DIY Life

Remember the super sweet personalized M&M's Francesca brought to our attention? They are the perfect gift to give when letting someone know just how much, or not so much, they mean to you. They are also great to give as a party or wedding favor.

My M&M's now has custom printed photo M&M's available. You send in a photo you took per their guidelines, and they will print the image out on the M&M's using food-grade ink. You can personalize your message relevant to the face(s) in the photo.

My baby turns 3 next month, and I think that the M&M's would be a perfect treat for her birthday party. My only problem would be keeping them out of everyone's mouth until we've sung Happy Birthday! I think the same would go for the lucky couple on their wedding day.

[via: Photojojo]

I have always loved giving photographs as gifts. In my young and single days, I'd elegantly frame my own photographs of landscapes, flowers, or architecture. Now, people get pictures of my kid. He's pretty cute, so it works out on all fronts, but I think the gift is most appreciated when the photograph comes with a classy frame, made by you.

Every Dad needs pictures of his kids at the office, right? For this cute "Dad" frame, all you need is some oaktag or poster board, scissors and glue. The holes in the letters D-A-D frame photos of your kids -- cute! Martha Stewart has a similar project with a template for the D-A-D.

A rustic photo frame made from twigs can go with just about any decor, from country to modern. Using twigs, twine and a little glue, you can make one is a few short minutes. You could frame your child, but this type of frame would also look nice around a woodland landscape that is somehow meaningful to the recipient.

Trying to find the perfect going-away gift for someone? Something that says you'll never forget me, and I'll always be with you? Maybe a friend who's relocating, or a high school graduate that is college bound? Make them a throw pillow from a photo!

All you will need for this project is thin fabric (white works best, and makes the image more crisp, but you can use regular muslin for an antiqued look), freezer paper, interfacing, needle, thread, and stuffing. You will also need a computer, scanner or digital camera, printer, iron, sewing machine, scissors, and pins.

After choosing and arranging your photo how you would like it, you may want to do a quick print out on regular paper, just to see how your photo will turn out. (Keep in mind the image needs to fit onto your fabric and through the printer, and most printers will only allow for 8 1/2" x 11" )

Picture frames are popular Mother's Day gifts, there's no doubt. They're also popular gifts for aunts, grandmothers, and cherished caregivers.

Rather than plucking a picture frame off of the shelf at your favorite store, however, why not give your mom a keepsake photo gift that she can treasure forever? DIY Network has directions for a fold-out memory book for anyone who treasures pictures of loved ones.

The album is made from envelopes, which are glued together in a "chain" by adhering the flap of one to the back of the next. After that, quotation stickers and other embellishments are used to decorate the envelopes. Mat your photos and journal on the back of each, then fold it all together for a thoughtful, sentimental gift.

This is also a perfect gift for those who live far away, because it's small and easy to mail!

Photo transparencies are fun to use in scrapbooking and collage art, but transparency film can be a bit costly. Creating photo transparencies out of packing tape is not only easy, it's also a lot more cost efficient than buying the film to print on.

First, you'll need to choose the photo you'd like to use to create a transparency. Take the photo to your local print shop, and have either a black and white or color toner copy made from it. It is very important that you have a toner based copy, or this technique won't work.

Next, choose your packing tape. Make sure it is clear, so the image will peek through. Also, be aware of the size of your image; your finished photo transparency can only be as wide as the packing tape you choose.

Are you as tired as I am of modern easter egg decorating? No, I mean coloring them is still cool; the thing I don't get is putting stickers on them and calling it creative. Huh? That's just wrong. Plus, the sticker is probably made in China, and who knows what's in that adhesive? Lead? Anti-freeze?

Anyhow, I got this great tip from Kodak tips and projects. The kiddos can still get their sticker fix -- and be creative and process-oriented at the same time. Hey, that's three birds with one stone! For this decorating project, you'll need:

• Eggs (of course!)
• Paint brush
• Decoupage glue
• Regular printer paper (not photo)
• Photos (Let your child get creative here)
• Scissors
  

Let's get started!

1. Let your child go wild with the digital camera.
2. Print the pictures on printer paper.
3. Center the egg on the photo.
4. Trace around (rather, a-oval) it and cut it out.
5. Make snips around the edges so it will conform to the shape of the egg.
6. Brush glue onto the egg and smooth the photo onto it.
7. Apply a thin protective coat of glue over the photo.
8. Get pumped up to go a-huntin'!

