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Hand-made gift from the heart

Channel your inner elf because we're heading into the holiday workshop to make a gift that's artsy and heart'sy!

First off, gather your supplies. You'll need at the ready:

A piece of wood approximately 6" x 8" x 1" or sized to your liking
Sandpaper
Finishing nails (the little guys with small heads-- can't find a hat to fit to save their lives!)
Feathers, felt and other doodads you deem useful
Hammer
10" of pretty ribbon (pretty to be determined by your excellent taste)
1"- 2" bristle brush or sponge brush
Paper & pencil
Assortment of string, ribbon, yarn, pipe cleaners, wire
Photo- a smiling face sized to fit in the heart opening

Instructions:

First, sand your piece of wood to get rid of all potential splinters!
Next, select a duo of warm or cool colored acrylic paints plus white-- for example, pink, red and white or blue, purple and white. Squirt five gumdrop-sized blobs of your trio of paint colors at one end of the board alternating colors as you wish.
Drag your slightly dampened brush up and repeat. You're going for striations of the varied colors.
Paint the sides a contrasting color or with stripes!
Cut a 5" width heart from card stock. Place it on the board.
Draw a dotted path around the heart shape.
Lift the paper to reveal the dots which are the spots that you'll hammer the nails into. When hammering, drive the nails only half-way in.
Weave the ribbon, pipe cleaners, string, yarn, wire of your choice in and out of the nails to form a 3-D frame.
Glue the photo into the middle of the frame.
Add a banner at the bottom to paint in a sweet message like "Je t'aime!" or "Love."
To hang your picture, glue the "pretty" ribbon onto the back. (I find using a glue gun for this part is most effective.) You may also attach a regular ol' picture hanger if you prefer.
Have your child sign and date their creation on the back or front as space provides.
Wrap and give! Get ready to see grins all around as the recipient opens the masterpiece!