Creating Childhood Memories with Picture Frames

Decorate the nursery with newly-created mementos and keepsakes. These can continue to adorn your child’s wall long after he or she has outgrown the nursery. Your children can even appreciate these keepsakes when they have grown up. These framed mementos can serve as reminders of their childhood days. What’s more, these can also make excellent gifts for loved ones – aunts and uncles, as well as grandparents.

Here are some items you can frame:

• Prints or imprints of your baby’s hand or foot. Make a print of your baby’s preciously tiny hand and foot by dipping them in organic and baby-safe ink and pressing the hand and foot in some colored cardstock. You can then frame the cardstock into a pastel colored antique picture frame. You can also make a 3D décor by getting the imprint on clay. You can avail of kits that are sold in most baby stores or online. These kits include soft and baby-safe clay. You can also make your own clay dough from corn flour or cornstarch, bicarb soda and water. However, remember to bake the dough to preserve it. You simply press and roll your baby’s hand or foot into a flattened sheet of clay. Use an appropriate display case – a shadow box frame – to hold the hardened clay dough.
• Christening gown and shoes. Rather than keeping these inside a box, display your child’s beautiful christening gown and boots using a shadow box frame. You can attach a complementary-colored pastel fabric on the mounting board. Then, you can secure key areas of the christening gown by sewing them into the mounting board. You can also glue the soles of the shoes onto the mounting board. Add some details such as your child’s baby pictures (especially pictures taken during his or her christening).
• 3D toy display. Get crafting by taking a favorite toy such as your child’s My Little Pony or Tyrannosaurus Rex toy figure and produce a three-dimensional display. Get a sharp knife and carefully cut the toy lengthwise. Then, you can attach each of these halves in separate empty picture frames. One frame will depict a toy about to leap out of the frame and another a toy “leaving” the frame and getting into the wall. Another idea will be to glue your child’s old toy cars onto the mounting board.
• Board game display. This is another shadow box frame idea. Take your child’s favorite board game such as Snakes & Ladders or Monopoly. Arrange the board, tokens, cards and other pieces to show that you have captured the moment when the kids were right in the middle of their game.
• Artwork. Your child’s scribbles in crayon or masterpieces in watercolor are priceless and one-of-a-kind. Display these treasures by taking a number of uniformed picture frames. Group these frames by theme or color.
• Achievements. Celebrate your child’s triumphant moments by capturing them in picture frames. This can include certificates of recognition, medals, ribbons and scouting badges. You can enrich the display by adding pictures of the event where the particular medal or badge was won.
• Scrapbook page. If you are into scrapbooking about your child, feature your favorite pages placing them inside the picture frame. Scrapbook pages make interesting displays since they can tell their own story, using pictures, journaling and tags.
• Quilt. Does your child have a favorite blankie or quilt?Create a colorful display by framing this quilt into a shadow box frame. Remember to pin the quilt securely at the back of the mounting board before you frame it.