Don't miss...
	Back To School
	Grandparent's Day
	Autumn
	Halloween
	AV Baby

120 Sudoku Puzzles specially graded for kids! Download and print now!

Christmas is coming!
Need help? Free inspiration, crafts, decorating ideas, planning sheets, recipes, printables and more!
Click here!

Photo Frames from 
CD Boxes

Grandparents, aunties and uncles and godparents always love to get photos of their favourite children. Nice frames can be expensive to buy and impersonal too. Why not get your children to help you create some frames with bits and pieces you have lying around your house? You will all have great fun doing it and will produce fun little frames that will be especially treasured because the kids had a hand in making them. Be warned – this idea is addictive!

You will need:

Empty CD boxes
Scissors and glue
Craft supplies and household bits and pieces (see suggestions below)

We always seem to have empty CD boxes lying around – and if you don’t, you can buy them very cheaply at computer or record stores.

Instructions:

Open your CD box and take out the paper inserts and the molded plastic piece into which the CD itself fits.

Cut your photo to just smaller than the box. You will be fitting it into the back of the box with the hinged edge at the top, so about 4 inches wide and 4 ¾ inches high is perfect, but don’t worry too much! Fix the photo against the plastic with a few small pieces of sticky-tape. Find a nice piece of cardboard, gift wrap or fun foam which will complement your design and cut this to fit snugly behind the photo and to the edges of the frame (4 ¾ inches wide, 5 ¼ inches high). Fix with glue or sticky-tape with the pattern, if any, facing into the box. When your frame is finished you will open the box out to stand it up, so this backing protects your photo.

Now all you need to do is draw a line of glue on the outside edges of the front of the CD box and start decorating! Use whatever you have to hand. You can build on the theme of the photo, the season, or the particular interests of the recipient. Our examples above are obviously on a Christmas theme.

Artwork instead of a photo
Another idea is to use some “artwork” which the children have created instead of a photo, and surround it with something which complements the work. Get a little one to write “I Love You Granny” in their best writing and then stick on their own choice of stickers and beads, and you will have created a present which will be treasured forever!

Here are some decorating ideas to get you started:

For photos of girls:

• Sparkly beads – either individual or pre-strung necklaces
• Pearl beads (you may be able to buy an old “pearl” necklace in a charity shop cheaply)
• Jewels (available from craft shops)
• Glass nuggets (for flower arranging, they come in gorgeous colours)
• Tiny silk flowers
• Pretty flower braid, with the individual flowers cut apart and interspersed with silk leaves or green ribbon
• Tiny Barbie figures (fast food give-always)
• Left over or “odd” doll’s shoes and accessories

For photos of boys:

• Jelly beans
• Tiny plastic soldiers
• Tiny cars
• Wheels of assorted shapes and sizes!
• Lego pieces. This looks great!
• Peanuts in shells
• Toy insects, plastic dinosaurs or farm animals
• Stamps (buy a collectors’ pack of football stamps, for example)
• Left-over or “odd” action man accessories – shoes, boots, helmets etc

For Christmas

• Tinsel
• Little cut-outs of Christmassy things, from wrapping paper or old cards (or have a look at our scrapbook paper page for ideas)
• Small ornaments or bits of ornaments left over from a wreath
• Little ribbon bows
• Fake holly and berries
• Gold stars – either stickers, or shapes cut from cardboard
• Gold and silver beads, or metallic beads in Christmas colours
• Red or green gingham ribbon
• Christmas shapes (trees are easiest!) cut out of craft foam
• Dried cranberries
• Spices (cloves, star anise, cinnamon sticks). This one smells nice too!
• Tiny pine cones
• Glitter – lots of it, with some sequins thrown in for good measure. This is fun to do but can be messy to display: no matter how well the glitter is stuck on, it will always find its way off the frame again!
• Gold and silver braid and ribbons
• Fake “spruce”
• Miniature wrapped-up presents – make your own, or buy miniature tree decorations
• Cotton wool for a snow scene
• Small squares cut from last year’s Christmas cards. Cut them carefully to include the right colours and you will get a lovely mosaic effect  

Lots more ideas on Page 2

Back to Gifts Kids Can Make! 

Back to Kids Crafts

A Small Publishing Website    Contact Us    Sudoku for Kids   Privacy Policy

These pages are property of Activity Village and are for personal and classroom use only