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While at the craft store I ran across some unfinished wooden photo frames for $1 each at Michael's Craft Store. I thought they might be nice to alter since there is two inches of space around the frame. They measure 6 inches by 8 inches, hold a 4x6 inch photo, can stand on either the long or short side, or be wall mounted.
These were very simple to make. I gave them a coat of acrylic paint (and crackled one), varnished them, then attached embellishments with E6000 glue. I love using silk or Prima Flowers, real seashells, Scrabble tiles, charms, and rhinestones in my creations.
I've been thinking of making a few as Christmas gifts. It would be very easy to personalize them for that special person or event. Some ideas I've thought of:
Football theme for my husband - I have a great picture of my hubby that I took while we were at a Detroit Lion's football game. You can see the field in the background. I may do a football themed frame for his picture.
Ballet theme for my granddaughter - My granddaughter takes ballet lessons and I have a studio picture that was taken of her in costume. A ballet themed frame would set the picture off nicely.
Animal theme for my dog's photo - I have a beautiful picture of my miniature schnauzer that I would love to put in a doggy themed frame.
Retro theme for my mom - I found an old photo of my mom taken in 1956. It would be fun to embellish a frame with things that brought back memories of her past.
Other great themes could be holidays (Easter, Christmas, etc.), a birthday, a birth, a wedding, or a a favorite hobby. You can really let your imagination run wild with themes for these frames. Happy crafting!
...and I may be forced to do the same very soon.
It's been quite a while since I've been able to blog - or type, or do much of anything that requires using my hands or upper limbs. After my last blog entry I began having having some health issues with pain, numbness and weakness in my neck, hands and arms. Relief comes from lying down, unfortunately, it is difficult to create artwork while on your back, unless, of course, you're Michelangelo and are painting the Sistine Chapel. I don't think this method would work while trying to create a collage, mixed media, or altered art piece, but, if forced in the future, I'll give it a try. The good news is that I've learned some ways to relieve the pain and numbness and am back to creating artwork, and blogging/typing!
I've always wanted to try my hand at creating pendants using domino game pieces. A friend found a couple of boxes of new, black wooden dominoes at a thrift store for .50 a box! I had a few ivory dominoes and some bamboo tiles with pre-drilled holes. Instead of drilling the wooden dominoes I decided to use a small bead as a bail, so I could string the pendant. The beads were attached to the dominoes with E6000 industrial strength glue. Since the bamboo tiles were pre-drilled, I simple threaded a length of cord through, and secured them with a bead before tying a small knot.
For the photos on the pendants, I measured the dominoes and bamboo tiles then printed a sheet of various scaled down graphics from my collection. These were attached on the plain side of the domino with craft glue, and once dry, were given a coat of varnish for protection. Glitter, charms and seashells were added last, attached with E6000. Finally, I cut lengths of cord found in the "jewelry findings" department of Michael's Craft Store.
