Crafty Christmas Idea # 1

Saturday, November 27, 2010



Good Morning!

This Christmas I'm trying to be crafty and make creative gifts for as many people as I can. My motivation is that I'm not the biggest fan of the fact that Christmas has become SO commercialized. I know there will always be a sort of double standard because I do like giving and receiving store bought gifts, but I think that there is the potential to become so accustomed to the commercialized Christmas that we might feel like a handmade gift is inadequate in someway. I'm out to address that issue, and also to have an affordable Christmas. Christmas can be a huge financial burden and that isn't what it is about. Also, I have a lot to offer creatively, why shouldn't I make Christmas even more fun because I love to create AND to give my creations away.

What this means for YOU is that I will be trying posting some Crafty Christmas Ideas over the next few weeks. This obviously poses a potential problem because I don't want to show all the people on my Christmas list what they will be receiving, but I will try to find a balance! This first idea is something I did for my mom's birthday, but you could use it for any occasion.

First, here's the photos of the ones I made for mom. I used different textures of cardstock, I think it enhances the small details.





Crafty Christmas Idea #1: Fun Framed Fridge Photos

Great name, right? :)

Here's what you need:

1 - 2.5x4 inch scrap piece of paper or cardstock
2 - 3.5x5 inch rectangles of coordinating colours of cardstock
1 - 3.5x5 inch photo
1 - 3.5x5 rectangle of fun foam
1 - 3.5x5 rectangle of self-adhesive magnet paper
Some kind paper/craft glue
Scissors
Small X-acto knife
Pencil
A heavy book


Here's how to make it:

NOTE: I used my silhouette to make the frames for my mom, but for the sake of this tutorial I'll use scissors and an X-acto knife because you don't need a silhouette. (You could also use hole punches, stickers, etc)

1. Place a 3.5x5 rectangle of cardstock, (nice side down) on the table. Place your scrap rectangle on top, in the centre, but slant it to one side (see photo).

2. Trace the scrap paper on the cardstock then cut out the centre of the cardstock so you have a frame.


3. Now use your first frame as a stencil for your second frame and cut it out so you have two frames that are the exact same (except for colour).



4. Set aside your accent colour. Take your main colour frame and place it face down on the table. Draw a small shape in each corner (squares or triangles are easiest to cut) and cut out with an X-acto knife. If you have some cute hole punches, you could use these instead.



5. Brush glue onto the back of the frame with the cutouts and press on top of the accent frame. Lay them on a flat surface with a heavy book on top for a few minutes.



6. Take your frame out from under the book and place your photo behind the frame and make sure you like the placement. Turn the frame over, brush glue on the back of the frame and then press the photo on. Place it under the heavy book again for a few minutes.


7. You can use this time to peel the paper backing off the magnet rectangle and smooth it onto the back of the fun foam.



8. Take the framed photo out from under the book. If the photo is sticking out from behind the frame on any of the outer edges, trim them. Brush one side of your fun foam rectangle with glue. (Keep the layer fairly thin so it doesn't make the photo too wet.)


9. Put the wrong side of the framed photo onto the glued side of the fun foam. Place under your heavy book for a 15 or 20 minutes (or even overnight) so that everything gets stuck really well. Trim any excess foam or magnet sticking out past the frame


Now enjoy your magnet, and in my case, how cute Mason and I were at my high school graduation!


And that's it! This is one of the easiest ways to make one of these frames, but the sky is the limit, you can get as creative as you like.

3 wonderful comments:

Balancing Lisa said...

what a great idea! These are really cute!!

http://stilettosanddiaperbags.blogspot.com/

Sarah @ Scissors and a Whisk said...

Funnnnn! Do they sell like thin sheets of plastic? I bet it'd add a nice gloss (and prevent fingerprints on the photo)... I'll have to try this -- for myself! So many possibilities what with various shapes for the seasons. :)

Erica @ Acire Adventures said...

Thanks, ladies!

I thought about the clear plastic thing, too, Sarah (but I didn't try it this time). I've heard that clear contact paper can be used for "laminating" things for those of us who don't have a machine to do it, so maybe it would work for this type of thing too? It might be worth checking out, I know contact paper is pretty cheap. Otherwise you might be able to find thin plastic sheets at an office supply store (transparent sheets for overhead projectors, like teachers used to use).

It also crossed my mind that someone could be extra clever and create a frame where you could swap out the pictures. I don't think it would be too difficult, it would just take a little more planning.