Crafty Homemade Frames for Vacation Photos

During all our family adventures from Chicago to Florida, Baltimore to the Bahamas, we have managed to build up a hefty pile of photos. Those moments you want to treasure sometimes get stuffed away in an envelope with every intention of doing something special with them.

While trying to keep the kids busy on a rainy day, we came up with crafts that made use out of items in our recycle bin to make cute homemade picture frames! It was easy enough that my 2 year could help out and fun enough to keep my 10 year old entertained. After we completed the bottle cap frame, perfect for those tiny photos you are never sure how to use them, we went on to make uses of lids and even a tissue box. With the help of some ribbon, glitter, paint, nail polish, paper clips and a hot glue gun, we were able to create that special place for our memories.

You Will Need:

Your Imagination – (Use items from your recycle bin or from around the house. Below is a list of what we used.)
Lids
Tissue Box
Paper Clips
Hot Glue Gun and Extra Glue
Paint
Glitter
Ribbon
Nail Polish

* Clean all lids, bottle caps, containers or whatever you found to create your frames. Make sure surfaces are also dry and free of any debris.*

For The Bottle Cap Frame:

1. Paint a layer of nail polish on the inside of the bottle cap. We used a matte black and then did a coat of glittery top coat. Feel free to use your own preferred colors. Let dry for 5-10 minutes.
2. Cut a picture to fit the inner circle of the cap and dot a bit of glue from the hot glue gun in the center to secure photo.
3. Make a bow with ribbon and hot glue the bottle cap to the center. We attached ours to another homemade picture frame, but you could also glue a paper clip to the back to make a hook for hanging it solo.

For the Tissue Box Frame:

1. Cut the top off the tissue box where you pull the tissue out.
2. Remove the clear plastic from the inside of the box.
3. Create a design with paint or paper. We liked the design on the box so we left alone.
4. Trim a photo to fit on the inside of the trimmed tissue box.
5. Place a few tiny dots of glue onto the inside to secure photo. (You can also use tape in place of glue for this frame.)
6. Glue ribbon along the outside edge of the tissue box leaving excess at the top to hang it.

For the Lid Frame:

1. Glue ribbon along the outside edge of the frame.
2. Trim a photo to fit the inside of the lid.
3. Glue another paper clip to the back.
4. Glue more ribbon the to the back and attach it to the bottle cap frame. (Optional, but show in image above.)

For the Second Lid Frame:

1. Use two lids and begin by painting the larger lid with any color you like. We did purple and sprinkled glitter on the wet paint. Let dry for 15 – 20 minutes.
2. Place a medium sized dot of hot glue in the center and place the smaller lid inside the painted lid.
3. Cut a photo to fit the smaller lid and secure with another small dot of hot glue.
4. Flip the lid over and glue a paperclip to the back. This will give you a hook to hang on a nail.