Christmas Tree

3. 3. Cover the frame with fabric or paper. Glue parts together, making sure you put a hanger made of string, twine or gold thread in between the picture and the backing*. An easier way would be to use die cut picture frames or cut out a frame from our Craft Cuts (available at our shops). You won't need to cover the frame with fabric or paper because it has a design already.

4. Now for the fun part. Embellish! This is the part where all the kids, even a 1 ½ year old, can participate. Just make sure younger kids are supervised well and kept away from anything that can hurt them. Prepare the materials for them and be sure to put a newspaper over your table so it’ll be easy to clean up afterwards.

5. Materials needed for frame: cardboard, fabric or paper to cover frame, string, scissors, glue or a glue gun. Embellishments may include scrap cloth or paper, beads, ribbons, stickers, buttons, gift wrap, cards or magazines to cut up, wallpaper, paper or cloth flowers, little figurines, crochet flowers, die cuts, origami, sand and glue, sequins, lace, foil from candies or chocolates, glitter glue, dried flowers, twigs and whatever you have on hand. To decorate, you and your kids can use rubber stamping, sponging, drawing with colored pencils and crayons, painting, paper piecing and punching, even embroidery.

6. Don’t forget to write details at the back of the frame - Isabel’s birthday, 2002, frame made by Christopher, age 7. To make it more meaningful, add a thanksgiving prayer or blessing.

Tips and Variations

*If this is the first time you’re being crafty, keep it simple. Glue fabric or paper on thin cardboard or even a sheet of paper using white glue diluted with water (1:1). Cut out shape of frame, glue on to picture and cardboard backing with a string in between. Don’t bother wrapping the sides with the fabric.
When you go to a bookstore, supermarket, craft, gift shop or a toy store, look out for something you can use to make unique frames. I found some metal rings and large earring squares in Divisoria. I glued pictures behind them - a quick and easy way to make frames. The most difficult part was finding pictures small enough to fit the frames! I also used some left over tongue depressors to form a frame by overlapping them to form a square. The easiest way to make a frame would be to use those pre-printed frames found in scrapbooking stores but they can be pricey.
If you want to make frames or ornaments out of clay, here’s my favorite recipe for clay that hardens in an oven toaster: In a large saucepan, mix together 1 cup cornstarch and 2 cups baking soda with a whisk. Add 1 ½ cups cold water and stir until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil and starts to thicken into a mass like mashed potatoes that holds its shape. Turn out into dish and cover with a damp cloth. Allow to cool. Once cooled, knead until smooth and elastic. Make only objects ½” thick or it will not harden well. Watch when you put objects in the oven as they may burn if they’re in too long.
Always try to reuse stuff that people usually throw away and here are some ideas for those styrofoam take out boxes that end up dirtying our coastlines. After cleaning it, you can cut it up in shapes (hearts, zigzags, squares, etc.) and make designs on it using a pencil or ballpen. This can now be used as a stamp to decorate your frame. OR you can cut up the styrofoam and use as the frame itself. Indent designs on it and paint.