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What you need
4 picture frames (whatever size fits your space!)
Acrylic paint (for that aged, rustic look)
Christmas-themed images or photos (think wrapping paper, gift bags, or printables—we’ve even included a few for you!)
Wide ribbon (to hang your masterpiece)
Hot glue and glue gun
Picture wire (optional, but great for extra strength)
Embellishments (like faux snow, mini snowflakes, or holiday charms)
Instructions
I love Christmas projects that look as though they have been collected over the years, especially when they can actually be made from inexpensive supplies.
This faux vintage Christmas window is a perfect example. You do not need to find an old window, replace glass or hunt through antique shops for the right piece. The “window” is actually made from four ordinary picture frames glued together, and the gorgeous snowy Christmas scenes are cut from paper Christmas gift bags.
Gift bags are fantastic for this type of project because the artwork is often much larger and more detailed than standard scrapbook paper. Look for bags featuring snowy villages, Victorian houses, Christmas streets, woodland scenes or traditional Christmas illustrations.
Once the pictures are placed behind the glass, the four frames instantly begin to look like the panes of an old-fashioned Christmas window.
A large buffalo plaid bow in the middle helps disguise the joins between the frames, while greenery, berries, snowflakes and faux snow give the finished piece that wonderful nostalgic Christmas feel.
You could hang it on a wall, display it above a mantel or lean it against a console table as part of a Christmas vignette.
Materials
- 4 matching picture frames
- Paper Christmas gift bags with suitable winter or Christmas artwork
- Acrylic or chalk-style paint
- Paintbrush
- Scissors or craft knife
- Pencil and ruler
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks
- Strong craft adhesive for joining the frames
- Wide buffalo plaid Christmas ribbon
- Faux Christmas greenery
- Artificial berries
- Small bells
- Decorative snowflakes
- Faux snow or snow-texture medium
- Optional sandpaper for distressing
- Optional picture wire or hanging hardware
- Optional craft sticks or thin wood strips for reinforcing the back
Instructions
1. Choose Your Picture Frames
Choose four picture frames that are exactly the same size.
Simple inexpensive frames work perfectly because most of the transformation comes from the paint and Christmas embellishments.
Lay the four frames on your work surface in a two-by-two arrangement.
You should immediately begin to see the shape of a traditional four-pane window.
Before gluing anything together, make sure all four frames sit evenly beside one another.
2. Paint the Frames
Remove the glass and backing boards if possible before painting.
Paint the front and visible sides of all four frames.
For the vintage look shown here, choose a muted shade such as:
cream
antique white
soft grey
sage green
weathered beige
Allow the paint to dry completely.
If you would like the frames to look older, lightly sand some of the corners and raised edges once the paint has dried. You only need a little distressing to create the effect of an aged wooden window frame.
3. Choose the Christmas Gift Bag Artwork
This is where the project becomes really fun.
Look through your Christmas paper gift bags for images that will work as individual winter scenes.
Large bags are particularly useful because you can often get several usable pictures from one bag.
The original style works beautifully with snowy village scenes, Christmas houses, bridges, people skating or walking through snow, trees and old-fashioned winter landscapes.
Carefully open the gift bag along its folds so you can lay the printed panels flat.
Remove the handles and cut away the bottom and side gussets.
4. Cut the Gift Bag Pictures to Fit
Use the frame backing board as your template.
Place it over the section of gift bag artwork you want to use and trace around it lightly with a pencil.
Cut the picture slightly smaller than the backing board so it fits easily inside the frame.
Repeat for all four frames.
Try to choose four sections that coordinate with one another. They do not have to be identical. In fact, slightly different scenes help create the illusion that you are looking through a window onto a larger Christmas landscape.
5. Add the Gift Bag Artwork to the Frames
Clean the inside of the frame glass before assembling the pictures.
Place each cut gift bag panel behind the glass with the printed side facing forward.
Replace the frame backing.
Check all four pictures together before proceeding.
Arrange the frames until you are happy with the way the four scenes work alongside one another.
6. Glue the Four Frames Together
Place the frames face down on a protected work surface in a two-by-two grid.
Push the frames tightly together so there are no unnecessary gaps between them.
Apply strong craft adhesive along the edges where the frames meet.
Allow the adhesive to cure according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
You can also reinforce the joins from the back with small wooden craft sticks or thin wood strips glued across the seams.
This reinforcement is particularly useful if you intend to hang the finished Christmas window rather than simply lean it against a wall.
Once secure, turn the frames over.
You should now have one large piece that resembles a four-pane vintage window.
7. Add the Faux Snow
Add small amounts of faux snow around the lower edges of the window panes and frame.
You do not need to cover very much. Concentrate the snow around the bottom edges and corners so it looks as though frost and snow have collected against the window.
Avoid covering important parts of your gift bag illustrations.
Allow the snow medium to dry completely.
8. Add Snowflake Embellishments
Glue decorative snowflakes directly onto selected sections of the glass.
Space them around the four panes rather than placing them symmetrically.
A few snowflakes will usually look more effective than covering the entire window.
The icy blue snowflakes used in this style provide a lovely contrast against the muted vintage scenes.
9. Make the Buffalo Plaid Bow
Cut a generous length of wide buffalo plaid ribbon and form it into a large bow.
The bow should be large enough to become the focal point of the finished piece.
Glue the bow over the center point where all four picture frames meet.
This is not only decorative; it also cleverly disguises the joins between the individual frames.
Allow the ribbon tails to fall naturally over the lower panes.
10. Decorate the Corner
Create a small Christmas arrangement in one upper corner of the window.
Layer faux evergreen sprigs together first.
Add berries, small bells, frosted foliage or additional ribbon.
Secure everything using hot glue.
Keeping most of the embellishments concentrated in one corner prevents the frame from becoming too busy and lets the gift bag artwork remain the star of the project.
11. Add a Hanger
If your window will be hung on the wall, attach sturdy hanging hardware or picture wire to the back.
Because four picture frames together can be heavier than they appear, make sure the hanger is attached securely to the actual frame rather than only to decorative backing material.
If you prefer, simply lean your Christmas window against a wall on a mantel, shelf or console table.
Choosing Gift Bags for This Project
One of the best parts of this craft is searching for the right Christmas bags.
Do not worry about whether the bag itself looks expensive. You are really shopping for the artwork printed on the bag.
Look for illustrations with depth in the background, especially snow-covered houses, woodland paths, village streets and old-fashioned Christmas scenes. Once they are placed behind glass, even inexpensive paper gift bags can look surprisingly similar to framed Christmas prints.
You can also mix several coordinating gift bags rather than using one design.
For an especially convincing window effect, position scenes with darker skies toward the upper two panes and snowy ground or people toward the lower panes.
Make It Your Own
The same basic four-frame technique can be used for many different decorating styles.
Try traditional red and green Christmas scenes with tartan ribbon, neutral snowy landscapes with cream velvet ribbon, Victorian illustrations with burgundy ribbon, or woodland gift bags with pinecones and natural jute.
You could even use family Christmas photographs instead of gift bags and turn the project into a yearly Christmas keepsake.
What I particularly like about this idea is that it looks much more complicated than it actually is. Once those four frames are joined together and the Christmas scenes are sitting behind the glass, the illusion of an old snowy window starts working immediately.
Add the oversized plaid bow and a handful of Christmas embellishments, and a few inexpensive supplies become a genuinely lovely piece of holiday decor.
What do you think of this project? Let us know!