temple picture gifts

Need an idea for Christmas gifts? I made these for my neighbors for Christmas this year.  And the fun part about it is that you can hand it on your tree and then hand it somewhere else to enjoy all year long. I also made them for my kiddos you hand in their rooms.

All you need

one 5x7 picture of the temple

one 5x5 block

Mod Podge

Black paint

Brush

Ribbon

Drill

Start by cutting your picture into a 5x5 square. Paint your block and dry. Once the block is painted Mod Podge your picture on to one side of the block.  Now that your picture is on and dried. Drill holes for your ribbon and lace the ribbon through.

For temple pictures visit my Blog. http://www.hollievansphotography.blogspot.com/  or my Etsy store HolliCycle and you can order them in many sizes. If ordering multiples in the same size I will give you 10% discount

picture blocks

Here is a fun halloween decorations that is personal to your family and pretty inexpensive.  I have seen a lot of these pictures blocks so we decided to try it.  I edited my photos and put the text letter on the photo in Picasa from Google.  It is a free software download that I use a lot.  I am sure there are many other photo editing software programs that would do something similar.  I then had the pictures printed just in regular 4x6 size.  I then cropped the photos a little more to create different heights and to slim them down to fit on the blocks.  

I then cut a scrap piece of 2x4 into the sizes I needed for the photos.  I then sanded and painted the blocks.  Next I put some modge podge on the blocks, stuck the photos on, and then put a top layer of modge podge over the photo.  Last I sanded the edges a little.  This could be made for any holiday.  Happy Halloween!!

family photo booth

This is a great way to capture real and silly moments together as a family.  Find a little area to create a booth,  pin up blankets, put up a shade canopy, or designate a area under the tree.   We set out a few funny hats, glasses, and props.  Take four pictures and then format them into photo strips in your favorite program (publisher, photoshop, etc).  Print them out on photo paper and cut them into strips.  We then hung them up on a ribbon with clothes pins to display them and then everyone could grab them as they go.

   

This is a great way for everyone to take home a memory of a family reunion with cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents that they may not get to see very often.  This could also easily be adapted to a birthday party, a wedding, or any other kind of party.   

my family tree

Who doesn't love looking at pictures of your family. Well I was on a mission to find the perfect family tree for me. So I came a cross this idea at Studio 5 made by Kelly White from Heartland Paper. It is so fun! Plus I can use all of those Christmas cards with family photos on them for this project. It is also magnetic so that the pictures can be changed or added to.

I added a leaf to each picture to give it a three dimensional look, that includes their name . You can even included their birthdays too. The picture on the left better shows what the leaf looks like, and on the right the picture is on the tree.
to make this:

14 x 26 piece of sheet metal                                                    
2 pieces of scrapbook paper for background
2 pieces of scrapbook paper for border
scrapbook paper for tree
1 x 1 pieces of wood (to glue pictures on)
magnets
Mod podge
Letters for OUR FAMILY TREE (used Cricut)
glue stick
hotglue gun
Click Here for the tree pattern, and Kelly also gives a step by step instructions as well. (note: I made my tree twice as big. The pattern will fit on a 14 x 14 piece of metal so just cut the trunk on the fold and double the branches. You may need to make minor adjustments.)

Directions:  After you have cut all the pieces that will be needed. Mod poge on to the sheet metal.  I then glued every thing where I wanted it and mod poged the whole thing. Let it dry over night.  Cut and glue pictures on to the wood squares and hot glue magnets on to the back of each of the pictures. Cut out leaves and write names on them, then attach them on to the pictures as well. Once your magnetic family tree is dry add all of your pictures.

This is a great gift idea for all those people who seem to have everything. I made one for my grandmother and she loves it.

birthday pictures

OK so I have been working on teaching my kids a little more about our family history, and  since this week was birthday week. I thought that I would share what we have been doing.

This is our Birthday Board.

Every month we add the pictures of who has birthdays in the that month (past and present).  Then during that month we have a birthday night where we share some fun things about each person. We have a birthday cake in the their honor. It has been fun to learn all kinds of fun facts and learn to love our heritage.

There are all sorts of fun ideas that you can use this for. Such as filling it with pictures of just the birthday person from their past to the present. You can even put a treat in each of the holes instead of pictures. One treat for each day of the week until their birthday (like a birthday countdown). Be creative and have fun with it. I know that we have.

To Make this:

You will need 1  2x4 of your desired length. Mine was 12in.
scrapbook paper, modpoge, a foam brush, wire, nail and hammer.
Cut your 2x4, then you will cut and modpoge the paper on to your 2x4. Let it dry completely and with your hammer and nail, nail however many holes that you want. Then take your wire and make 2 loops and twist at the bottom of the loop. Leaving the desired length for the height of your picture. Glue your wire in the holes. You will slip your pictures between the two loops of wire. With the left over paper I made tags to show their name and their birthday.

i love daddy sign with 2x4s

This is a simple sign to celebrate father's day.  This is my version of one similar that I found on How Does She.  I created three 4x6 collage pictures in Picasa (Google photo organization and editing program) because we could not decide on just three.

I started with three boards two 2x4s and one 2x2 (this was a scrap I found to make it high enough to hang the pictures).  You could always just crop to smaller pictures and use two boards.  I applied scrap book paper with modge podge (I need to practice at this a little more because there are some bubbles but at least they are behind the pictures right).  I then sanded the sides, distressed the edges with some ink,  and applied the vinyl.

Then stack them up and tie a piece of ribbon around the top block and clip on some mini clothes pins with ribbon to hold your pictures.  We love our daddy!