DIY Valentine's Day Puzzle Heart Picture Frame With Free Printable

Reuse leftover puzzle pieces in this simple-to make craft project. This craft can easily be altered to be perfect for little crafters. *see alterations below for the small crafters in your life.*

Materials:

Frame
Puzzle Pieces
Chrome Spray Paint (or any color or texture you desire)
Hot Glue (or other adhesive glue like E6000)
Exacto Knife

*Make it kid friendly with these materials*

Frame
Puzzle Pieces
Acrylic Paints
Paintbrushes
Elmer's Glue (or Tacky Glue)



*If doing this project with your kids DO NOT allow children to use any sharp objects like an Exacto knife or hot objects like a hot glue gun*

When I decided to do this puzzle frame I didn't have any puzzles lying around that I could use. I am always looking for cheap projects to create so I hopped on over to my local Dollar Tree to look through their puzzles. They had several 500 piece puzzles and only one box of 100 pieces. I picked up a few of the 500 and the only 100 piece box they had on hand. Out of the two sizes I really like how the larger pieces turned out. I picked the Plaid heart photo frames up at Walmart for $0.97 each.

Directions: 
*I made two of these frames two different ways. I will talk about the pros and cons of each method*

1. Line the center of your frame where your photo will sit with the flat edges of your puzzle pieces. Once you have them lined up the way you like them glue them down with the glue option of your choice. *You can paint your frame before or after you glue your pieces down. I think it's just as easy to do this all in one step at the end.*

Note: * I did this on both methods and it works great. First method I glued the puzzle pieces down raw side facing out. On the second frame I actually spray painted the puzzle pieces BEFORE gluing them down. Out of the two methods I prefer gluing the puzzle pieces picture side facing out and waiting to paint until last. If you are doing the kid version you will want to paint the pieces with acrylic paint first and allow them to dry before moving on to the next step.*

2. Once you have the center puzzle pieces glued down you can start adding your other puzzle pieces to the frame working your way out.

Note: *If you have any puzzle pieces hanging over the edge you can use your Exacto knife to clean up the edges.*

3. Once you have your first layer of puzzle pieces glued down you can start adding second and third layers. Add as many layers as you like.

4. Once you have all the puzzle pieces glued down you can spray paint your finished frame.
*I painted my first frame with this pink spray but didn't like how it looked so I went back over it with chrome and I liked it much better!*

Note: *If you are doing the kid version once the acrylic pain has dried you can glue your puzzle pieces to the frame.*

5. I traced the frame's heart onto a thick piece of felt board. I cut it out to fit behind the printable I made to give it a little extra security. I picked the felt board up at Walmart for $1.97 each.

Note: I created this free printable that you can download and use for your personal use only. DO NOT sell this printable.*

6. I also traced out the same size heart from the 5x7 printable I created and printed onto photo paper. Place it in your new frame and you're done!

7. As an extra step you should seal your frame with Plaid Modge Podge Spray (Don't use the matte finish as it will take away from the chrome shine on your frame).


Out of the two methods I tried I prefer adding paint to the finished side of the puzzle pieces as it gives it a more finished look. I also prefer using larger puzzle pieces. It doesn't look as busy that way, more clean cut if you will. What I took from my first try is to remove all hot glue strings before placing your puzzle pieces down. This will keep you from having them show up once you spray paint your finished frame.

If you are like me and are more of a visual person I have created a video tutorial for you. In the video tutorial I will be working with the larger puzzle pieces.

Don't forget to check me out on YouTube for more DIY projects/tutorial videos. Also be sure to follow me on Pinterest and if you see a project you would like to see me tackle leave it in a comment below.

I'm on Facebook and Twitter too!



Happy crafting!

No Sew Quilted Christmas Tree Skirt

Are you looking for the perfect shabby chic Christmas tree skirt but don't want to pay the over rated prices? This is the perfect tutorial for you then! This required NO sewing skills, only a few materials, and patience.

When I began thinking about this project I had a "cheap" project in mind. I didn't want to spend a ton of money on fancy fabrics especially since my DIY Christmas Tree Skirt was only going to be seen for a few weeks out of the year. I decided to skip the fabric store and head straight over to the Goodwill. It didn't take me very long to find what I was looking for. I purchased a set of red canvas curtains for $2.99, a large king sized blanket for $3.99, and a cream colored flat sheet for only $1.99. I'd say I'm off to a pretty good start with keeping my prices in check!

