1. First you'll need to make some color copies of your guy's favorite baseball cards and cut them out. 2. Get a wooden box with a lid and paint it (I used a blue-green acrylic paint).
3. Wipe off any excess paint with paper towels to give it an aged, worn look.
4. While the paint is drying, make the feet for the box: Paint wooden knobs white and let them dry, then use a pen to draw stitch marks on the knobs to make a cute baseball.
5. Now you can move back to the box and use decoupage glue to secure the card copies. Place them randomly on the box (you probably noticed I placed one over the opening of the box -- once it's dry, take a craft knife and slice through it so the box will open).
6. Paint each baseball with decoupage glue and let dry. Glue the baseballs to the bottom corners of the box, to make the feet, and the last one onto the center of the lid for a handle.
7. Use an old toothbrush to splatter the box with black acrylic paint. Once it's dry, you have the perfect box for that perfect man in your life.
Q: I was hoping to get a creative idea for making a picture frame for my husband's office, one that the kids could help me with. Any ideas?
A: Here's a simple one -- and best of all, it's really inexpensive to make from cardboard, colored paper and adhesive hole reinforcements.
1. You'll need a square cardboard frame and backing. Cut a piece of colored paper 1" larger all around than the frame and a piece of black cardstock slightly smaller than the frame.
2. Glue the colored paper to the frame and cut out the center, where the picture will go. Use a craft knife to cut an X, then fold the center triangle shapes backward and glue to the frame. I used a burnishing tool to make sure the paper was completely flat on both the front and back of the frame.
3. Center the black square paper on the frame, find the center opening and cut out the square slightly larger than the frame opening.
4. Apply the hole reinforcements in a random pattern on the black square, making sure to extend the pattern off the edge of the cardstock. Use a craft knife to trim off the excess.
4. Center and glue the square onto the front of the frame. Glue the photograph to the back of the frame, then glue on the backing. Let it dry completely, and you have an inexpensive frame that's perfect for any office setting.
Q: I feel like I'm buying birthday gifts all the time. I need some ideas for easy gifts my kids can make and give to their friends.
A: I know how you feel -- buying birthday gifts can really add up. Here's an idea that might help. Purchase small 4" mirrors from a local crafts store (I suggest round and square shapes). Glue magnet to the back of each mirror. The square mirrors will probably take three and the round mirrors, two. Glue rhinestones around the edges of the mirrors in alternating colors. This is a project easy enough for the kids to do, and the mirrors can be hung inside school lockers.
Another fun and easy idea are "Perky Pens." Use an ordinary pen from the home office store. Wrap completely with double-stick tape, making sure you cover the pen completely. Then wrap with pretty colored floss (the tape will hold it in place). Glue a decorative element to the end of the pen, such as a silk flower, a butterfly, balls, beads, rhinestones or fabric trim.
