By Carol Duvall
Today's letter was a charming contribution from 12-year-old Megan Vacarro, who not only sent in a good craft idea but wrote and illustrated a very clear set of directions. Megan made a very decorative picture frame using small, flat-backed floral stones that are available in craft stores and at some florists. We used these stones one time to make decorative push pins, however Megan had an idea on her own because our show had not yet aired when she sent this in. Materials: small, flat-backed floral stones
magazines or acrylic paint
glue gun
white glue
scissors
old or new picture frame* *Because you will be covering the front surface of the frame with the stones, it is a good idea to have a wide frame that is flat on the surface. Steps: 1. Place stones on the frame to get an idea of how many will be needed. Remove the stones. 2. Cut out several small pictures to fit the backs the stones and glue them to the undersides of the stones. If pictures aren't available, paint the bottoms of the stones. 3. Use a hot glue gun to glue the decorated stones to the front of the picture frame. Notes: Megan made one of these frames to give as a wedding gift. She also suggested that children should ask their parents before using a glue gun. The contribution from Lorelei Foose of Rochester, N.Y., that was in the Shoebox came about because of a segment Lorelei saw on our show some time ago when origami artist Jeremy Schaffer demonstrated how to make a man's suit by folding a piece of paper. Lorelei's son was graduating from high school and she wanted something special for the table decorations, so she gathered up photographs of him from through the years . . . one for each year . . . and had them all enlarged and photocopied to the same size. Then she "dressed" each photo in a folded paper suit, complete with a tie and stood them in a row on the table as decorations. They were as cute, clever and funny as you can imagine.
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