Sea Tow Foundation’s DIY Craft Time: Nautical Mailbox

Sea Tow Foundation’s DIY Craft Time: Nautical Picture Frame

Everyone knows that the best boating memories are the ones made out on the water. However, being out on the water isn’t always possible because of the weather, work and school schedules, or millions of other things going on in our lives.

With that in mind, the Sea Tow Foundation has created a monthly nautical craft to help bring those boating memories home. These crafts are easy for anyone to make and require limited tools and materials. In fact, all of the tools and materials are available at online retailers, or at a local craft store if you don’t already have the items lying around your house. Younger children may need the help of an adult for some portions of the craft project, but they can help with most of the personalization of the crafts. And many of these crafts make great homemade gifts!

In this month’s craft project, capture your treasured memories spent on the boat with these easy to make nautical picture frames.

Materials to Make a Nautical Picture Frame:

• Foam Board
• Box cutter or sharp craft knife
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Hot Glue
• Alphabet stickers
• Washi Tape
• Sisal rope
• Scissors
• Photo for the frame
• Newspaper or something to cover your table
• Decorative items of your choice (seashells, stickers, twigs, colored string, etc.)

Directions for How to Make a Nautical Picture Frame:

1. Determine what size frame you want based on the size of your photograph. You want the frame to be wide enough to allow for decorations.
   Some suggested dimensions are listed below as a guide using standard size photos and frames:
   4 x 6 photo – 8 x 10 frame
   5 x 7 photo – 11 x 14 frame
   8 x 10 photo – 16 x 20 frame
   
   
2. Measure the foam board using the ruler and pencil and cut it out using the knife. Children can help with the measuring, but an adult should handle the cutting as some pressure must be applied to the knife to get through the thick foam. After the outside rectangle is cut, measure the inside area for the photo ¼” shorter than the sides of the photo that you are using and cut that out as well.  The cut edges will be rough, but these will be covered up in the next step.
   
   

    

3. To cover the rough edges on the inside, use some decorative washi tape along the edge. You can find washi tape that coordinates with the colors in your photo. This is a great step for the kids to help!

    

4. Along the outside edge of the frame, attach the sisal rope with the hot glue. Warning: the glue gets very hot and can burn fingers easily, so adults should help with this step. Also, this is a good time to have the newspaper down to protect the table.
   
   
   
   
5. While the glue is still hot, use this time to add decorations to the frame including seashells or anything else that would need to be glued down. The children can help decorate using alphabet stickers, twigs, or they can even color the frame with markers.
   
   

    

6. Once all of the decorations have dried, turn the frame over. Place the photo in the opening and ensure it is lined up properly. Then, secure the photo to the back of the foam board using washi tape.
   
   

Congratulations on making a Nautical Picture Frame! Share your creations with us on Facebook and Instagram by tagging @SeaTowFoundation and using the #DIYNauticalCraftTime

If you found this article helpful or entertaining, please consider a donation to the Sea Tow Foundation today to help us continue our efforts to educate boaters and keep them safe on the water. You can donate securely online at www.boatingsafety.com/donatetoday or by clicking on the DONATE tab at the top of the page.