How To Create Wall Decor With Four Repurposed Items And Duck Tape

In this tutorial, I show you how to create wall decor by repurposing old or salvaged items. This project includes a quilted bird ornament, a repurposed picture frame, a vintage furniture knob, and a detailed architectural piece. 

The purpose of this project and post is to make you think about what you have to work with and how to use it. I know you have old decor and a few things in your junk drawer……because we all do. 

I was really feeling at loose ends last week and needed to put a project together. Some days are like that and some days I don’t want to do anything.

So, I looked around the workshop and spotted an old wood frame I had started repainting at one time but never finished. 

Then, I found the bird ornament my friend Evie had made from a vintage quilt, and I had an idea for a fun wall decor piece.

The first thing to do was to paint the frame a color that would coordinate with the bird. I mixed green paint with white paint, hoping to get a pretty light green color. 

The paint seemed a little light and too green.

And I added blue to the green paint mixture.

After a few tries, I finally had a color I was happy with.

The color is really pretty. I am always doing my own thing, which is what I would like to impress upon you guys, my fantastic followers. Go ahead and attempt that project, and work things out as you go. 

Yes, the color was pretty but a little flat, so I distressed the paint with Clorox wipes. With the wet distress method, there is no sanding mess, and the light-colored paint beneath the green paint will shine through.

With sandpaper, it is too easy to distress the paint layers down to the raw wood. 

Next, I hung the bird ornament inside the frame by attaching the twine hanger to the back of the frame with Duck tape. 

The framed bird ornament looked okay but just too plain. 

I searched through the workshop again and came up with the architectural “flower” piece. I’ve had this beauty for years and have tried incorporating it into many different projects but never made it work. 

I thought it might add character to the frame. 

I used hot glue and a vintage furniture knob to attach the wood floral piece to the frame. 

I changed the way I first attached the bird to the frame, hanging it from the long side. The frame wasn’t square; it had a 9×11-inch opening. 

Moving the quilted bird made a big difference in the overall look. Using Duck tape to attach it to the frame was a no-brainer because the bird ornament is so lightweight. 

I can always remove the bird and the flower detail from the frame and reuse the pieces in other projects.

I’m glad I finally found a place for the wood floral piece. The white paint was a bit dingy, so I lightened it a bit by dry brushing white paint over some of the darker areas. 

What do you think of my masterpiece? Want to see more repurposed frame ideas? 13 Painted Picture Frame Ideas.