Simple Craft: Family Art

I had read in a few baby magazines that it's good to make a photo album with family pictures to help your baby associate a name with the face. I bought one of those baby flip books but within no time, it was bent up and the pages stuck to the pictures making them hard to see. I thought of just doing a photo collage frame but I refuse to add any extra glass into the house! At around the same time, I had started to dislike a canvas painting I had picked up. So I decided to use it as my frame.

I wrapped the canvas in some brightly colored ABC fabric that I already had. I then dug through all my HUNDREDS of pictures to find a good shot of each member of our families. I had a few open spots so I filled those with my favorite pictures of Nathan. I simply glued the pictures onto the fabric. I wasn't sure if they'd fade or get messed up, but surprisingly, it looks just as good today as it did months ago when I made it!

I simply hung the canvas onto the wall with two regular nails. I also found some brightly colored foam letters at Michael's craft store ($1 each) and I picked up enough to spell out his name. They sit perfectly on top of the canvas and I've never had a problem with them falling off. (I had a 40% off coupon so the letters ended up being a great deal!)

Before we go to visit a family member, we take Nathan to the board and say, "We are going to see Aunt Jodi or Uncle Garrett etc." He seems to connect it later when we actually see them. Throughout the week, Nathan will do his little "up-up" and make us go through EVERYONE'S picture, naming them all for him. Sometimes we have to do this twice a day. :) He really seems to like his picture board.

So if you are looking for a way to teach your little one family members, this might just work out for you. Before you spend $ on a new canvas, check out your local Goodwill or Salvation Army thrift stores. You can usually find one there for $3 or under. Since you'll be covering it, it really doesn't matter what the original picture looks like. If you can't find one, hold out until Michael's/JoAnn's puts one of their 40% off coupons in their sale ads.

Happy Crafting!