Tip #4

We have always been very fortunate to be able to purchase books for our children.  Every once in a while, we'd somehow find ourselves "doubled up" on books, in particular, ones with Elmo and Sesame Street friends.  I think it's because as the first book became "loved" and pages started getting tattered and eventually ripped, we would have a spare one waiting in the wings, this meant that there were no tears when the worn out book would be retired.

As we were updating our office/coloring room, I decided that Cullen's favorite book, Elmo Loves You, needed to be included somehow.  Since we had 2 copies and one was primarily being used as a "rip up" book, I decided to create some artwork and I think it turned out pretty well.

Here's what you will need: frames, paint (if necessary), pictures from a "well-loved" book of your choice and hooks to hang the frames.

I started by painting the frames that I got for about $2 from Micheals.  Next, I cut out some of my favorite pictures from:

$3.50 via Amazon

Next, I cut the pages to size and put them into the now dry frames.  Then I used some 3M picture hangers, which are easily removable, chose a wall and went for it.  Here's how it turned out:

The total cost of the craft was approximately $10, including the cost of the book.

I hope that next time a book has seen better days, that you're able to create something memorable.

** This craft/tip will also be featured in the post tomorrow that outlines how I made over our office in one day for under $350.