Make Your Own Picture Frame

What You Need:

• Leftover fabric (prints are more fun than solids)
• Cotton batting
• Cardboard (use old boxes)
• Felt
• Hot glue gun
• Scissors
• Decorations (i.e. buttons, beads, appliqués, etc.)
• Photo of your child

What You Do:

1. Cut the cardboard to the right size for the photo that you want to use. Cut out rectangles just slightly bigger than the 4" x 6" photo.
2. Once you've got your rectangle, you'll need to cut another rectangle inside it to make the frame. Make sure you size it so that the picture your child wants to include will show properly. Note: If you’re doing a batch of these, you might as well use this one as a pattern and go ahead and cut out a bunch at once. Ask your child to trace the frames onto the cardboard while you cut.
3. Encourage your child to choose her favorite fabrics, and help her cut out a matching frame shape from it. You'll want to allow extra fabric on each side for folding over.
4. Ask your child to prepare a "frame" of cotton batting that's smaller than the fabric frame but slightly wider than the cardboard frame.
5. Use fabric glue or a hot glue gun to attach the cotton batting to the cardboard frame. Have your child center the fabric frame on top of the cotton batting and carefully glue it down, pulling it tight and attaching the overlap to the back of the frame. Help your child pull it tight so that the front of the frame looks smooth.
6. Ask your child to cut out a felt rectangle large enough to cover the back of the frame. She should apply glue to the three sides, leaving one side unglued so that it is easy to slip her picture in. Make sure she presses the edges down firmly.
7. Your child can put the photo in and be done, or add some embellishments if she feels like it. Stitching on a few buttons or adding sparkly beads are simple ways your child can adorn her homemade frame!