This Dollar Tree Glue Decor DIY Has TikTokers Scratching Their Heads

The DIY home décor tutorials that circulate online can sometimes be a little hit or miss. You have probably come across a video tutorial of a questionable DIY project on a few occasions. These clips often feature projects that just do not look great in the end. The DIYs might also be incredibly complicated and result in an underwhelming outcome. This was the case for a video shared by the @hometalk TikTok account. The tutorial showed viewers how to create a decorative Dollar Tree picture frame by gluing on cracked glass gems. Viewers were instructed to crack the gems by baking them and then pouring them into a bucket of ice water. Despite all of this work, the final result was arguably lackluster.

TikTok commenters let it be known that they were not impressed with the tutorial. Luckily, you do not have to put in so much work to create a photo frame that does not look all that great. There are many ways you can update picture frames with a coat of paint or added embellishments that will make your home feel more luxurious instead of potentially tacky. The cracked glass look shown in the video is also easy to recreate in a variety of different ways. More straightforward methods can result in a far better-looking picture frame with less work. 

If you take a look at the TikTok video posted by @hometalk, you can see that the tutorial instructor purchased several bags of glass gems from Dollar Tree, placed them on a baking sheet, and heated them in an oven before transferring them to a bath of ice and water. This process causes the glass to crack due to the extreme temperature change. While this may work well as a fun science experiment, it is a rather unnecessary process for a decorative photo frame DIY.

In looking at the final project shown in the video, you can see that the cracked glass gems were glued onto the photo frame unevenly. This resulted in a decorative frame that resembles something that a child might make for an art class rather than a sophisticated home décor piece. TikTok commenters wasted no time pointing this out. "Looks like something my son made in school," one user wrote. Others shared that they found the entire process unnecessary. "What was the point of that?" penned a separate user. Overall, most viewers seemed to think this is not the best way to repurpose an old picture frame.

If you like the idea of a cracked glass photo frame, know that there are far simpler ways to achieve the look. Rather than purchasing glass gems and cracking them yourself, consider using crushed crafting glass. The Syedra Crushed Glass for Crafts from Amazon is a great option. It comes in a variety of colors. Pricing depends on the color you select, but all options are under $20. Do not forget to purchase a tube of E6000 glue to adhere the shards to your frame. You can buy this from Amazon as well for only $8.67.

After you have gathered your supplies, you should be ready to get started with this much simpler DIY. If you only want to add a few pieces of the crushed glass to your picture frame, simply apply some E6000 glue to the frame in drops, and use tweezers to add the glass pieces. You might also prefer to coat the entire outside of the frame in glass. In this case, apply E6000 to all four sides of the frame. Pour your glass shards out into a container large enough to place your frame inside. Dip the frame into the glass. The glass shards should stick onto all sections of the frame where you applied the glue. However, you can use tweezers to add pieces of glass to any empty spots you may have. Allow the frame to dry completely before adding a photo.