We begin this week’s column with the old saw, “caveat emptor,” buyer beware! When we ordered the dominoes to use in our Father’s Day frame, it never occurred to us that the pieces would be cockeyed.
When we put the pieces in place for our frame (the black one), the gaps and crooked edges made us shudder. We evened them up as best we could – filling in more prominent gaps with black craft foam – but the finished product still left a lot to be desired.
We had to dash out to a toy department for another set of dominoes, which we used to make our off-white frame.
Bottom line: If you plan to make this frame, take a good look at the dominoes before you buy them. You should be safe with plastic ones, but if you go for wooden, ask if you can open the box and check them out.
We first saw dominoes used in a craft project a couple of years ago in a magazine – we can’t remember which publication it was. Domino pieces were glued together to make a set of four small coasters, with a larger one suitable for a pitcher.
To make a frame, begin with two pieces of medium-weight cardboard to use as a backing for the domino pieces. If you did one of our origami projects a while back, you can use the little cardboard squares that came in the packages of origami paper.
Place the dominoes end to end on one piece of cardboard to form a square – leaving a square space in the center for the photo – and add a second row of dominoes around the outside of the first row to make the frame.
Push all the dominoes snugly together to close the any gaps, then begin gluing the pieces in place with quick-set tacky or hot glue.
When the glue is completely dry, use an X-acto knife to trim away the excess cardboard from the outer and inner edges.
Take the second piece of cardboard and use the X-acto knife to trim it so that the outer edges are flush with the piece holding the domino pieces, but do not cut out the center piece.
If you plan to decorate the back piece with paper or fabric, apply it now. You can use decoupage medium to hold the paper or fabric in place and seal.
When the back piece is finished, glue it to the top piece around the edges, but leave one side or the top open so that you can slide photos in and out.
This will give you the basic frame, but there are several ways to finish it. We left our samples in the basic form because we haven’t yet decided who is going to get which one, and want to ask them which style they prefer.
To make a standing frame, cut another piece of cardboard about one-third the width of the frame and about two-thirds the height. Score one end of the piece with an X-acto knife (making sure not to cut all the way through) to allow it to bend easily, then glue the scored end to the back of the frame.
Cut a short length of ribbon and glue one end to the small piece of cardboard and one end to the back of the frame, adjusting it to give you the angle you desire when the frame is standing. The shorter the ribbon, the straighter up and down the frame will stand.
To make a magnetized frame, suitable for a refrigerator or file cabinet, simply add magnet pieces or strips to the back of the frame. The dominoes will make the frame a little heavier than most refrigerator frames, so make sure you use stronger magnets, or don’t be stingy with weaker ones.
To make a hanging frame, glue a piece of 2- or 3-inch-wide ribbon to the back of the frame, leaving several inches over on each end. Fold the top over to form a casing (glue or sew it in place), then run a piece of narrow ribbon through it and tie off to form a hanger. Fold the bottom end into a point and glue in place, adding an embellishment if you wish.
You can hang the frames so that they appear as squares or turn them sideways a quarter-turn so they appear as diamonds.
Leather kits
Because we were a little disappointed with our black sample frame, we decided to throw in a second project idea for Father’s Day.
We’ve featured leather kits in Craft Corner before, as they are a good way for kids to learn a new skill while making a useful gift at the same time.
The kits are available at most craft stores and generally cost between $5 and $10. Everything needed to make the basic item is included and the leather pieces are prepunched and precut for easy assembly.
For our samples this week, we chose a simple keychain pouch, a checkbook cover and a fringed coin purse (which is probably more suitable for Mom than for Dad).
Leather dyes are available if you choose to color your item, or you can always add a charm or decorative stones or beads to the piece. But unless you are gluing the embellishments on (which probably isn’t the best way to secure them), be sure to add them before you stitch the leather pieces together.
When making our samples, we decided to substitute cotton yarn for the black plastic lacing that came with the kit. The yarn may not hold up as well, but we prefer the softer, more muted, look, and it’s much easier to work with than the plastic.
Contact Jonetta Coffin at jrocoffin@aol.com.
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