A shadow box is a shallow box, with a glass framed front. You can put photo collages and other memorabilia inside, then hang it on your wall as you would any other picture frame. You'll find shadowboxes in a variety of sizes and style at your local craft store.

One of our most beautiful wedding gifts was a shadow box, made by a friend of ours. She included our invitation and dried flowers in our wedding colors.

I hope to make one for my sister's wedding, but I'm going to hold off until after the big day. This way I can include some wedding day mementos, like the groom's boutonniere, one of the wedding favors and a couple of place cards.

This is one of those projects where you have free reign to exercise your own creativity, and personalize it as much as you want. You can create a clean, contemporary look by choosing to focus on the invitation or one photo, then add a few embellishments to compliment it.

You can also make something regal with rich color choices, and an abundance of items decorating the box. Include the bride's tiara just for fun. If you're having trouble getting started, check out these step-by-step instructions on creating your own shadow box.

These photo pencil covers are a creative way to spice up regular pencils, personalizing them with your own photos.

You can use one picture so that each pencil has a piece, coming together to reveal the whole image. you can also do separate images for each pencil, try pictures of lemon for your yellow pencil crayon, grass for the green and lavender flowers for the purple. There are no rules here. A set of photo pencils would make a great gift for your artist pal, or a fun back-to-school project.

You'll want to use regular paper as opposed to photo paper. Basically, you mark out and cut the photo strips, cover the back with glue, and wrap it around the pencil. Secure the edge with matte scotch tape, and you're ready to more on to the next pencil in your series. You'll find the full tutorial and other creative ideas at Photojojo!

When it comes to decorating their bedroom, we let our kids choose the paint color, and some fun bedding. With our voice of reason we've managed to avoid painting a large Lightning McQueen on the wall, but we still needed to personalize the room in a way we could all live with. We wanted something that wouldn't quickly become a symbol of last year's kiddie trend, but was something that they would love to look at, feel proud of, and be somehow a reflection of their own little uniqueness. We decided to make our own photo mural. This project is great for any age. Make it yourself for over baby's crib, let your preschoolers help make one for their room or let teenagers use it to express their own individuality. This is super simple, quick and easily changed over the years. Get them involved in choosing the supplies. Here's what you need to get started:

1. Tacks
   The push-pin style will be safer in case there are little ones in the room. If you'd rather avoid tacks all together, poster gum will achieve the same thing. I personally like the look of tacks, especially in a variety of bright colors.
   
   
2. Picture frames
   Get a few in bright colors, or better yet, let your kids paint and decorate plain ones. This is a great way for them to add that personal touch.
   
   
3. School border
   These come in many themes. We chose a space border, because the boys love space, but you'll find princess, sports, seasons, and other choices at your local office or school supply store.
   
   
4. Photos
   This is the really fun part. Let your children choose pictures of themselves and their friends and family. If you want to, take some pictures of them with their friends dressing up, or making goofy faces. If you have younger children, you might want to choose pictures of important people in their lives, like Grandma and some special friends. If you have older ones, let them put together a collection of pictures that reflects their life at that stage.

After the break, I'll explain how to put this all together.

DIY Life is full of ideas for ornaments, and in case you haven't read up on those ideas, here is a look at some posts we have brought you. Brian told us how to make paper ornaments. Farrah gave us 10 handmade ornaments to deck our halls. Diane let us know that pomegranates make stunning Christmas ornaments.

If you have a really big Christmas tree, and all the above ideas haven't quite filled up the branches on your tree, I have another ornament idea for you. You can make photo Christmas tree ornaments. Take some of your favorite photos, cut them up into strips, punch a hole in the strips, stick a paper fastener through the hole and with a little more tweaking, and of course, following the rest of the directions on Photojojo, you will have beautiful Christmas ornaments that should last you for years.

Let the kids pick out which photos they want to have turned into ornaments and have them help you make them. That way, your pictures will be displayed, and the kids can give them as Christmas gifts for Gramma and Grampa.

It is the time of year to buy Christmas holiday cards and send them out to all your family members, friends and acquaintances. Year after year we enclose pictures of our kids, and to our special loved ones, we send family portraits.

