Mother Daughter Projects

  • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
  • Maintenance
  • Improvement
  • Decor
  • Tech
  • Tools
  • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
  • Maintenance
  • Improvement
  • Decor
  • Tech
  • Tools

DIY for Homeowners

Picture Frames Turned into Christmas Trees!

12/7/2022

0 Comments

 
text by Vicki     Sign up here to join our weekly email newsletter!
A visit to Disney Springs at Walt Disney World provided the inspiration for these picture frame Christmas trees!

Disney's are made of different varieties of molding, but I thought I could recreate the look with old picture frames. Plus, I had an ever growing stash of frames in my garage.

Time to reimagine those frames!

Materials/Tools:


  • Old frames, thrift stores, yard sales

  • Makita 15 Amp 12 in. Dual-Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw with Laser (Home Depot)

  • RYOBI ONE+ HP 18V 18-Gauge Brushless Cordless AirStrike Brad Nailer (Home Depot)

  • DEWALT 20-Volt MAX XR Cordless Brushless 3-Speed Oscillating Multi-Tool (Home Depot)

  • Surebonder hot glue gun (Amazon)

  • Surebonder construction adhesive (Amazon)

  • Double Rock staple remover (Amazon)

  • Arrow staple remover (Amazon)

  • Rust-Oleum Spray paint, camouflage green (Amazon)

  • Spray paint black (Amazon)

  • DecoArt Americana Metallic silver paint (Amazon)

  • Round brush (Amazon)

I loved these cute wood molding Christmas trees at Walt Disney World.
I loved these cute wood molding Christmas trees at Walt Disney World.
Walt Disney World can be a great place for DIY inspiration.
Walt Disney World can be a great place for DIY inspiration.
The first tree I made was from this barn wood look frame.
The first tree I made was from this barn wood look frame.
This Double Rock staple removal tool is the best for removing staples from upholstery.
I first needed to deconstruct the frame. This Double Rock tool and Arrow staple removal tool worked really well to remove the staples. Once removed, the frame came apart easily with a few blows from a rubber mallet.
Cutting the slats for the Disney inspired picture frame Christmas tree.
I cut nine slats with 45 degree angles on each side. The base slat is 12 inches ending with 4 inches for the very top one.
The slats will be attached to this 3/4 inch by 1 1/2 inch board which I painted Rust-Oleum camouflage green.
The slats will be attached to this 3/4 inch by 1 1/2 inch board which I painted Rust-Oleum camouflage green.
Making the base for the wood Christmas tree.
I made a simple base for the tree which is removable so the tree can be stored flat. I glued and brad nailed the pieces which were made from the same frame molding that I had leftover.
After lining up the slats, I brad nailed them to the
After lining up the slats, I brad nailed them to the "stem" using a Ryobi 18 gauge brad nailer.
This picture frame will make another Disney Springs inspired Christmas tree.
The first tree was successful so I decided to try it with the second frame. It had really beautiful raised designs on it that I knew I could emphasis with metallic paint. This frame proved to be troublesome throughout the build, but I did persevere and finish!
This frame was so difficult to dissemble that I had to cut it apart with a DeWalt multi-tool
This frame was so difficult to dissemble that I had to cut it apart with a DeWalt multi-tool!
The staples on this frame were never going to come out.
See those staples? They were never coming out. In retrospect, I probably should have quit at this point!
Spray painting the Christmas tree slats with Rust-Oleum black paint.
After cutting the pieces I gave them a fresh coat of black spray paint. These slats were cut at a 31.6 degree angle
To emphasize the raised detail, I lightly painted them with DecoArt silver metallic paint.
To emphasize the raised detail, I lightly painted them with DecoArt silver metallic paint.
Getting ready to attach the stem to the disney theme park inspired wood Christmas Tree.
When I laid all the slats to attach the "stem" I realized the back was not flat. It was going to be a challenge to attach the stem! These square dowels were used to glue the slats together so that I had a flat surface to nail into. Unfortunately, when I attached the stem, I somehow missed the thick areas of the molding and ended up nailing the tree to my workbench! Ug!
Our Pottery Barn Dupe is in the middle.
Despite all the frustration of the second tree, I finished! For display, I added our Pottery Barn dupe in between the two picture frame trees.
Picture
Three DIY Christmas trees inspired by Disney World and Pottery Barn.
​After the whole 'nailing the tree to the tabletop' fiasco, I managed to get it ripped off the workbench table losing a couple of slats in the process. After cutting the stem shorter and repairing what was broken, I got it finished. 

I decided I wanted a star on top of the black tree so I went looking through my house to see if I had anything that would work.

​This past January, my oldest sister died and I was tasked with cleaning out and selling her house. I found this glass star while I was sorting her belongings.

This is actually the top of a vintage perfume bottle that I remember from when I was a child. I was happy I could repurpose it. It's a sentimental reminder of childhood, my sister, Karen, and my parents. 

Karen was a champion of Mother Daughter Projects and was our very first "super thanks" donor.

She is missed. 

Please note: This is not a sponsored post. 

FYI: We are not professionals, and we don't claim to be. This is what we found worked for our project. Yours may need a little different approach. Safety first!

FYI: Affiliate links are being used on this page. Purchasing via these links help support MDP

Related Projects

Picture
Little Crate Tree
Picture
DIY Paint Stick Tree
Picture
Mini Epoxy Tree
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    MotherDaughterProjects.com

    Mother Daughter Projects
    ​
    Steph & Vicki

    MotherDaughterProjects.com
Mother Daughter Projects, LLC ∙ est. 2015 ∙ Tallahassee, FL by Vicki & Steph ∙ Privacy Policy