Hello, creative #sifamily, I’m so happy you’re joining for another Trashy Treasures Tuesday! If you love giving new life to thrifted art, or maybe your own artistic creations, this little trick is about to become your new favorite. Because here’s the thing—thrift stores are FULL of amazing frames… but never in the size you actually need. 😅 So instead of settling (or spending way too much on custom framing), I resize them myself. And once you do it once, you’ll realize it’s way easier than it sounds.
And the best part? You can do it in no time using frames you already own—making it perfect for styling, staging, or finally putting those frameless thrift store treasures to good use.
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It’s also the second Tuesday of the month, and this means it’s Trashy Treasures Tuesday! I’m looking forward to seeing what our TTT crew, Christy at Confessions Of A Serial DIY’er, Nancy at Artsy Chicks Rule, and Kathy at Petticoat Junktion, have created. I hope you join me on today’s tour as well! I’ve included their before-and-after links down below.
Here are the thrift frames I started with. They have all been ‘donated’ to me via my sister OR bought at a thrift store super cheap. I typically don’t like paying more than 5 or 10 dollars for a frame.
All the thrift stores around here usually have a full wall of framed art to choose from. I like looking for the older frames made of real wood. I also like the old vintage frames with a ton of character.
Once I had all the thrift frames and thrift art I wanted to frame, I started playing around with pairing them together. Anything goes so long as the frame is larger than the art.
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Thrifted frame (bigger than your art)
Your artwork
Measuring tape
Pencil
Miter Saw (or miter box + hand saw)
Wood Glue
Staple gun or small nails
Cardboard backing (I literally reuse shipping boxes)
Furniture Mallet/Hammer
Speed Square or Square Ruler
First things first—I like taking the entire frame apart. This means the backing, any staples or nails, hanging hardware, and the glass. The frame should be completely bare before measuring and cutting. I also like to give it a good cleaning at this point as well.
Step 2: Measure Your Art (Twice!)
Now measure your artwork—and it’s good practice to measure it twice. Decide if you’d like a mat and, if so, how much spacing needs to be left around the art. Mark your new frame dimensions directly onto the frame pieces. This is the step that makes or breaks your final result—if your measurements are off, your corners won’t line up cleanly later. To double-check my measurements, I like to lay the art against the back of the frame and make sure my pencil marks match up perfectly.
Once I’ve double-checked my measurements, I use a speed square (or any square ruler) to mark a clean 45-degree cut line.
Step 3: Cut the Frame Down to Size
Time to cut! Using a miter saw (or miter box), cut each side of the frame at a 45° angle so the corners will fit together properly.
A few things I’ve learned:
- Opposite sides need to be exactly the same length
- Even a tiny difference = gaps in the corners
- Go slow—this is not the rush step
This is where your thrifted frame officially becomes custom!
Step 4: Rebuild the Frame
It should look something like this…
Once all your pieces are cut:
- Add wood glue to each corner
- Press the corners together
- Reinforce with staples or small nails
Let it dry fully before moving on (don’t skip this… I’ve tried because I’m impatient and it never works out, lol). This step brings your NEW SIZED frame back to life!
Step 5: Add Your Art + Glass or Plexiglass (Optional)
Once your frame is all resized, rebuilt and dry and set, it’s time to put your custom art into place. You can also decide if you’d like glass, plexiglass, a mat, or if you need some additional cardboard backing for your art. When I’m working with paintings, I usually skip the glass depending on the piece—but it’s totally personal preference.
Step 6: Finish + Hang
Add your hanging hardware back on, give it another quick clean, and that’s it. A random thrift store find just got turned into a completely custom frame—for a fraction of the cost!
Repeat
This is one of those DIYs that feels intimidating… until you actually do it. And I have to say, math and, angles are NOT my jam. So I took my time. Double checked all my measurements and went step-by-step. I repeated the exact same steps on the other frames.
Here’s how the custom-sized thrift frames all turned out! What do you think?
These paintings have been waiting to be framed… for years. I’m so happy I finally got around to it!
This opens up so many possibilities. Now, when I see beautiful frames in the thrift store, I’m going to grab them regardless of size!
Below are the TTT ladies’ BEFORE photos. Visit the links below to see the amazing AFTERS and learn how they did it! I’m heading over to take a peek as well! x
4. SI (HAPPY YOU’RE HERE!)
Here’s another look at the before-and-after resized thrift frames. I hope it inspires you and gives you ideas for customizing your framed art!
Resizing frames is such an easy, budget-friendly way to get that perfectly custom look—without spending a fortune. Whether you’re working with mismatched pieces or bare thrifted art, you can quickly transform what you already have into something that fits just right!
Thanks so much for joining today’s Trashy Treasures Tuesday makeover. Feel free to drop me a hello and let me know what you think of this thrift art idea. I always love hearing from you!
And before I sign off, you all enjoyed the newly hatched baby birds last week, so I thought I would give you an update. All three are doing well and growing bigger every day. I’m amazed at how fast they are growing! Mama bird is feeding them well. Below is what they look like now. And if you missed last week’s peek at the newly hatched baby birds, you can check them out here.
Happy painting and thrifting, my friends!
Denise x
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