Customized Theme Frames Make Great Gifts

Super Easy and Rewarding- not to mention Affordable Craft! Makes a great gift!
buy inexpensive frames when you come across a deal. it is more important that you buy frames that are at least fairly well made than for them to be beautiful. You can make them beautiful by painting them any way you like. This frame was actually black to start with. I found the little wooden sailboat (already painted in such cool colors) I choose one of the colors from the boat and applied a coat of a closely related blue to the frame. Get out the hot glue gun and bada boom- you can have a totally custom gift for pennies! Take the glass and backing out and let kids help by painting the first coat on the frame- you can clean it up with a second coat- just make sure there are no "blobs" of paint left by running your brush over it after they are done and before it dries.
You can find the little wooden decor items at craft stores, dollar stores, and even wallmart. There are usually options with animals, flowers, cars & trucks. Paint them yourself or buy them already painted like I did for this one. hint: if you paint your own - you can use a thick tipped black marker to outline your finished piece- it cleans up the lines and looks very professional!! have fun-

Personalized Aprons!

Cute Cute Cute! The aprons aren't bad either! Michaels craft store sells these adorable children's aprons for under $5 and with a little paint, a few scrapbook embelishments, and some imagination- we turned them into these personalized crafting/kitchen aprons! The boy versions are cute too with little bugs or frogs! Hint- using the stick end of the paint brush makes perfect little polka dots!

Kitchen Sink and Stove

Not so ordinary - Cardboard Boxes! The boys had a ball painting these regular old cardboard boxes. We cut doors in the front of each for under sink storage and for a little oven under the stove. On the inside we even mounted shelves out of scrap pieces. Using a hot glue gun - glue pieces of equal height on each side for the "shelf" to rest on. Cut 2 large circles from scrap cardboard for the"eyes" of the stove. (we painted them red for "hot" and used a black marker to draw a black ring around the edge of each one for detail) Cut 2 small round circles for knobs. I used yarn to keep the oven door from falling all the way open by punching holes in the sides, running the yarn through, and knotting the ends. For the towel holder- I recycled an old clothes hanger cardboard dowel (wood works fine) and secured it by wrapping yarn around the ends. (dab with hot glue to secure, then push other ends of yarn through punched holes in side of box and tie knot) Measure a bowl that has a lip before cutting hole in top of "sink" box and then - drop it in! We cut a candy cane shaped "faucet" - painted it dark, and painted "hot" and "cold" knobs to go with it. Play Play Play and have FUN! The charm is in the little details!

Nature Journal

Journal Journal Journal!!! I bought several of these regular composition notebooks on clearance for about 50 cents a piece. They weren't so special until we added some great scrapbooking paper! We even hand cut a bird from coordinating paper to decorate the front of our "Nature Journal"! You can hand cut a design of your choice or use stickers to decorate according to your own theme. ie: daily journal, nature journal, birding journal, scrapbook journal, gardening journal (you get the idea) Have fun! Quick, easy, and practical!

Customized Napkin Rings

Clay napkin rings- This is a super easy craft project that can be customized to suite any decor or for any occasion. These were made for the 4th of July this past summer. Using any craft clay that will harden when baked- just kneed the clay until pliable and then roll by hand the rings. I measured them against store-bought napkin rings I had on hand. The important things are that the napkins you plan to use will fit properly, and that you try to make each ring as uniform as possible. (we aren't shooting for perfection here folks- that might take all the fun out of it) Use a pastry roller to roll out clay in about 1/4 inch thickness and use cookie cutters to cut out themed shape. Bake rings and shapes according to the clay directions before attaching them together. Paint rings and pieces- then use hot glue gun to attach. tip: I placed a napkin in place so that I could get a feel for how to place the star shapes before gluing.

Shell House

Believe it or not - this little house began life as a box of baby wipes (the large Sam's club version). We cut out little windows- being sure to leave the tops attached so that they would open like an old Florida "cracker" house. We cut out the door. Painted it to our liking, and after propping up the sides of the box and stabilizing them to form the roof- we added sea shells. (something we have no lack of) The idea would work for those who don't live near the beach with any organic items of their choice. ie: acorn "hats", leaves, bark
Fun, rewarding, and green! (I just love repurposing)