Now, because I have purchased random fabrics from Goodwill I don't have exact yardage of fabrics to share with you for this project. But I hope by me sharing the sizes of the materials used you will have a general idea.

Other Materials Needed:

Hot Glue Gun (High Temp will work best)
Glue sticks ( I went through about 6 large hot glue sticks.)
Scissors or a rotary cutter
straight pins
An old Christmas tree Skirt for tracing purposes (not necessary as you could cut your own circle)

Process:

Before you start reading the process I want to note that I have posted a video tutorial below for those of you who are more visual like myself. There are instructions there as well.

Step 1:
Take your base (here I'm using the king sized blanket from Goodwill) and lay it out on a large flat surface. Place your tree skirt (for tracing purposes only) on top and trace around the skirt making a circle onto your base fabric
Step 2:
Cut out your circle from your base fabric.
Step 3:
Take your newly cut circle and fold it in half once forming a half circle. The fold it in half once more. Now cut a semi circle out from the corner that you have just created. (see video tutorial for hands on directions. This circle you have just cut out will be what goes around the bottom of your tree.
Step 4:
Cut a straight line from the outside of your base to the new center circle you have just created. This will allow you to open the tree skirt so you can place it around your tree base.
Step 5:
Take the fabric you will use for your ruffles and cut them in 4 inch wide strips. They can be any length you like. However, I found that longer lengths helps the process move along faster. 54 inch lengths worked well for me.
Step 6:
Start at the bottom of your base fabric and hot flue your first strip over the edge so to cover the raw edge of the split.
Step 7:
Pull the strip to the front and hot glue the very edge down.
Step 8:
Using your straight pins create pleats in your strips. Once you finish pleating the entire strip you can start to glue it down.
Step 9:
Add about a 6 inch strip of glue where you want your strip of fabric to lay then place your strip of fabric down into the glue. Allow the glue to cool before removing your pins. When you remove the pins add a drop of glue (tiny drop) to the top corners of your pleats that will be hidden with the next row and glue them down. This helps the ruffles to lay nicer.
Step 10: 
Repeat this process for every strip of fabric and every new row you create until you have reached the center circle. With every new row let about 1-2 inches of fabric hang over your previous row.
Step 11:
Once you have added all of your rows of ruffles fabric you can add fabric or ribbon to the seam to allow you to tie your new skirt onto your tree.

Video Tutorial: (full directions in the video)

No Sew Quilted Christmas Tree Pattern and Tutorial

     I know, it's a little early to be starting new Christmas projects. Heck they just put the Halloween stuff out in the stores, but I can't help myself. I have searched high and low for a free pattern and tutorial for this tree for quite sometime now with no such luck. I finally decided that I could do this all on my own with no instructions. Three trees later I finally figured out the best way to make these cute little doodads. Since I had so much trouble finding a free pattern I thought it would be a lovely gesture to share with you my pattern for free! Please feel free to share this pattern among your friends and family and feel free to make them to sell as well. Be sure to click the Pin It button below to save this to one of your favorite Pinterest boards so you don't lose it or forget about it.

Supplies Needed:

127 squares of fabric (2.5 inches X 2.5 inches)

3 squares of fabric (2.5 inches X 7 inches)

scissors or a rotary cutter and cutting board

270 straight pins (flat heads)

1 Styrofoam cone (12 inch X 5 inch)

Patten Goes As Follows:

Row 1 (Bottom) – Row 4 ---- 12 squares of fabric

Rows 5-7 ---- 10 squares of fabric

Rows 8-10 ---- 8 squares of fabric

Rows 11-12 ---- 6 squares of fabric

Rows 12-15 ---- 4 squares of fabric

Video Tutorial:

In this video I am going to show you how to make your own no sew quilted Christmas tree. These make beautiful Christmas décor throughout your home. If you decide to give this project a try I’d love to see your finished product. Be sure to tweet me a picture of your quilted Christmas tree at @carlynicoleYT , you can share it with me on Instagram at @carlynicoleYT , or you can share it with me on my Facebook Page @carlynicoleelliotteYT Looking forward to seeing your creations.