Candy Box Picture Frame

Create a picture frame out of a pretty Valentine candy box.

Approximate Time: 40 minutes

Supplies:

• Valentine candy box
• photograph
• glue stick
• piece of glass
• permanent marker
• clear plastic

Instructions:

This is actually my first time at making any sort of craft.

I cut the top off of a Valentine candy box because it was pretty and I thought long and hard about all the possibilities. I decided to insert a very special picture that I truly cherish. It was the very last picture taken of myself with my dog Parker before we put him down.

I got a piece of glass out of an empty picture frame and placed it over the box top and traced the area where the photo would go with a permanent marker. Then I put the glass over the picture to get a better idea of the size that I needed to trim the picture down to. I got some clear plastic wrap, like you cover food with and stretched it over the glass, then retraced it with permanent marker again. I then placed the clear plastic over my picture and trimmed along the permanent marker line.

The picture fit perfectly and I glued it in place on top of the candy box. I cut the stem off the fake rose and ran a paper clip through it, through the picture and taped down the paperclip on the back of the picture.

Well, I was crying by then. I've had many, many dogs, but there just was such a strong bond between the two of us that even though it's been almost a year I still cry over him, which isn't fair to my other dogs. So I'm looking at what I created and was the only person at my pity party when I came up with another idea to make it even better.

Someone gave my husband and I some sort of wire birdcage sort of thing that had a clock mounted on the front of it. Once the clock died, I kept the metal cage thinking somewhere down the road I would put a picture on the front and it'd be pretty.

Since it was metal, I duct taped the heart shaped candy box to the front. I opened the cage and used the duct tape to secure the picture by laying out the tape over the metal bars and the back of the picture.

I then put Parker's favorite toy, collar, and a picture that I had of him the first day I brought him home.

From the front it's pretty, or at least I think so, and it's sort of comforting to know Parker's favorite toy won't be accidentally destroyed by one of my other dogs. When Parker was really young while out on a walk he found a kid's meal Tigger toy and it was his favorite toy for almost 11 years.

By CaroleeRose from Madison, AL