Skip buying Christmas cards this year, and surf on over to Special Occasions, where you will find complete instructions on how to make Christmas photo cards. All you need is a computer, a printer, some photo cardstock, a picture, envelopes, and something nice to say on the inside of your photo card.

If you are going all out and making your own Christmas photo cards, you can go one step further and make your own envelopes. You can find a wide variety of designs to make with these free templates for cards, envelopes and boxes.

I am in awe of snow globes. I hold one in my hand and turn it over and over wondering how they are made and how the snow and water got in there. I especially wonder if I can make my own snow globes to give asChristmas presents. The short answer: yes!

Photojojo has a great tutorial on making your own photo snow globes in 15 minutes. Using a clean mason jar or an empty water bottle, two photos, Goo Gone, clear wide packing tape, scissors, glitter, corn syrup, and water, you too can make a snow globe, perfect to give to Grampa and Gramma.

Clean off the label and any stickiness left behind on the bottle with the Goo Gone. Tape the trimmed photos so that they will become waterproof. Insert the photo into the bottle. Put in your glitter and 50-50 mix of corn syrup and water, glue on the cap, and shake well. Viola!, a homemade snow globe.

Since I want to make all my Christmas presents this year and avoid trips to the store, this is the perfect present to make and give to anyone that loves snow globes. Since this snow globe only takes 15 minutes to make, go nuts and make one for all your loved ones. They will be happy to know you thought of them this holiday season.

[via: Tipnut.com]

This DIY children's book is a great way to teach your little one about the day. It could be a great transition tool for outlining how preschool days will go, or other routines that they might struggle with. If your child has difficulty getting in gear for school, take pictures of each step: Getting up, brushing teeth, eating breakfast, getting dressed, walking to school, hanging his coat, greeting the teacher and so on. Print out these free comic captions to animate the story. As you narrate the steps, they'll have fun with the pictures and captions. This will reinforce routine and help them prepare for the coming day.

I know the intention here is to make a book that teaches daily routines, but I'd also make a few just for fun. let your little one dress up as a super hero and add cations to their universe-saving story. These Batman style bubbles will be really popular with the kids and you'll have fun sharing the story too. You can laminate and bind the book or just use a flip photo book. Have fun with this one.

There are so many opportunities to get great photos around Halloween. We have the changing leaves, the bright orange pumpkins, the carved jack-o-lanterns with flickering lights, the costumes and make-up. You just don't find this richness in the other seasons. For me, Halloween shots are among my greatest photographic failures. I cannot, however, seem to properly photograph a jack-o-lantern, or catch the mood of a haunted evening. The Ghoulish Guide to Scary Snaps is exactly what I was looking for.

The collection of Halloween photo tips covers everything from appropriate lighting to photographing your jack-o-lantern and frightening costumes. They suggest that the best Halloween pictures are taken at dusk. There is enough natural light to go without flash, but still show off the candle lit pumpkin and bright costumes. They also have some great recommendations for designing your jack-o-lantern so that it can be easily photographed.

Once you've mastered your Halloween shots, get ready to enjoy the rest of the season with their 12 Fantastic Fall Photo Tips. Next time you're out raking leaves with the children, make sure you bring the camera along. Armed with a beautiful setting and your new knowledge of fall photography, you're sure to have some beautiful photos.

The other day, CRAFT posted a link to a fun tutorial at the fabulous site 365 Halloween: a pumpkin picture holder made of polymer clay and wire.

The instructions are for the kind of picture display that has a weighted base with some sort of holder or clip rising straight up; the photo sits in the holder. They're great temporary "frames": use them either when you want to change the holder a lot (as with seasonally themed holders), or when you want to change the photo a lot.

However, I think the project could go in another direction. Realistic fruits and vegetables made from polyclay are a major part of the miniaturist's art these days, so you could make just the polymer clay pumpkins, then use them as dollhouse miniatures. (They'd be more realistic with a sculpted stem, but they're OK as they are.) Use these pumpkins in the creation of a fall scene, or use them with some of your Halloween decor... you could, for example, string them into a garland, use one as a "knob" on top of a box, or make pumpkin-shaped drawer pulls by making them around a bolt. The uses are only limited by your imagination.