Name Block Photo Clips

As part of my last-minute Christmas gifting, I made a modified version of the Wooden Joy Banner for several of my family members.

I made several for my cousin's little girls, Victoria ...

... and Alexi. These were both hinged, but it's nice that there's the option of displaying either way.

And for another cousin's new little baby boy, Parker.

I also made some full-name blocks for my aunts for their grandbabies.

I just made a separate one for each name, rather than hinging it.

And I selected different stitch fonts too.

And I also did one for each of my grandmas. The longer lettering allowed for more picture clips, which is great since they have lots of grandchildren!

Check out my tutorial on how to make the photo clips and of course the Wooden Joy Banner to see how to make the hinged letter blocks.

I think the options for this idea are endless. I can see something coming up for Valentine's day already!

Thanks for visiting!!

And don't forget to check out the endless list of inspirational ideas at my home page childmade.com.

Halloween Candy Wrapper Frame

The trick-or-treating is done, the costumes are put away, and you've already eaten far too much Halloween candy, but that doesn't mean the Halloween fun is over! Chow down a bit more candy, but this time, unwrap it a little more slowly, savor the yummy goodness, and save the wrappers to make this decoupage frame to help remember the season. (... just in case the extra 5 pounds you gained wasn't enough!)


You'll need a picture frame with a flat surface, decoupage and an applicator (I used a sponge brush,) a collection of clean candy wrappers and a pair of scissors, and optionally a small file. In addition, gather whatever small embellishments you might have leftover from your decorations or treat bags.

Because of the drying time needed for the decoupage, this project will take several short sittings.

Apply a generous layer of decoupage to the surface of the frame. Open the candy wrappers flat and trim as needed. Place the candy wrappers unto the decoupage.

Repeat the process all the way around the frame. Once all the wrappers are placed, apply another layer of decoupage over the top.

I learned with this project that candy wrappers are not like paper -- they don't absorb the decoupage, plus they have a little fight in them. So originally I had hoped to wrap the candy wrappers around the sides of the frame, but I wasn't able to get a good corner to the edge, plus the wrappers tended to peel back up. You might have more experience or better luck, but I was content with the front being covered.

Now, you'll need to set the frame someplace to dry. Since my candy wrappers were rather stubborn, I opted to place the frame face-down on a piece of plastic wrap with a weight pressing it down. This helped to ensure that none of the wrappers would pop-up at the edges when I wasn't looking. (They're sneaky that way.)

Once the decoupage is dry, use a scissors to trim the candy wrappers up to the edge of the frame.

Apply another layer of decoupage. I found that it wasn't necessary to lay the frame upside-down again, since all the wrappers were tacked down.

After finishing with the decoupage, I decided I didn't like the color of my frame showing around the edges, since I wasn't able to turn the wrappers around the edges. I used a small brush and carefully applied a coat of paint to the edges. With the wrappers I used, paint washed right off any unintentional spots.

Next, I took a file and sanded the edge of the decoupage to remove any rough spots from the scissors.

I still wasn't happy with the finished edges, so I decided to add a little ribbon to soften the edge. I used tacky glue and ran a thin line along the edge, then placed the ribbon and trimmed the ends. I'm a real fan of hot glue, but in this case, the white glue lets you adjust the alignment of the ribbon before it sets. And there's nothing worse in crafting than messing up a project when you're almost finished.

I also added ribbon to the inside edge.

I found an embroidered bat that I had left over from the badges I made for my son's boyscout caving expedition.

A couple of pom's with google eyes ...

... and a witch's broom add just a little charm and dimension. (To see how to make the broom from a dowel rod and raffia, see my instructions for the aluminum can snowman.)

Now, just include a picture of your little boo or ghoul and you're finished!.

I think what I like most about this project (well, besides eating the candy, of course) is how the frame is almost like a trophy for a "Super Candy Achievement Award," complete with a portrait in full team uniform.


Now to figure out something to do with the rest of the candy.....


Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Paper DOILY Bird Tutorial

I thought I would post a simple idea that doesn't need much instruction, but which I thought was utterly wonderful. This is not an original idea but came out of my archives. Unfortunately, that means I don't have a source (could be grandma, could be something I saw at a craft fair years ago, could be something that morphed in my head.) In any case, I hope you enjoy it.

