Framed Button Initial

What to do when you need a gift and there is no time to buy one?  Improvise of course!  Use what you have and I had some buttons.  I also had a small wooden frame - I started with that:

I glued a sawtooth picture hanger on the back of it.

Then I painted the frame pink and distressed it a bit.  I then took some leftover pink patterned scrapbook paper and glued that to the back.  Next, I arranged the buttons into a "J" , the initial of the person receiving the gift.  It still needed something, so I glued on a fabric flower that I had in my stash.  Viola - a sweet gift for a sweet girl.

I made a coordinating gift bag to go along with it by simply stenciling a pink flower on a brown paper bag and adding a homemade gift tag.

I like buttons, I always have - they have a certain coziness factor for me.  Do you like buttons?  What kinds of things have you created with them?

Upcycled Picture Frame

Here is a little project that I made for my grandson using an old picture frame that I found collecting dust in my basement.  I cleaned up the frame and painted it.  Then I added some coordinating scrap book paper for the background.  I painted the frame two colors (orange and baby blue).  Next, I wanted to add a colored binder clip so that either a photo or a drawing that my grandson made could be inserted.  The clip allows the photo or doodle to be changed out often and easily.

 I used an orange paint pen to write his name across the bottom.  I then printed out a little circle describing the frame's purpose.  Here is a close up of the clip and note:

 I presented this to my daughter to celebrate the adoption of her little boy who is a real cutie.

This is a quick and easy gift for birthdays, adoptions, a new baby, or for yourself!  It was fun to make as well.