Sentimental Picture Frame

I have been wanting to make this picture frame since before Thanksgiving. And now that I've made it, I wonder why I took so long to do it! It was super easy and honestly the hardest part was picking the hot-glue off my thumb without taking the skin off!


I really became inspired to do this project today because I have been thinking about two people who mean a lot to me. Two people I miss very much. One is my MeeMaw, who went to be with the Lord in 2005, and the other is my PeePaw, who is living in San Antonio with his 2nd wife and life-long friend Barbara. We call her Grandma Barbara. Anyway, I talked to my PeePaw on Monday (it was his birthday, he's 75) and it was really good to talk with him. I was saying how he had found himself a good girl (meaning Barbara) and he said, "Yep. I had two of them." **sob**hiccup**sob** Sorry, I've been a little emotional since Monday. Just thinking about my MeeMaw and how much I miss her.

I lived 2 houses down from PeePaw and MeeMaw for 14 years. When I was mad at my parents, guess where I would go. When I needed some comfort, for any reason at all, my MeeMaw was right there to give it to me. If PeePaw was home he would be listening the whole time too and sometimes he would say something but EVERY time he would give me a hug. I remember I was always asked "Melissa, do you want something to eat? Do you want something to drink?" MeeMaw called me "Angel". PeePaw read to me as I sat on his lap. They taught me how to play penny-ante-poker and BINGO. My MeeMaw would want to hear everything about my day, and she listened. She was stubborn, you might say bullheaded. But she would give you her left shoe if that is what you needed. She loved to watch jeopardy and her and PeePaw would stay up late and sleep in late after he retired.

PeePaw is a retired Mail Carrier for the U.S. Post Office and my Daddy will retire from the same establishment next year. I remember going to the Conroe Post Office with my Mama and Meemaw to pick up Daddy and Peepaw's checks. Then we would go to the bank, the Fire Sale Store and sometimes to eat at Luby's.

I don't get to visit with my PeePaw as much as I would like to and I miss him. I was blessed to have such wonderful grandparents. I was blessed to have two sets of wonderful grandparents. Folks that I learned a lot from. I'm a part of them and they will always be a part of me.

Thanks for listening. Now on with the project!

Well, the first thing you want to do is find a frame that you like. I just used a black one that I had laying around the house. It's 5x7 and has a fairly wide frame so that was a plus for the design I had in mind for this project. Also you need to know what picture you are going to frame. I knew I wanted to use a picture of my PeePaw and MeeMaw from when they were really young. I think this was their prom.


Next I used the matting that came with the frame to measure and cut a piece of cardstock to put my picture own. You can get really creative with your mattings if you want by using fun, decorative scrapbooking paper. I made sure to center my picture but I put it very close to the top of the paper also, so that I would have room for my "LOVE" stickers at the bottom. I just started with the "O" and then the "V" to make sure that I was centering the word. I used glue dots to afix the picture to the cardstock.


Then I moved on to the decoration for the outside of the frame. I had 3 sets of earrings that were my MaMaw Rea's (MeeMaw's mother) and my MeeMaw's. They are clip-on and really pretty bright colors. I took one from each pair and pulled the clips off the backs with a pair of pliers.



Next, I used hot glue to make ribbon loops on the "blossoms". I made two on the biggest "blossom" and one on each of the smaller ones.




Then, I made two small streamers out of a different texture of green ribbon and glued them on the frame coming out from the bottom corner. Then I glued the "blossoms" down in the middle of that corner.



I made it with the blossom in the bottom right-hand corner but then realized I could also turn it over and have the blossom at the left-hand top too. Troy said he liked it better at the top so I switched it that way.



See, super easy! I hope that you will find some ways to take some cherished mementos and make them into fun works of art! I have a 1950's fur hat that was my MeeMaw's any idea's for what I could do with that?