Take a trip down memory lane with this fun and meaningful DIY project. Since home is wherever the Military sends you, why not make a keepsake to show off all the homes of your former duty stations.
Each key has a story. Your first home. The home you were in when your first child was born. The adventures. The hurdles your Military family has overcome. Create a work of art with all the memories and stories.
What you’ll need
- Shadow box picture frame
- Nails (or thumbtacks) and thin twine
- Hammer
- Scissors
- Pliers
- Fabric
- Measuring tape
- Felt tip pen
- Spray adhesive
How it’s done
- Using a measuring tape, measure and cut the fabric into a plus sign shape so that the center of the plus sign is the same size as the frame’s display surface (inner, back wall of the frame). Then, cut flaps at 90 degrees so that when you place the fabric into the box, the flaps will cover the top, bottom, left and right sides of the shadow box, with the corners meeting to create a seemingly seamless transition from side to side.
- Spray adhesive along the back wall of the frame. Lay the fabric into the shadow box, making sure there are no creases or wrinkles. Hold the fabric in place for a few seconds so the adhesive can start to set. Then, repeat the process, gluing the top, bottom, left and right flaps to each respective side of the frame, holding them in place for a few seconds before moving to the next flap. Make sure your corners of fabric meet.
- Gently hammer nails into the back of the shadow box, through the fabric at a slight downward angle. Carefully, with a pair of pliers, bend the nails that poke out of the back of the frame downward so they don’t cause any pricked fingers or scratched walls and furniture.
- Tie twine around the keys you’d like to add and hang them from the nails.
Place your new work of art in a prominent place in your latest home so you can tell friends and family the stories of PCS homes of your past.
