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🍂 THRIFTED TREASURES & DIY CREATIONS 🍂Monday, September 21, 2026

Writer: Sarah Skaggs
Sarah Skaggs
Sep 21
4 min read

🌻 CRAFT OF THE DAY

Old Picture Frames → Cozy Cottage Autumn Lantern

Happy Monday, crafting friends! 💜

Who is ready for another fun thrift-store transformation?

Today we're taking something almost everyone has sitting around the house—OLD PICTURE FRAMES—and turning them into a gorgeous decorative lantern!

You know those frames you find at yard sales for 25 cents or 50 cents?

The ones with outdated pictures, scratched finishes, or colors that don't match anything?

DON'T PASS THEM BY!

With a little creativity, we can transform four matching frames into a beautiful lantern that can be decorated for every season.

And since autumn is almost here, we're giving ours a cozy harvest makeover with sunflowers, wheat, greenery, and a warm flameless candle. 🌻

🛒 WHAT YOU'LL NEED


  • 🖼️ Four matching wooden picture frames

  • 🎨 Chalk or acrylic paint

  • 🖌️ Paintbrush

  • 🧽 Sandpaper (optional)

  • 🪵 Small wooden plaque or sturdy base

  • 🔥 Hot glue gun and glue sticks

  • 🪛 Small brackets or strong craft adhesive

  • 🌻 Faux sunflowers

  • 🌾 Wheat stems

  • 🌿 Greenery

  • 🎀 Burlap, gingham, or lace ribbon

  • 🧶 Jute twine

  • 🕯️ Battery-operated flameless candle

Money-saving tip: Check your craft supplies and closets before purchasing anything. You may already have everything you need!

🔨 STEP-BY-STEP DIRECTIONS

STEP 1

Find your picture frames


Look for four frames that are the same size and have flat edges that can be joined together.

Remove the pictures, backing, and glass.

Save the glass for another project or reinstall it later if the design allows.

STEP 2

Give them a cottage makeover


Choose your favorite color:

🤍 Antique White

🌿 Sage Green

💜 Dusty Lavender

🤎 Natural Wood

🖤 Farmhouse Black

Paint all four frames and allow them to dry.

For a vintage appearance, lightly distress a safe, modern painted finish around the edges.

STEP 3

Build your lantern


Stand the frames upright and join their sides to create a square lantern.

Use small brackets or suitable adhesive to secure the corners.

Attach the frame structure to a sturdy wooden base.

Allow all adhesive to cure completely before moving the lantern.

Crafting tip: Make sure your lantern is stable and will not tip over.

STEP 4

Add your autumn decorations


Gather a small bundle of sunflowers, wheat, and greenery.

Attach it to one upper corner of the lantern.

Add a simple bow using burlap, plaid, or gingham ribbon.

Let a few leaves and wheat stems hang naturally.

We want that beautiful, relaxed cottage look!

STEP 5

Add your warm glow


Place a battery-operated flameless candle inside.

For extra charm, add a little greenery around the base without covering the candle's light.

Important: Use only flameless candles in this handmade lantern. Never place a real flame inside a wooden frame craft.

STEP 6

Create your cozy autumn display


Display your lantern with:

🌻 Sunflowers

🍎 Apples

🌾 Wheat

🧺 Thrifted baskets

🍂 Autumn leaves

🎃 Plain harvest pumpkins

🪵 Wooden signs

Add a little sign that says “Harvest Blessings” or “Give Thanks.”

♻️ ONE LANTERN — FOUR SEASONS!

Here's why I love this project!

You don't have to put it away when autumn ends.


Spring: Tulips and greenery


Summer: Daisies and lavender


Autumn: Sunflowers and wheat


Christmas: Evergreen and red berries

One thrift-store project can become part of your home all year long!

💰 MONDAY'S $10 CHALLENGE!

Can you create today's lantern for $10 or less?

Try finding four matching frames at a thrift store, then use leftover paint, ribbon, flowers, and a flameless candle you already own.

Remember, the challenge isn't how much money we can spend.

It's how much beauty we can create from what we already have!

💜 TODAY'S INSPIRATION

I love today's craft because it reminds me that sometimes we have to look beyond what something used to be to see what it can become.

Those old picture frames may have spent years holding photographs or hanging on someone's wall.

Now they're being given a completely different purpose.

And isn't that a beautiful reminder of how God works in our lives?

Sometimes a season ends, a door closes, or things don't turn out the way we expected.

But that doesn't mean our story is finished.

God can take what we thought was the end of something and use it as the beginning of something beautiful.

Just like these old frames, we may not look the same as we once did, but we still have purpose!

📖 Today's Scripture

"Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it?"

Isaiah 43:19 (KJV)

🌻 QUESTION OF THE DAY!

What color would YOU paint your lantern?

🤍 Antique White

🌿 Sage Green

💜 Dusty Lavender

🤎 Natural Wood

🖤 Farmhouse Black

🎨 Something completely different!

Share my choice

📸 MONDAY SHOW & TELL!

Let's see those weekend thrift finds and craft projects!

Have you found something at a yard sale, estate sale, thrift store, or flea market that you just KNOW has potential?

Post a picture and let everyone share their ideas!

Your creativity might inspire someone else to give an old treasure a second chance. 💜

Have a beautiful Monday, crafting friends!

THRIFT IT. ♻️ REPURPOSE IT. 🔨 CREATE IT. 🎨 LOVE IT. 💜


 
 
 

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