Picture Frame Ideas

Photo Album and Picture Frame Ideas for Presents

For the holidays we usually give a family gift to our daughter's family, something they can all enjoy together. This year we got a little more personnel with presents.

Skylar, our oldest granddaughter, requested photo albums and picture frames to keep memories. She loves art, photography and making crafts so I came up with some unique picture frame ideas and got crafty and personalized the photo albums. Crafty gifts fit right in with my challenge to myself this holiday to re-purpose and recycle.

I purchased picture albums I could be creative with, along with a couple ordinary wooden picture frames. Using mod podge and paper, I created a theme that would suit Skylar, skulls. Like a lot of young people, skulls and peace signs are a part of Skylar's wardrobe and decor for her bedroom.

I like the results I achieve with mod podge, but it's not the easiest to work with when it comes to paper. A couple suggestions, 1) use a thin coat of mod podge, 2) let the surface dry until it's tacky before adhering the paper. If the surface is too wet, the paper will bubble up and it's hard to smooth the bubbles out. Over working will result in the paper tearing.

Any decorative paper, fabric and decorative trim will work to personalize albums and frames. Decorate one album by using several different decorative fabrics or papers for a patch work design.

Materials Used;

• Picture Albums
• Wooden Picture Frames
• Decorative Paper
• Decorative Trim
• Craft Paint
• Mod Podge

How to;

Using paper or fabric with similar colors to the album will make it easier to apply the decorations to the out side cover and not have to overlap on the inside cover. Example, the two small albums are black so I used paper with black back ground or black details.

Apply a thin coat of mod podge to the album cover, let set a few minutes to become tacky before adhering paper. Smooth paper on front, back and side; decorate with paint or decorative trim; finish with two coats of mod podge.

For the picture frames, adhere the same way as the albums. Cut decorative paper to fit all four sides of the frame, lightly cover the frame with mod podge, let set before adhering paper. Finish with two coats of mod podge.

I also had fun decorating presents by re-purposing craft paper, burlap, old ornaments, and cardboard.

For Thanksgiving I decorated brown craft paper with leaves to use as a table runner on a breakfast buffet. I re-used the decorated craft paper to wrap presents.

Jute was used as ribbon and old wood ornaments spray painted silver were used for name tags.

In the fall I found a roll of burlap for $1.49 in a discount store. I like burlap so I new it would come in handy. The burlap worked great as wrapping paper with jute for ribbon, bells cut out of card board and painted red for name tags.

The craft paper and burlap could be used to wrap presents any time of the year. All that needs to be changed is the name tag for what ever the occasion may be.