Unique Picture Frames

When school is out for holidays and summer break, moms and dads often find themselves scurrying around in attempts to keep these young minds and hands occupied. Crafts are a wonderful way to entertain children and channel their creative energy. One of my favorite crafts for children (young or older) is decorating picture frames for them to exhibit their favorite photo in, give as gifts, or simply have hours of fun.

Before beginning this craft, make sure that you have picture frames of all shapes and sizes. Your local dollar stores are a great place to start looking for frames. You want to purchase plain frames that are free of decoration or ornamentation, so they do not compete with the decorations the kids add. Whether the frames are wood, plastic, or even paper, your kids will go nuts when given a chance to express themselves with this terrific craft.

You will also need buttons. Bags of assorted buttons are available inexpensively in craft stores like Michael's, or you can create your own bag of buttons by removing them from old shirts, suits, and dresses.

Have your children pick out a few (or even a dozen) of their favorite photos. Then get them to make a list of the people that they would like to decorate a frame for to give as gifts. Now is a great time to make those Christmas gifts for teachers, aunts, and uncles.

Finally, you will need glue that is appropriate for the ages of children and picture frame materials that you are using. A great place to learn which glue is appropriate for your project is at the following website: http://www.beaconcreates.com/cchart.html If you will spend a little time acquainting yourself with the different types of glue, it can save you a lot of time and even money. There are a few cautionary words regarding glues. If you are working with small children, never use glue that dries instantly (like Super Glue)! Small hands are not coordinated enough to handle the glue safely. Also, be sure that you check to make certain the glue is not toxic. Children are notorious for sticking dirty fingers in their mouths. While the temptation may be great to use a hot glue gun, I do not suggest that unless the children are much, much older. Hot glue guns can cause serious burns when not handled properly.

What You Need

Now you are ready to begin your project. If you want to cut down on squabbling, I find that it works better to give each child a bottle of glue and bowl of buttons. To summarize, you need

· picture frames

· buttons

· photos

· glue

Let' Get Started

Pick out a frame and a photo to use for instructional purposes, so you can illustrate for the children the steps for creating their personalized picture frame.

Lay the frame down flat.

Choose the buttons that you would like to use.

Position them where you think they will look best. You are not going to glue them at this point, because you may change your mind about shapes and colors and even the spot on the frame that you are going to put the button.

Once you have all the buttons in place, stand back and encourage the kids to offer their opinion and suggestions about the layout. Once you have made your final changes and have the frame looking the way you want it, lift the buttons one at a time and place a drop of glue on the spot where the button is. Lay the button on the glue spot and press firmly. Remember to leave the frame undisturbed until the glue has dried.

Once the buttons have thoroughly dried, the children can put their photos in the frames. If they want to document the time and reason for the gift, they can use a permanent marker (I love Sharpies) and write their name, the date, and a greeting on the back of the frame (like Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday, etc.). You will be amazed at how lovely these frames look and the children will be very pleased with their accomplishments. You and the recipients of these photo frames will proudly display them and treasure them for years to come. If you are willing to invest a little more money for these treasures, you can find terrific novelty buttons at craft stores that add an extra touch of personality to the photo frames - like the flag, dragonfly, and wooden words that appear on the image of a photo frame decorated by a 3-year old child.

Other items that are great to use for decorating frames are listed below and many of them are things you already have in your home or can find in your yard. Have fun!

Gemstones

Earrings

Acorns

Macaroni

Glitter

Paint

Old jewelry

Seeds

Nuts

Small rocks