Painted Mosaic Styrofoam Tile Picture Frame

June is the month of Father's day and birthdays.  Chuck and I wanted to make gifts for hubby and my parents, so we made these mosaic picture frames out of painted Styrofoam plates and cardboard.

I'm so glad with how they turned out.  They're happy and colorful and made out of stuff that we had right at home.





Materials:
- Styrofoam plates <-- crapt!
- Cereal box <-- crapt!
- Cardboard <-- crapt!
- Tape
- Tacky glue
- Acrylic craft paint
- Paint brushes
- Scissors
- Mod Podge

Directions:
1.  Wash and dry your Styrofoam plates.  Then, paint them.  (Chuck really enjoyed this step.  You don't need to be neat, you just need to cover the plate with colors so that you have lots of tile making material.)  Once your paint dries, cover the plates with a thin coat of Mod Podge to make them slightly shiny.

2.  Create a frame by cutting out a rectangle out of cardboard that's slightly larger than your photo.  Make an opening for the photo by cutting out a rectangle that's slightly smaller than your photo.  Paint the frame.  Once the paint dries, give your frame a coat of Mod Podge to also make it slightly shiny.

3.  Cut out your mosaic tiles.  Organize them by colors if you plan on making a certain design.

4.  Place your tiles on your frame and play around with different ideas for designs.  Once you're satisfied with how everything looks, use your tacky glue and glue the tiles down.

5.  Tape your photo to the back of your frame.  Then, trace out a rectangle that's the same shape as your frame from a cereal box.  Tape it over your photo to cover the back of the frame.  Create a simple stand by bending a long rectangular piece of cereal box into a triangle shape.  Tape it to the back of your frame.

And there you have it- a lovely, colorful, crapty piece that any child will have fun making.  Hubby loves his gift because now he has a special photo to put on his desk at work.

Happy crapting, friends!