Vintage Photo Display

Hi all! Today I am sharing a Vintage Photo Display made from a metal cheese grater that I picked up at the thrift store for one dollar. I got this idea years back on the Organized Clutter blog. I was going to leave the cheese grater unpainted but at the last minute decided to paint it. That was a little tricky because I had already attached the sari yarn at the bottom and the bow at the top. But I did manage to get it done and like it much better painted than unpainted. I think it makes the photo pop more.

***This post contains affiliate links… We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, and affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites at no extra charge to you. Please read my full advertising disclosure for more info. Thanks so much for your support!***

Supplies Needed

Vintage cheese grater
Ribbon or scrap fabric
White chalk paint
Small piece of muslin
Instant coffee
Magnetic bulldog clip
Hot glue
Paint marker
Wood buttons
Magnet round
Metal T-strap hinge
Needle and thread
E-6000

DIY Vintage Photo Display

For starters decide whether you want the cheese grater painted or left unpainted. Don’t be like me and change your mind in the end. Much easier to paint at the beginning.

Choose the fabric or ribbon to be used. I used sari silk yarn that I had on hand. I liked the variegation of colors in it. Wrapped the yarn around the bottom portion of the vintage cheese grater six to seven times. Trying it tight on the front leaving the ends.

Then I took a small 3” x 1” piece of muslin that was dipped into a mixture of water and instant coffee that was set aside to dry.

Using a black paint marker and writing Blessed onto the stain muslin.

The muslin was attached to the Vintage Photo Display with thread, topping it off with a small wood button.

For the bow on the top, I used some more sari yarn and wrapped it around four fingers.

Using another piece to tie around the middle, then around the top of the grater. Again, leaving the ends hanging loose.

Hot glue was used to attach the button.

The photo display has two magnets to hold the photo to choose from. One is a magnetic bulldog clip, and the other is a wood button glued on top of a round magnet.

***If you decide to paint the Vintage Photo Display at the last minute like me. Then the next step is to paint and distress it with a craft sander. I used my mini craft sander to distress the photo display. ***

At first, I was not going to add a stand. The vintage photo display was just going to hang. Then I ran across this T-strap hinge and had an Ah-Ha moment, and the hinge idea worked out perfectly as a stand.

The hinge was painted white and then distressed.

Now for the stand to work correctly make sure it is turned where it stands up on it’s own like this.

Since the cheese grater was top heavy when I put it on the stand I had to make a minor adjustment by adding a metal ring (Washer would probably work as well) in the gap on the back of the hinge. This made the hinge stand up straighter preventing the photo display from toppling over backwards. A little E-6000 glue helped to hold the ring in place.

Slide the hinge through the back of the ribbon so that it will stand. If you want you can use some more E-6000 to attach the hinge to the back of the grater as well to secure it in place. But mine stood perfectly fine without.

That’s it for this Vintage Photo Display upcycled from a vintage cheese grater. Which do you prefer, the unpainted or painted version? And which would you use the bulldog clip or the button magnet?

More Photo Displays!

Repurposed Cutting Board and Grater Photo Display
Family Photo Display Made from Wood Shutters
Rusty Photo Display
Mini Photo Display Magnets