Accomplishment As Artwork

One of the most popular party favors is a framed picture of the party guest taken at your kids party. He or she could be showing off a silly hat or party costume, performing an outrageous party game stunt, or wearing a face full of frosting and ice cream.

Having party guests create their own make-and-take frame to display this memorable photo makes it an even greater treasure for the memory box.

Start with a plain square of cardboard with an opening the size of your picture. When the decorating is done, simply glue picture to the back of the frame.

Here’s a brainstorm of frame ideas and decorating materials kids can use:

*Cut your photo into a circle and glue to the center of a nice shiny CD. Decorate with star stickers.

*Cut frames from different colored craft foam. Layer the foam squares for a unique effect. Decorative foam pieces in many unique shapes and themes are available at your craft store.

*Make a simple craft stick frame and decorate it with faux gems, sequins, sparkles, or stickers.

*Fashion a frame with craft clay.

*Use faux craft fur to make a really “wild” looking frame. Great for a jungle themed party.

*Tie one end of a long length of colorful yarn to your cardboard square. Wrap the yarn around and around the square until it is completely covered.

*Glue tiny Barbie doll accessories such as combs, brushes, sunglasses, and purses. Ideal for a Barbie party or little girl’s dress up party.

*Brush a square of cardboard with white craft glue. Sprinkle craft sand onto the glue in different colors and patterns. Shake excess sand onto newspapers and let dry.

*Use outdoor treasures such as tiny pine cones, leaves, and small stones to make a nature frame. Perfect for a garden party or bug party.

*Colorful buttons in various sizes and shapes can be laid out in an interesting design.

*Apply geometrical shapes of felt in a creative pattern.

*Cover your frame with pretty fabric.

*Apply colored clay shapes to your cardboard square.

*Hard edible sugar decorations for cakes come in a variety of themes. These can be used to decorate your frame.

*Different shapes of macaroni make interesting frame decorations. Try elbows, wheels, bowties, and fusilli.

*Tiny colored pompoms make a cute soft frame. Apply complementary colors in rows.

*Tear off one inch pieces of multi-colored tissue paper. Pinch between fingers, dip in glue and apply to your frame.

*Small dried beans or peas laid out in intricate patterns make a unique frame.

Kids will love the hands-on party activity and parents will enjoy their child’s picture displayed in their own uniquely creative frame.

Copyright 2005 Kids Party Paradise All Rights Reserved

Patricia B. Jensen is a mother of three and kids party enthusiast. She is the webmaster and owner of Kids-Party-Paradise.com - a complete resource for kids party ideas including invitations, cakes, decorations, games, costumes, favors, and food.

For all the latest party news, read her
Kids Party Blog.

Like a cat I slumber, blissfully unencumbered,
Through eighty per cent of my allotted span,
Occasionally awoken, when dissent is spoken,
And I invent another cunning five year plan,
Lately it was pensions, that were being mentioned,
So I borrowed from the French and Robespierre,
Scrap all that went before, saved by tooth and claw,
And let my all equal Citizens appear,
Currently it is time, for me to be in my prime,
For there is another election looming,
I have to appear sincere, for part of this coming year,
And assure everyone that everything is booming,
Never mind strict quotas, Ive imported multitudes of voters,
And told them which party let them stay,
Though Ive rigged the postal vote, and defamed everyone of note,
You never know what might happen on the day.

So to be on the safe side, I swallow all my pride,
And allow my people to hear my hallowed voice,
And roll out the charade, put on the facade,
And even make believe they have a choice,
Next time around the crown, will be trampled underground,
House of Lords and Lord Chancellor history,
With the other Chancellor gone, I alone will soldier on,
Yes, then there will only ever be me,
Ill hold elections for you, as all dictators do,
And fill positions with those that grease my palm,
As for civil unrest, there is always house arrest,
Or secret imprisonment for those that mean me harm.

So from national nursery, via educational history,
You can in time join the New Labour Youth,
Be taught gay is fun, and the state is number one,
And any other opinion is untruth.

Ask the media if unsure, or philosophically impure,
Brainwashing British Citizens is their forte,
They will surely put you right, or visit you at night,
Either way they will stop you being naughty.

Meekly follow all the rules, laid down in our schools,
Where state is all and learning is suppressed,
And you can safely be ignored, not seen as being flawed,
Just be another number like the rest.

Better far to be, a part of mediocrity,
Within your state and the seeds they have sown,
Than to disappear, or to live in constant fear,
For having a mind and will all of your own.

How is it that we, lost the option to be free,
How did we give away our right to choice,
How did we believe, whilst being deceived,
When did we decide to lose our voice.

How did we select the politically correct,
Why are we victims of unpunished crime,
Were we such fools as not to see the tools,
Or did we think they would go away in time.

The tap is darkly dripping, droplets that are gripping,
Our throats today our minds in time to come,
We must turn the tide, and reaffirm our pride,
We must prove we are not deaf and dumb.

It is no good wailing, chained up to your railing,
That you want the vote back like before,
For no one hears your plea, they are deaf to you and me,
No on cares about us any more.

This is about manipulation, of us and of our nation,
This is about illusions triumph over actual reason,
This is about lies, and the power to mesermerise,
This is about a slowly creeping treason,
This is about the eviscery, of the neutral BBC,
This is about what poison will soon take its place,
This is about five year plans, and Citizens of Euroland,
This is about civil service, with a very red face,
This is about soaps and plays, which in very subtle ways,
Try to put into our minds new sets of plausible truths,
This is about newspaper demise, in the guise of purveying lies,
Whilst the state preaches Pravda through schools to our youth,
This is about vision and sound, and any means that is allowed,
Trying to persuade you against your own common sense,
This is about duplicity, making seem true what cannot be,
And hoping you will at very least sit on the fence.

This is about unelected expertise, being paid huge taxpayer fees,
Alaister Campbells school of used car salesmen integrity,
This about usage of such curs, and their lies, and their slurs,
To pull the wool over the eyes of you and me.

Maybe feeble opposition is fuelling this submission,
But this is not about parties or their competence,
This is simply a war, not about who to vote for,
But who to definitely vote against.

Malcolm Pugh was a civil engineer then a systems programmer - slightly deranged retired now.