 27 Christmas Door Ideas That Do Not Stop at the Wreath covers what goes around it.

The Amber Lacquered Frame with Juniper and Gold Wax Berries

A thin coat of amber lacquer turns a dull wooden frame into something that looks lit from within. Deep green juniper sprigs get hot glued around the inner and outer edge, working corner to corner so no bare wood shows.

Small gold wax berries tucked between the sprigs catch the light without adding any sparkle you have to dust. It hangs on a gold cord, which keeps the whole thing warm rather than cold, and it reads well against any door colour.

The Forest Green Chalk-Paint Frame with Dried Orange and Star Anise

Chalk paint goes on matte, which means this frame absorbs light instead of bouncing it, a good trick for a kitchen window that already gets plenty of glare. Dried orange slices glued in a loose ring do the colour work, and whole star anise fill the gaps between them.

The finished smell is a bonus nobody plans for but everybody mentions. It is one of the cheaper builds on this list, since dried orange slices are simple to make in a low oven overnight.

The Black Lacquer Frame with Brass Star Charms

Black lacquer is the one finish on this list that looks better the more frames you have seen go wrong, because gloss black hides brush marks the way matte paint never does. Small brass star charms get wired into each corner rather than scattered evenly, which keeps the shape sharp instead of busy.

A slim brass chain replaces the usual ribbon loop and holds its shape against a door that gets opened often. It suits a console table or an entry wall as easily as a front door.

Metallic and Mirrored Frame Wreaths

An ornate secondhand frame already has the bones of something expensive. As one maker of a similar project put it, the detail on these frames makes them look far pricier than they were, which is exactly the effect to chase with metallic finishes.

The Antique Gold Mirror-Mosaic Frame

This one is slower than the others and worth it precisely because of that. Small mirror mosaic tiles get glued edge to edge across the whole surface of the frame, then an antique gold wax goes into the grout lines to age it on purpose.

Hung near candlelight, it throws small points of light across the room rather than one flat shine. It belongs somewhere it gets looked at up close, a foyer or a dining room, not a porch where weather will dull the tiles.

The Copper-Leafed Frame with Pampas Grass Fringe

Copper leafing goes on in thin sheets over a tacky adhesive, and the slightly uneven coverage is the point, it should look hand finished rather than perfectly smooth. Dried pampas plumes get trimmed short and glued along the bottom edge only, left loose enough to move like fringe.

The combination reads warm and a little undone, which suits a boho living room far better than anything with a hard shine all over. Keep the pampas away from direct sun if you want the colour to last past the season.

Natural and Rustic Frame Wreaths

Dried botanicals and bark need almost no upkeep, which suits a decoration meant to sit out for weeks. Most of what holds them on is simple: secure picks and bow to your frame using the floral wire, then tuck the loose ends to the back where nobody sees them.

The Weathered Driftwood Frame with Bay Leaf and Birch Bark Curls

A grey-brown wood stain and a light sanding after it dries give a new frame the look of something pulled off a beach years ago. A preserved bay leaf garland winds around it loosely, left a little uneven on purpose, and pale birch bark curls get tucked in at the base where the wire twist would otherwise show.

It is the quietest build on this list and the one that works hardest in an entryway or a mudroom, where loud is the wrong note anyway.

The Icy Mint Chalk-Paint Frame with Silver-Tipped Bottlebrush Trees

Mint is not a colour most holiday decor touches, which is exactly why it works for one frame among many. A matte mint chalk paint base holds miniature silver tipped bottlebrush trees, glued standing upright around the border rather than flat, so the frame reads like a tiny forest edge rather than a flat ring.

It belongs over a cocoa station or a dessert table, somewhere people stand close enough to notice the standing trees are not glued flat like everything else on the table.

Statement and Multi-Frame Wreaths

One frame makes a wreath, several frames make an installation, and the rule for combining them is more relaxed than it looks. Mismatched pieces work because they do not need to be the same size or shape to read as one design once they are arranged and fixed together.

The Stacked Triple-Frame Starburst in Matte White and Gold

Three graduated frames, square or rectangular, get nested at slight angles and fixed together at the back so they read as one radiating shape rather than three separate pieces. Matte white paint on the body and a gold leaf pen run along the inner edges gives it the shine without a full metallic frame.

This is the one to put somewhere with real wall space, a staircase run or a tall entry wall, since it reads as a piece of art first and a wreath second.

The Collage Memory Frame with Mini Photo Ornaments and Pine Sprigs

A larger kraft brown painted frame holds the shape, while small photo filled mini frame ornaments get wired around its edge, alternating with fresh pine sprigs so the photos never crowd each other. Printed snapshots work better here than glossy phone prints, since matte paper does not catch glare the way glossy does.

It is less a decoration than a small family archive you happen to hang up, and it tends to be the one relatives stand in front of longest.

Novelty and Conversation-Starter Frame Wreaths

These are the ones guests stop to look at twice, built for a dessert table or a hallway rather than a front door. Hanging any of them is the same small step: thread ribbon or cord through the top of the frame opening and secure it with a drop of hot glue on the back.

Pair the party itself with something equally offbeat from the 15 Christmas Drinking Games for a Grown-Up Holiday Party or keep the whole evening low-key with the 18 Christmas Games to Play at Home on Lazy Holiday Days.

The Gingerbread-Finish Frame with Iced Trim and Candy Button Edge

A warm brown acrylic base coat sets the gingerbread tone, then thick white puffy paint gets piped along the inner edge in dots, standing in for icing without any of the mess real icing would make outdoors. Small caramel coloured resin candy buttons glue on top of the dots once they dry.

It is built for a cookie decorating table or a kids-adjacent corner of an adult party, somewhere the joke lands immediately.

The Scandinavian Folk Frame with Painted Horses and Straw Stars

A barn red base coat and a simple white folk horse silhouette stencilled into each corner bring a Nordic feel without needing any painting skill beyond tracing a stencil. Straw star ornaments, wired around the border rather than glued flat, add texture that catches light differently from every angle.

A length of plain jute cord stands in for a ribbon loop, which keeps the whole thing looking handmade rather than finished off with anything too polished.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of picture frame works best for a wreath?

Go for a frame with wide, flat edges rather than a thin or deeply carved one, since the wider the picture frame edges, the better, because it gives more surface area to glue onto and looks better once finished. Size and shape barely matter beyond that, an oval, a square or a long rectangle all work the same way once the glass is out.

Do you have to remove the glass and backing first?

Yes. Every version of this project starts the same way, you remove the old picture and glass insert from the frame, leaving only an empty frame behind, and work from there. Keep the glass for another project rather than tossing it, it has a habit of being useful later.

Where do you find a frame worth using for this?

Thrift stores and yard sales are the usual source, and for good reason. Picture frames are commonly for sale at thrift shops, often for a dollar or two, and an ornate or dated style actually works better here than a plain new one, since the detail reads as expensive once it is painted.

How do you attach things like greenery or ornaments to the frame?

A hot glue gun handles most of it, with floral wire doing the heavier lifting for anything with real weight, since you secure picks and a bow to the frame using floral wire and then tuck the stems to the back. For anything you want removable later, like small ornaments, wire still beats glue.

How do you hang a picture frame wreath once it is finished?

Most makers skip a separate wreath hanger altogether. You simply thread a ribbon or cord through the top of the frame opening and secure it with a small drop of hot glue on the back, which holds fine for a season indoors or on a sheltered door.

Can you combine more than one frame in a single design?

Yes, and the frames do not need to match. They do not need to be the same size or shape to read as one piece once they are arranged with intention and fixed together at the back, which is exactly how a layered or starburst design comes together.