Valentine’s Day is a time to show your friends and family how much you care, and what better way to do so than with a personalized Valentine’s Day photo frame. Picture frames can be quite expensive, but you can make a unique photo frame for a fraction of what stores charge. This Valentine’s Day picture frame is colorful, attractive, and very easy to make.
For this project you will need 9 jumbo wooden craft sticks that measuring approximately 6 inches long and Âľ of an inch wide, 6 small wooden heart-shaped cutouts, and 2 leaf-shaped wooden cutouts. Assortment bags of birch wood cutouts are available in many craft and hobby stores and from some mail-order craft supply companies. You will also require a green pipe cleaner, ÂĽ inch wide pink satin ribbon, 1/8 inch wide white satin ribbon, black, light pink, dark pink, green, red, and white acrylic craft paint, paintbrushes, thick craft glue, self-adhesive magnetic strips, and scissors.
Begin making the Valentine’s Day photo frame by laying two jumbo craft sticks horizontally on a flat surface. Place them approximately 3 inches apart. Glue two jumbo craft sticks side-by side on the left ends of the two horizontal sticks. Place them approximately 1/8 inch apart. Glue two more jumbo craft sticks side-by-side on the right ends of the two horizontal craft sticks. You should now have something that looks like a picket fence with the centerboards missing. Continue by gluing another jumbo craft stick over the center of the horizontal craft sticks, between the four other sticks. Next you will need to glue a jumbo craft stick across the top front of the frame. Place it directly over the horizontal craft stick in back, sandwiching the vertical sticks in between. It’s important that you don’t put any glue on the top third of the center vertical stick. This area is where a photo will be inserted, so it must remain open. Just put glue on the ends of the horizontal top stick. Complete the structure of the frame by gluing one last jumbo craft stick across the bottom, directly over the other horizontal stick in back. Apply a thick layer of glue to the center stick, and under the bottom horizontal stick. When the glue dries, it will form a barrier that will keep the photo from slipping through.
The next step is to paint the frame using white acrylic craft paint. Use a medium-size brush to apply the paint, and make sure all of the crevices are filled in. Allow the white paint to dry, and personalize the frame with a name or phrase. Paint words on the horizontal boards using black acrylic paint and a fine-tip paintbrush. Consider one of the following examples, or you can make up your own Valentine’s Day message. You could paint a message saying, “I love you”, and include the name of the recipient, or you could simply paint the phrase, “Happy Valentine’s Day”. Be sure to leave room on one side of the frame to accommodate a bouquet of heart-shaped wooden flowers. After painting a phrase of your choice, allow the paint to dry.
While the paint is drying you can begin painting the flowers that will decorate the side of the frame. Paint two wooden heart-shaped cutouts light pink, paint two of them red, and paint the other two heart-shaped cutouts dark pink. Paint the leaf-shaped cutouts with green acrylic craft paint. Set all parts aside to dry completely before assembling the Valentine’s Day bouquet.
After the wooden shapes have dried, glue them to either the left or right side of the frame, depending on which side the lettering is on. Glue four of the heart-shaped flowers vertically, and overlap them so they’ll all fit on the frame. Glue the leaf-shaped cutouts at the bottom of the bouquet, and glue the last two heart-shaped flowers partially over the leaves.
Complete the front of the frame by cutting a green pipe cleaner into three equal sections. Glue them to the base of the flower bouquet. Don’t be concerned that the tops of the pipe cleaners will show. Tie a neat bow using a piece of 1/4-inch wide pink satin ribbon, and glue the ribbon to the base of the bouquet. Set the project aside to dry.
After the glue has dried sufficiently, cut off two strips of self-adhesive magnet, and stick them to the horizontal craft sticks on the back of the picture frame. This will allow you to display the frame on a refrigerator, filing cabinet, or other metal surface.
If you wish to hang your photo frame on a wall or shelf hook, glue a piece of 1/8 wide white satin ribbon to the back of both sides of the frame to create a hanger. Use plenty of glue to ensure a firm bond, and allow the glue plenty of time to dry.
The last step is to add a favorite picture to the frame. Cut a photo to the appropriate size, and slip it behind the top horizontal craft stick. Place a small piece of rolled up tape on the back of the picture to hold it in place if necessary.
Either keep this frame to display a favorite photo of someone special, or give it to a friend or loved one. It will be a cherished Valentine’s Day decoration for years to come.
