Family Thanksgiving Frame with #GlueNGlitter

Oh yeah those holidays are sneaking up on me...on our family!

Thanksgiving is typically a weird holiday for us.

My family - just the four of us - are usually alone for the day.

Because of that I really include the kids in the experience, making the food and decorating the table. Yep, I leave them to the decor and the ideas. Usually the ideas are things to help us remember what and who we are thankful for, like our family.

A few years ago, my son was really fascinated by Native American symbols, so we made a tablecloth with his favorite symbols and then added in all of the family names. He loved it...and I still have it, but this year, I thought we would go for something a little more subtle, and something we could set out now and leave out.

When I was first deciding on what to create for my Elmer's #GlueNGlitter project, I instantly thought of using plate joining biscuits - I do love them...and, yes, I was totally thinking they look like turkey feathers!

I went from there...and I had a couple of ideas in mind...

...(DESIGN 1) The first idea was to go really simple and streamlined with a touch of metallic feathers in the corner and using the same "printable" in the frame.

...(DESIGN 2) The next idea was to do a frame with the feathers in pretty colors all around it and add a printable of the names to the inside of the frame.

...(DESIGN 3)The final idea was to write the name of each family member on one of the feathers, with the simple sentiment of "family" in the frame. By leaving this frame out we - the kids and I - can talk about each family member every day if we want and remember why we are thankful for our family. I liked it, but also had some other ideas too.

Any of the frame options are pretty simple and can be done quickly and the kids can help if you want...or they can even make their own!  Some Elmer's Painters Markers, and some Elmer's CraftBond products will help make the frame pretty and finish it off.

SUPPLIES:

• Plain frame. You can use any frame - I happened to have a plain wood craft frame on hand (these are about $1.00 at the store). I used an oval and a square frame for these projects
• 24 Plate Joining Biscuits - these can be found at all hardware stores. The smaller stores usually have smaller packs. (these biscuits have a texture and it will show through the paint, but it never bothers me...the effect is worth it.) NOTE: You can also cut similar shapes from foam board or chip board, and then the surface will be smooth.
• Elmer's Painters Markers - Craft
• Elmer's Painters Markers, open stock, Metallic Gold
• Elmer's CraftBond Wood Craft Glue
• Elmer's Disappearing Purple Glue Stick
• Small paintbrush
• Decorative paper
• Chipboard letters or alphabet stickers (I cut mine on an electronic cutter)

MAKE IT for ALL DESIGNS
The DIY for any of the three options is the same up to a certain point...

1.  Prep your frame by removing glass (if any - the inexpensive craft frames usually do not come with glass) and sanding/cleaning the frame.

2.  Prepare you Painters by depressing the tip a few times to load the paint - do this on a scrap piece of paper.

3.  You are not really going to see the frame all that much on Designs 2 and 3, but you will on Design 1. Idid this for all of the frames because I feel it finished it off. I used the Painters Markers in brown to draw straight  - but not perfectly straight - lines with a swirl here and there to mimic a wood grain look (it is not supposed to look totally realistic - just hint at a woodsy feel). You do not need to follow a pattern, etc. - this is super easy and there is not a "wrong" way to do it.

4.  Once the front of the frame is complete, I used the Painters Markers (brown) to color the inside opening of the frame.

5.  For me the frame still needed a little something. I used an ink pad in Walnut Brown to distress the frame and give it some depth (you could use a wood stain or gel -too). I rubbed the outer edge and all over the frame. It can get a little messy (can you tell by the smudges on my white background?), so be careful.

6.  Layout the biscuits on the frame to get an idea of how many you need -

DESIGN 1:
12 biscuits were used here, 3 in each corner

DESIGN 2 and 3:
24 worked for the size of frame I was using. Place a biscuit at 12,3, 6, and 9 to get an idea of placement and then fill in the spaces from there.

7.  After determining the approximate number of biscuits you need, use the Painters Markers to color them.

DESIGN 1:
I colored all 12 biscuits with the Painters Markers, Gold Metallic

DESIGN 2 and 3:
I choose to use three colors (yellow, purple, and orange) for the biscuits. color 8 of each color. It was super easy to paint the biscuits this way - I just colored them all over. Even the texture of the biscuit was no match for the Painters - perfect coverage!  

8.  All DESIGN, run the edges of the biscuits through your ink pad (or paint with the Painters Marker). Let dry.

9.  Once your placement is right, begin gluing using the CraftBond Wood Craft Glue.

DESIGN 1:
Place 3 biscuits in each corner, one on the cut line and the other 2 matching up at the corner point.

DESIGN 2 and 3:
Place the 12,3,6,and 9 biscuits first, and then fill in.

10. Let dry overnight. Then touch up any areas you may have missed with the Painters Markers or ink pad.

11.  Print out your family name printable (I just used Word and wrote each first name with "..." after it and then cut/pasted it until I had a full page; select a font; print), cut to size, and glue "family" or "Thanks" letters on to it with a Disappearing Purple Glue Stick; Insert into frame.

You are done with DESIGN 1 or 2!

To finish up DESIGN 3:
Write everyone's names on the petals, "freehand." or you can print out the names on a computer and cut feathers smaller than the biscuits and glue them on. Depending on the colors you choose for the feathers, some of the words maybe harder to read. For example, I tried white paint for the names, but it was hard to read on the yellow. It is a design thing, you need to decide what you like.

NOTE: Also, the biscuits have a texture, so writing can be tricky. If you use a different material for the feathers, it would be easier to write directly on them.

DESIGN 3!

DESIGN 2

DESIGN 1

I really looking forward to sitting with the kids and listening to them tell when why they are thankful for these people and other little stories and insights.

You can read all about my shopping experience HERE!

How do you remember your family during the holidays?

  

This project has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Elmer's #gluenglitter #collectivebias #CBias
Designs and opinions are my own.