Photo Charm Crafts and Home Decor

Photo charms are so cute, and they come in so many sizes and shapes, any of which would look great on craft projects. They're usually made like a picture frame and can be found at any craft supply store. Often, the photo charm frames will come in a pack of two or three. They have shapes such as ovals, stars, hearts, and squares which can be turned diagonally to form a diamond shape. These types of frames are inexpensive, usually plastic. You can also find mini frames of higher quality if you prefer.

One of the nicest home decor projects you can do with the frames is a wall section. Choose a small wall section of your home and cover it with photo charm frames. The best way to do the project is to hang some type of wallpaper first. This allows you to later tear the paper down, removing frames and all. It also helps you to align the frames on a certain section and makes it easy to affix the charms to the wall.

After attaching a piece of plain or decorative wallpaper, and allowing it to dry completely, you can start to work on arranging the photo charms. Decide which shape of frame you will use. The possibilities are endless. Use red, white and blue wallpaper then use the star-shaped frames for the photos. Or arrange oval photos in a row. After deciding on the pattern place all photos in all frames. Use the measurements of the frames to decide how to arrange them frames on the wallpaper. For instance, if five frames, up and down, will be 20", but your wallpaper piece is 25",
you'll need to allow 1" gaps between the rows.

Start by using hot glue or contact cement to attach the first photo charm to the wall. Any hanging apparatus on the back of the frame should be removed before gluing. Make sure you've taken proper measurements so you'll know how much space to leave between each one. Place the second one, continuing this until the frames are all in a row. Begin the next row, then the next.

You don't have to use all oval or all square shapes. Do one row with ovals and the next with squares or even stars. Each arrangement will give you a different look. Using all square shapes will give a continuous look to the wall area. Star shapes will leave much of the wallpaper showing. The photos don't have to be arranged in an overall rectangular pattern. You can cut the wallpaper into a giant oval or round shape. The project is easy, unique and beautiful.

You can do other great wall arrangements with the charms, too. Hang an 8x10" frame on the wall then hang many of the 4" photo charm frames all the way around the perimeter of the large frame. Have the large frame hold a picture of your child or grandchild, then the surrounding pictures can be ones of the same child at various stages in his or her life. You can arrange the small pictures as a rectangular border or create a circle that goes around the 8x10" frame.

Another way to use the photo charms around your home is to glue one to each of four corners of a rectangular mirror. Or, inset one at the center of the top front piece of a bookcase. One more great idea is to attach a small photo charm to the corner of a picture frame. If the picture is your son's school photo, for example, use the photo charm to attach a second picture of him in his baseball uniform. Simply use hot glue or contact cement to attach the second frame at one of the bottom corners of the frame.

Attach one photo charm frame to the front of a scrapbook. The photo can be of the family, with pictures inside, or can be just a picture of the family dog. There are some frames that lay extremely flat for use inside the scrapbook.

Make a unique photo project using the charm frames by placing craft sticks in a vase. Glue the photo charm frames on some of the sticks and glue silk flowers onto the other sticks. On other sticks glue small novelties like stars, rainbow, trophy, smiley faces or other things. You can find hundreds of tiny novelties at a craft store. Look at the photos you've put on the sticks. If there's one of a girl with a dog glue a small craft dog onto one stick. If there's a picture of a boy fishing glue a tiny fish on one stick. This makes a really cute gift for Grandmothers and Moms.

Attach two charm frames, back to back, to a pull-cord of a light or ceiling fan. Glue one of the charms to the front or top of an inexpensive jewelry box to personalize it. Or make Christmas stockings unique and use the charm frames, rather than names, to identify each stocking.

In the kitchen, the frames are a great way of displaying a thought for the day. The charm frames don't have to hold photos - cut a small poem or saying out and put it in the frame. Use many of the frames on the fridge to make a photo charm design of family pictures and captions. Glue adhesive strips on the back so the frames will stick to the fridge. There are many other crafts you can do with the small photo charms. Make unique pins, hair bows, bracelets, Christmas ornaments and displays.