25 Days of Christmas 2012- December 8th: "It's No Puzzle" Picture Frame Gift and Giveawayjayne ayre, charlot bronte, article submission blog, brontë charlotte, emile bronte

25 Days of Christmas 2012- December 8th: "It's No Puzzle" Picture Frame Gift and Giveaway

Christmas, a time of giving.

I remember when I was growing up how much homemade gifts meant to my mom. I don't know if you feel the same way, but I can understand where she was coming from. In fact, I know she still feels the same way. A gift made specifically for a loved one is made from the heart. Our children LOVE to make things for us all the time and we accept them with such enthusiasm, because we know they were made out of love.

It is so easy to go to the store and pick out gifts for those on our list and I realize it takes time to make a gift. But, I hope you will think about helping your children make this special gift for the special people in their lives. We are making these photo frames for both my mom and hubby's parents because I feel they make great gifts for grandparents. I know my mom will love to have the little ones make one of these for her because she still has the frame the older children made for her 11 years ago.

They are really simple to make, yet they put a new spin on giving pictures as gifts.

Here is what you will need:
Old jigsaw puzzle (60 pc or 100 pc)
Red, Green and Glitter acrylic paint
White school glue
Cardstock or Poster board
Cardboard cut just a little bigger than the Card Stock/Poster Board
Picture(s)

We started out by painting the back of some puzzle pieces red and green.

When they were dry I gathered the glue, cardboard, cardstock, and pictures.

I made the cardboard just a little bit bigger than the cardstock because I wanted to have a little extra room for the puzzle pieces. I didn't want to pictures to be crowded.

Whatever you do, don't forget to paint some outer edge pieces. You will need the flat part for the bottom of the frame so it will sit flat on whatever surface the receiver of the gift places it. By the way, I almost forgot.

I showed the girls how to place the puzzle pieces so that the cardboard edge wasn't showing.

Then we added the pictures and I wrote, "It's no puzzle" on one side, and "We love you" on the other side.

When it was dry I prepared to add a stand. I cut a strip of cardboard about 1 inch taller than the height of the frame. I had to play with it a bit and ended up cutting off 1/2 an inch to get it to sit right.

Fold the top of the strip at about 1 inch and attach almost to the top of the frame.

Then I cut a smaller strip to help hold the stand steady. I folded it 3 times because the ends are attached to the frame and the stand, then the middle fold helps it to bend to lay it flat for shipping.