I'm going to mention right away that I didn't "invent" this idea, but I can't remember exactly where it came from originally. It was definitely from a magazine, not a blog, and it was at least a couple years ago, nothing recent. How's that for an attribution? Anyway, I had so much fun making these, and you will too if you give it a try!
First you need some orphaned saucers. These are so easy to find if you don't already have some. Ask any flea market seller, or look at a garage sale. Cups always seem to get broken first, leaving their saucers behind. It seems I have quite a few of them......
Next, you need some laser copies of cute photos. I like vintage photos, of course, but you could use your own family members or pets. Laser prints of your pictures are best. If you copy on an ink-jet printer, you will have to seal the copy with a spray sealant/fixative that can be purchased at a craft or art supply store. But I recommend going to Staples or FedEx/Kinkos and using their laser printer if you don't have one at home.
Here's everything you need:
Cut out your little pictures to fit the wells of the saucers. Your compass from tenth grade geometry class might come in handy here, or maybe a paper punch. I usually find something around the house of approximately the same size, like the cap from a jelly jar, and trace around it to get a nice circle, then cut it out. I thought I might layer a few pictures on top of vintage wallpaper for a different effect (below):
Next, apply some Mod Podge (I use the matte version) to the back of the picture, and place the picture on the saucer. Smooth out the paper with your fingers. Coat the top with Mod Podge.
I had fun matching the picture with the "frame". For some reason I liked this gal paired with this saucer:
It might be a good idea to give your picture a second topcoat after a couple hours. For a final step, I have taken a gold metallic pen and made little dots around some of the pictures and glued some tiny buttons around one of the pictures with E-6000 glue for some extra embellishment.
These little "frames" can be hung on a wall with a small wire picture hanger, or propped up with a plate stand.
Wouldn't this make a cute little gift for a new mother, with her new-born's picture? And for anyone that has to host a small baby shower, it might be fun to make one for each of the guests, with their own baby pictures inside. You could request that their pictures be sent to you ahead of time, and make a game out of guessing which baby pic/frame belongs to which guest.
You might think of another way to add your own flair to this easy project. I hope you can give it a try!
Mitzi