For this project, all you need is one paper doily, any size, and a 6" length of narrow ribbon. But I'd recommend having more than one handy, since they're so easy and I'm sure you'll want to do more than one. For tools, you'll need a pair of scissors and a hole punch.

Using the template below, or something similar, cut out the parts for the body and the wings. Fold the body in half from the tip of the beak to about half-way down the back. Cut a slit through the fold at an angle as indicated in the template. While folded, punch a hole past the fold into the section just cut, as indicated on the template.

Now slide the wing section into the slit, tie the ribbon through the punched holes, and that's it!

Since you can get paper doilies at the dollar store for about $1 for 100 doilies, you can make tons of these for just a few bucks.

FALL Handmade Card Tutorial

I'm quite sure that when my mom taught me how to sew a few decades ago, she never imagined I would someday use the ability to stitch greeting cards. But the selection of thread colors and fancy stitches available with sewing is like adding a whole storage cabinet to your scrapbooking closet, but without requiring the added space.

This particular card was done with a combination of paper and fabric. Printed fabrics are available in a wide variety of designs that are appropriate for a fall card, or solid-colored fabric cut to shape works well too. A coordinating piece of sackcloth, a few buttons, and a little raffia add some dimension to the effect.

The leaf in this example was selected fresh from the outdoors and secured to the card front using 5 metal eyelets. Hammering the holes and attaching the eyelets is my son's favorite part.

The inside of the card was done in a similar theme. In this case, I used the card for an October birthday, but it could be used for any occasion.

And if you don't have a sewing machine, hand-stitching makes for an even more personal touch.

Paper Pumpkin

I found this wonderful idea on Artists Helping Children. I made a couple of modifications to the instructions in order to reduce the time needed to make it and thought I'd share those hints with you.

The supplies you'll need are as follows:
- a paper towel or toilet paper roll
- various fall colors of construction paper. You'll need one full-sized sheet for the outside color.
For tools, you'll need scissors and glue (thick white glue or glue sticks.)

Begin by cutting down the tube to the size you'd like. My example is about 2 1/2" tall. The taller the tube, the taller the pumpkin, and vice-versa.

Next, cut a strip of construction paper that will fit the tube. Wrap and glue in place.

Cut 4 tabs of construction paper about 3/4" x 6" (6" = the circumference of the tube.) These can be any color as they won't be seen on the completed project.

Cut the full-sized sheet of construction paper into narrow strips. In my example, I cut the strips so that they were 8 1/2" long. If you cut them longways, you will have a bigger pumpkin.

Now, arrange the strips into a section as wide as the 6" tabs. These don't have to be neat and can overlap.

Glue one of the tabs onto the strips at the end, covering the whole length of the tab. When the glue has set so that the strips are movable, flip them over and glue another tab on the opposite side of the first. Repeat this process at the opposite end of the strips.

If you're doing this for a class project, this is a good time to have your students put their name on it. If they put their name near one end of the strips, it will be on the bottom but still be visible. This end will be the bottom.

On one end only, cut the tab into 4 sections. It won't be a problem if some the the strips need to be trimmed in order to separate the sections.

Now, roll the "top" or uncut end into a circle that will fit inside the end of the tube.

Slip the tab for the rolled strips inside the tube and glue in place. Give this just a minute to dry/set.

Next, take one of the 4 sections on the other end of the strips and loop them up to the opposite end of the tube. Tuck the tab inside the tube and glue in place. For this portion of the project, it helps to position your thumb through the open end of the tube to hold down the glued ends while they set.

Repeat with the other 3 sections until you have a rounded pumpkin. If any of the strips are overlapped in an awkward manner, take a moment to arrange them properly.

Now cut a section of brown construction paper about 8" by 6" and roll it into a tube just slightly smaller than the center of the pumpkin. Crumple one end and twist. This will make the stem. Glue the stem into the top end of the pumpkin.

Cut a piece of green construction paper into the shape of a leaf. Pinch one end together to form a stem. Slide the stem of the leaf into the top of the pumpkin next to the brown stem and glue in place.

HINT: I thought I would really like the pumpkin done in the plaid print. However, since the backside of the paper was white, the print was sort of lost in the finished project. If you want to go fancier than a solid color, I suggest you find a two-sided print.

HINT 2: The original instructions indicate to apply the strips individually. This works very well for the final product, but takes much more time, and the glue tends to get messy with all the handling.