Monogram Shadow Box

Have you all seen those cute crayon shadow boxes on Pinterest or somewhere else? What an awesome gift for a teacher! I've been busy making them, along with a rhinestone version for my daughter's dance teacher. I figured crayons would not be as fitting for a dance teacher. The project is pretty easy, but sort of time consuming.

You will need:

shadow box (Michael's had a 3 pack on sale for $9.99)

Hot glue & E6000 glue or GOOP

scrapbook paper

rhinestones (I mixed inexpensive ones with Swarovski rhinestones)
crayons

Embellishments such as flowers and ribbon

paper cutter

sharp knife and cutting board

pencil

computer with printer

light box table or bright window

1. Print out a large letter on your computer with the desired font. Cut your scrapbook paper to fit your shadow box. I like using printed paper instead of white, like I have seen. Place letter behind scrapbook paper and lightly trace with pencil letter on your light table or against a window. Position the letter slightly higher so you can fit the teacher's name underneath the letter.

2. Start gluing your crayons and/or rhinestones inside the traced letter. I used a mixture of hot glue and GOOP because I do not trust hot glue alone. Hot glue can deteriorate and not be strong enough to hold the weight of the crayons over time. I like my crayons facing one way for a cleaner look. I put some rhinestones on one of the crayons also for some sparkle.

3. I mixed all different color pink, some black, and mostly round rhinestones. Adding some Swarovski stones will make the project look a little better without being too expensive. I used some tweezers to pick off any exposed glue when I was done.

4. Erase any visible pencil lines. Print your teacher's name on white card stock and frame with a colored piece of scrapbook paper. Glue the name under the letter.

5. Add flowers or any other embellishments. Place paper inside frame and tie a ribbon around the shadow box, if desired.

Fancy Frame

I am re-doing my den in black and off white and decided to dress up an old frame. This project was so quick and easy. You will need a frame with matting, scrapbook paper, scissors, paper cutter, adhesive, decorative buckle, rhinestones, and ribbon. Start by removing the glass and taking apart the matting

I choses 2 black and creme printed papers that did not match, but coordinated


Trace the matting on the back of both scrapbook papers.

Carefully cut your paper frames out

Cut the two frames in half but not right in the center. Cut at the left of the bottom and the right of the top of only one frame.

Layer the cut piece over the full piece and secure with adhesive.

I used Monoadhesive to secure frames all around and to the cardboard matting itself.

Add a sparkly buckle or other embellishment the one side of the frame

Glue rhinestones ov3er the seams where you cut the paper frames. These are Swarovski crystals in "Comet"

Put the franme together minus the glass and you have your finished project.

I added other crystal frames around the focal frame for some sparkle.

Everything is Better With Bling

I see these gorgeous frames with Swarovski crystals all the time, but they are so expensive. I got this cute little frame from Hobby Lobby for $3 on sale and added my own hot-fix crystals. It gives it a little sparkle to make it stand out on your shelf. I order all my rhinestones from http://www.rhinestoneshop.com/. They have great prices (9 cents per crystal for 5mm) and they are super fast at shipping your items to you. I like hot fix crystals since they already have glue on the back of them and when they are heated, they stick really well to almost anything. You have to be careful on painted wood though since the heat will take the paint off if the crystal slides around. You can add as little or as much as you like. Total cost of project= $5.40