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Grandparents, aunties and uncles and godparents
always love to get photos of their favourite children. Nice frames can be
expensive to buy and impersonal too. Why not get your children to help you
create some frames with bits and pieces you have lying around your house?
You will all have great fun doing it and will produce fun little frames
that will be especially treasured because the kids had a hand in making
them. Be warned – this idea is addictive!
You
will need:
Empty CD boxes
Scissors and glue
Craft supplies and household bits and pieces (see suggestions below)
We always seem to have
empty CD boxes lying around – and if you don’t, you can buy them very
cheaply at computer or record stores.
Instructions:
Open your CD box and
take out the paper inserts and the molded plastic piece into which the CD
itself fits.
Cut your photo to just
smaller than the box. You will be fitting it into the back of the box with
the hinged edge at the top, so about 4 inches wide and 4 ¾ inches high is
perfect, but don’t worry too much! Fix the photo against the plastic
with a few small pieces of sticky-tape. Find a nice piece of cardboard,
gift wrap or fun foam which will complement your design and cut this to
fit snugly behind the photo and to the edges of the frame (4 ¾ inches
wide, 5 ¼ inches high). Fix with glue or sticky-tape with the pattern, if
any, facing into the box. When your frame is finished you will open the
box out to stand it up, so this backing protects your photo.
Now all you need to do
is draw a line of glue on the outside edges of the front of the CD box and
start decorating! Use whatever you have to hand. You can build on the
theme of the photo, the season, or the particular interests of the
recipient. Our examples above are obviously on a Christmas theme.
Artwork instead of a photo
Another idea is to use some “artwork” which the children have created
instead of a photo, and surround it with something which complements the
work. Get a little one to write “I Love You Granny” in their best
writing and then stick on their own choice of stickers and beads, and you
will have created a present which will be treasured forever!
Here are some
decorating ideas to get you started:
For
photos of girls:
Sparkly
beads – either individual or pre-strung necklaces
Pearl
beads (you may be able to buy an old “pearl” necklace in a charity
shop cheaply)
Jewels
(available from craft shops)
Glass
nuggets (for flower arranging, they come in gorgeous colours)
Tiny
silk flowers
Pretty
flower braid, with the individual flowers cut apart and interspersed
with silk leaves or green ribbon
Tiny
Barbie figures (fast food give-always)
Left
over or “odd” doll’s shoes and accessories
For
photos of boys:
Jelly
beans
Tiny
plastic soldiers
Tiny
cars
Wheels
of assorted shapes and sizes!
Lego
pieces. This looks great!
Peanuts
in shells
Toy
insects, plastic dinosaurs or farm animals
Stamps
(buy a collectors’ pack of football stamps, for example)
Left-over
or “odd” action man accessories – shoes, boots, helmets etc
For Christmas
Tinsel
Little
cut-outs of Christmassy things, from wrapping paper or old cards (or
have a look at our scrapbook paper page for ideas)
Small
ornaments or bits of ornaments left over from a wreath
Little
ribbon bows
Fake
holly and berries
Gold
stars – either stickers, or shapes cut from cardboard
Gold
and silver beads, or metallic beads in Christmas colours
Red
or green gingham ribbon
Christmas
shapes (trees are easiest!) cut out of craft foam
Dried
cranberries
Spices
(cloves, star anise, cinnamon sticks). This one smells nice too!
Tiny
pine cones
Glitter
– lots of it, with some sequins thrown in for good measure. This is
fun to do but can be messy to display: no matter how well the glitter
is stuck on, it will always find its way off the frame again!
Gold
and silver braid and ribbons
Fake
“spruce”
Miniature
wrapped-up presents – make your own, or buy miniature tree
decorations
Cotton
wool for a snow scene
Small
squares cut from last year’s Christmas cards. Cut them carefully to
include the right colours and you will get a lovely mosaic effect
Squabbling
siblings? Chores not getting done? The Better Behavior Wheel
can help! This unique parenting tool will give you well behaved kids and a stress
free environment. Download instantly and get the
