Picture Frame

Materials Needed:
• picture frame
• scrap pieces of paper
• Mod Podge
• vinyl contact paper
• etching cream
• silk flowers
• rhinestones
• craft knife
• 2 photos
• cardboard
• hot glue & hot glue gun



This is a frame I made for my little sis who is going to camp for 3 weeks. I wanted it to be fun and funky and several layers. I bought a frame that was simple but had a 3-dimensional quality since I had planned to make it with layers. Then I grabbed my scrap pieces of paper and Mod Podge and decoupaged the frame (I took out the glass and mat board and back piece off). On the back area where the back piece would fit in I tried to keep any paper and Mod Podge off of it (it didn't work out to well but I will get to that).

While I waited for the sides to dry I got the glass and cleaned it thoroughly and then placed the vinyl contact paper on top of the glass where I wanted to etch the glass (it's a bit hard to see all the etching in the photo above but it adds a nice frosted layer to the frame). When they vinyl contact paper was in place and the bubbles smoothed out I drew a leaf vine type design on 2 of the corners and then got my craft knife and cut out the design. Next I got the etching cream and brushed it on according to the instructions and waited the directed amount of time. Then I rinsed it off thoroughly in warm water and took the stencil off then cleaned the glass again.

When the frame was dried I placed the etched glass into the frame. Then I printed out the photos I wanted to use. One for the foreground cut out collage style and black and white and the other to be the main picture. Then I figured out where I wanted the front picture to be placed and hot glued cardboard behind it to make it more 3-dimensional.

Once the pictures were in place I put the back of the frame on, which as you know I had some issues with- I guess some Mod Podge or paper got into the spot or something. So I grabbed my craft knife and trimmed the back board to fit into the frame snugly.

Once that was all done I hot glued little purple bows and some of those silk flowers I have lying around and rhinestones on top. Now she will have a nice handmade picture frame to bring with her to camp.

Super Simple Pocket Notebook

Materials Needed:
• thin cardboard
• decorative paper
• hole punch
• paper of your choice for inside
• glue
• ribbon
• sticker or other decorations (optional)


* front


* back

So this little pocket notebook is a really easy one to make. I just grabbed some thin cardboard laying around and cut it to the size I wanted my notebook to be. Then I cut out an exact replica so I have 2 pieces of thin cardboard for front and back of my book. Next I got my decorative paper and glued it onto each piece of cardboard separately. I trimmed around the edges so that I had enough to fold over but not too much so that it would be bulky. Then I folded it over to the other side and glued it down. Then I grabbed a piece of plain colored paper and folded the edges to be just short of my original measurements and then folded it the other way and gently tore where I folded it (giving me a nice deckle edge). Then I glued that onto the inside cover (do this twice so you have a front and back piece). Next I got my hole punch and punched 2 holes in it where I wanted them.

Then I cut out my writing/drawing paper to be the size of my cardboard and punched holes in it using my covers as a template to match the holes. I grabbed some next and threaded it through the holes and tied a few knots. Finally I added a thick glittery heart sticker on top. You can decorate however you want or even leave it plain and draw on it as you go.

Recycled Jar Lid Collage

Materials needed:
• jar lid (mine had about a 3 in. diameter)
• Mod Podge
• paint brush
• scrap paper
• scrap ribbon
• scrap felt
• photo (I printed mine out after resizing it to fit into the 3 in. jar lid)
• cardboard scraps
• glue on jewels
• hot glue




This idea sort of came to me after finding this lids that I had saved to one day do a craft project with (that was like 3 years ago) and so I decided it was time to use them. At first I just Mod Podged the pictures in and painted the Mod Podge on top and added some of the jewels. It looked alright but I wanted to add an element of fun to it, so I went back to the drawing board and came up with the idea of a 3-D collage lid.

First, I got a picture of my husband and I at our wedding and printed it out (sized to fit my 3 in. diameter). Then I traced the lid onto a sheet of scrap paper and cut a circle out (cutting inside the edge a bit so that it would fit). I did this to the polka dot paper and the pink tree paper-both being cut into circles. Then I put the polka dot one for the background in the lid and used Mod Podge all over. Then I took my pink paper and drew a tree shape on the back side and cut it out. Then I used the Mod Podge and placed the tree inside the lid.

Next I took the photo and cut out the background and cut the bottom into a circular shape to fit the lid. I glued the photo to a scrap piece of cardboard and then hot glued it into the lid. Then I cut out a heart out of some orange scrap paper and painted some glitter on it then glued some thinner cardboard to it and glued it behind out heads. Then I got some glue on jewels and made little blossoms for the tree.

Then I got some scrap ribbons and took a white one with wire and scrunched it around the back hot gluing as I went. Next I took a thin ribbon and glues it on the edges of the lid. To finish the back I cut out a felt circle and hot glued it to the back of the lid.

I am not sure yet what this will be but it can be a magnet by gluing a magnet on or I may hang a piece of ribbon from it and make it a hanging picture or an ornament for our tree this year. Not sure yet but there are a few possibilities for sure.