How to Make a Photo Ornament

Fun Framed Christmas Decorations for the Tree

Nov 4, 2007 Melissa Howard

Right now photo ornaments are very popular. However, their popularity will fade or you will find it hard to find what you want. Why not make your own ornaments?

Making photo frame ornaments is a simple and inexpensive project that adds a meaningful touch to your Christmas tree. Photo frame ornaments also add an element of memory and history to your Christmas tree. They can be a record of how your children and family change from year to year.

Supplies

• wallet-sized photos of children or family
• picture frames for wallet sized photos
• drill
• ribbon (Red or green for the holidays is nice. Alternatively, use ribbon that matches the color scheme that you or the recipient decorates in.)

Optional Supplies

• pair of pliers

Instructions

1. Remove the kickstand for the photo. The easiest way to remove the stand is by using the drill to drill out the rivets that hold the kickstand in place. A pair of pliers may be necessary to finish the work.
2. Drill two holes in the backing board for the photo.
3. Clean the glass.
4. Place a photo in the frame.
5. String ribbon through the holes then replace backing board in frame.
6. Tie a bow at the top of the ribbon
7. Hang the finished ornament on the Christmas tree and you have a unique and inexpensive ornament that will be treasured for years to come.

Ideas and Suggestions

By the time people are grandparents, they seldom want things. However, they usually adore anything related to their grandchildren. Therefore, anything with a photo of their beloved grandchild is usually welcomed. Give photo ornaments as an annual Christmas gift. Make an ornament of each child for the grandparents every year. Give yourself the gift of a family portrait ornament or an ornament with a group portrait of your children for your tree. Someday, your children will have a rich inheritance of ornaments and memories from both you and their grandparents. They will be able to share their past with their own children by sharing the memories evoked by the photo ornaments.

Save money. Keep your eye open for beautiful or unique frames throughout the year. See if you can find suitable frames on sale.

Do not try to use matching frames. The ornaments will be more memorable from year to year if you use different frames for each holiday. It is, however, nice to use the same frame for all the ornaments you make in a given year. Using matching frames for your ornaments in a given year but different frames from year to year will strengthen the memory associations with the ornaments.

A fun gift for a schoolteacher or Sunday schoolteacher is to make ornaments of all the children in the class and hang them on a tree in the classroom.

The copyright of the article How to Make a Photo Ornament in Crafts is owned by Melissa Howard. Permission to republish How to Make a Photo Ornament in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Photo Frame Ornament

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Comments

Nov 29, 2008 10:02 PM

Guest :

Thank you so much for the idea! I've been looking all over (with no luck whatsoever) for ornaments that fit wallet sized pictures. Every one I found would involve cutting the picture size down and I didn't want to do that! Thank you again!

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