DIY Network

Family History Clever ways to guard cherished family heirlooms and memories From "Creative Juice" episode DCRJ-401

For Cathie Filian and Steve Piacenza, crafting is a family affair! They create an entirely new dimension for an ordinary family tree, find an inexpensive way to keep memories close in an heirloom locket, and reveal the secret to storing priceless family documents: Mom’s recipes!

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Organic Twig-and-Wire Family Tree

It’s a whole new take on the family tree: sinking a real tree branch into plaster of Paris and decorating it with cherished family photos.

Organic Twig-and-Wire Family Tree

Materials:

Plaster of Paris hobby and craft dry mix (4.4 lbs)
cold water
disposable paint stirrer
mixing bucket
decorative container (no holes in the bottom)
various twigs and branches (multiple branches work best)
Ranger Ink Memory Glass (microscopic-slide-quality glass)
Ranger Ink Memory Frames
scrap ribbon
scrapbook paper
family photos
additional paper embellishments
round-nose pliers
wire-cutters
moss or grass
glue stick

1. Mix plaster of Paris per manufacturer's instructions (figure A). Pour into decorative container, arrange twigs in the mixture, taping to temporarily secure in place, if needed, and let mixture cure for 30 minutes (figure B).

Figure A

Figure B

2. To build the frames, trace and cut out two pieces of scrapbook paper to the size of the glass slide (figure C). Using one piece of paper as a base, layer and glue additional papers with names, birthdays, quotes, etc., and let dry (figure D).

Figure C

Figure D

3. Glue remaining scrapbook paper to the other side of the slide to create a backing: sandwich between two pieces of glass and slide into the frame (figure E) (figure F).

Figure E

Figure F

Figure G

4. Add ribbon to the frame's wire loop to create a hanger. Hang the frame on the tree. Repeat for each member of the family.

5. Fill container with moss to cover the plaster (figure G).

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