Popsicle Stick Christmas Ornaments

A crafting classic, the Popsicle stick picture frame provides a great base for kids to attach other decorations to.

What you'll need:

• Eight clean Popsicle sticks
• Paint or magic markers
• Tacky craft glue
• Photograph of your child or family
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Cardboard (you can use an old cereal box)
• Yarn (if you want to hang your frame)
• Magnet (if you want  to put your frame on the refrigerator or a filing cabinet)
• Any of the following items to decorate the frame: sequins, buttons, construction paper, yarn, stickers, nuts and bolts, fishing lures, buttons, ribbons, tiny fake flowers, golf tees, puzzle pieces, lace, stamps, wrapping paper, fabric, seashells or pictures of their favorite activity cut from magazines, etc.

How to make it:

1. Arrange the Popsicle sticks as follows: put two side-by-side vertically (up and down). Put two more (arranged the same way) next to them.
2. Take the photograph and slide the edges under the four sticks so that neither of the sides (right or left) show.
3. Place two more Popsicle sticks, side-by-side, so that the top edge is covered. Do the same with the bottom edge using the last two sticks. (The top and bottom parts will cross over the side parts of the frame.) Use the pencil to lightly mark where the frame will attach. You may need to trim the picture if it is too big.
4. Use the glue to put the frame together. Let it dry overnight.
5. While you are waiting for the frame to dry, put the picture on a piece of cardboard and trace around it. Trim the cardboard to be just a little larger than the picture (about 1/4" all the way around).
6. Glue the picture to the center of the cardboard.
7. Decorate the frame using paints or markers. Let that dry (if you used paint) and then further decorate it by gluing on the items you've collected.
8. Once the frame is dry (paint and glue), glue the picture to the frame.
9. If you want to hang the frame, glue a 4" piece of yarn to the back of the frame. (Glue one end to each top corner.) If you would rather it be a magnetic frame, glue a magnet to the back. You can also make a stand using a stiff piece of cardboard. (Cut a 4" by 2" rectangle. Bend the cardboard at one end about 1/2" from the top. Glue the bent part to the back so that the frame can stand up (you may need to trim it a little if it's too long.)
10. Wrap it up, and give someone a special surprise!