I added some finishing touches to our home in preparation for hosting family during next week’s Christmas holiday. One of my favorite DIY projects was a quick upcycled frame-turned-wreath project. After all, use your imagination, what looks more like a modern rectangular wreath than a picture frame?

Voila.

Side note: How great are strung light-filled jars? And last week’s electric candlestick fits right in with the crowd.

Keep on reading to see how I made this project happen.

I started this project with a common picture frame (mine being a handmade barnwood frame with a 9″x12″ opening). It’s pretty as a frame with pictures in it, but it has sat unused for a few years and seemed like a great proportion for a DIY wreath hung on the door or indoor as holiday decor:

With red acrylic paint (the same bottle that I’ve been using on my holiday wrapping paper stamps!), I brushed stripes onto the exterior of the frame with a foam brush.

Note how the stripes are positioned to resemble a wrapped package? (Or a first aid symbol, yes, this may transition nicely into poolside decor.)

I used some red string to put a bow on it. I tried out some stiffer red ribbon too, the traditional kind that curls when you zipline it with the scissors, but this floppier more organic string felt like a better fit for the style of the frame and for my home.

My last-minute seasonal masterpiece. It was totally brainstormed as a decoration for our front door, but once I finished it I decided that it would be more enjoyed in place of some of our wall art.

How are you staging your home for the holidays?

Catching the home improvement bug at an early age, Emily Winters is a now a devoted DIYer living in Rochester, NY. The projects she covers on her blog Merrypad range from painting a wall to building a deck, so it’s only natural she landed at DIYNetwork.com. You can follow Emily on twitter at @merrypad and like her on facebook at facebook.com/merrypad.