Photo Crafts

Be creative when you display your photos around the house. There are many ways to display photos with pride in addition to hanging them on a wall or placing them in a photo book. Here are a few suggestions.

A Set of Photo Blocks

Print a photograph of your child on sticky backed photo paper. Then, cut it out into squares that will fit onto one side of a set of blocks. You can use wooden or plastic blocks, any kind you choose, purchased from a toy store. If the adhesive doesn't stick to the block, carefully apply the photograph with hot glue, wood glue, or whatever adhesive is appropriate for the material chosen. The blocks can be placed together like a puzzle to reveal your prized photo. Give the blocks to your child to be used as a toy, mount them onto a wall, display them on a table, or give them as a gift. The possibilities are endless.

A Photo Family Tree

Use a sheet of poster board if you plan to try this project for less formal occasions such as a school project or just for fun. Use a large sheet of tagboard, feltboard, or even painted plywood - any material you choose, really - all of which can be framed if you wish to create something more formal that you can display in your family room or somewhere else in your home.

Place the board in a place that is easily accessible, especially if several family members are working on the project at the same time. In the center of the board, place a photograph of your family unit. This photo should be a little larger than the rest if possible. The, work your way around the central photograph as you add photographs of parents, grandparents, great grand parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and so forth.

This project can be as large and involved as you wish or as simple as desired. Be sure to mount all photographs so that each one can be view right side up when mounted on a wall. Add to it if needed and enjoy for years to come.

Mount Photos Onto Crown Molding or Baseboard Scraps

Now here is a unique idea. Obtain scraps of crown-molding or baseboards. Sand them, paint them, or leave them as they are. It is totally up to you. Fancier crown-molding is best because there is usually a flat, wide section that is perfect for mounting smaller photographs such as 3.5 X 5 or 5 X 7 prints. Then, mount your photograph to the widest section. Attach mounting hardware to the back. Hang it on a wall or display it on a small easel.

Scrapbook Tiling

Do you have a page in a favorite scrapbook that you wish everyone could see. They can. Purchase a sheet of large tile. Glue the page onto the tile. Smooth over it a high gloss finish such as EnviroTex. The finish will harden over the page. You can do the same thing with a single photograph is you wish. Display it on a wall or an easel.

You can also use tile instead of blocks as mentioned in the first section of this article. The result will be your photo masterpiece cut into sections that will fit onto several tiles. Arrange the tiles so that your photograph is displayed as desired.

Homemade Gift Wrap

Gift wrap using photographs? Really? Yes, and it is very simple. Your kids can help. Provide your children with the largest sheet of white paper that will onto a color copier/printer. Have them go through magazines and photographs. Be sure you allow them to sift through photographs that you do not want returned. Have them cut out the magazine pictures and the photographs and create a collage onto the paper. They can glue on the images with stick glue. When they finish and the glue dries, photo copy and print the image as many times as needed for gift wrapping purposes. What a great idea!