Most people, like it or not, will get a homemade craft from me at some point. I love giving birthday presents! If you’re in a pinch to make a friend a fun birthday gift too, this might be a neat idea for you.

Remember how I ordered a bamboo keyboard? And it was broken 🙁 I found one use for it, but still had a few keys left to work with! If you have an old Scrabble board sitting around, you can easily use the tiles from that instead of bamboo keys. Or, if you have an old keyboard that would work also. I’ve been looking out for old Scrabble boards at the local thrift shops, but I have yet to find one. Those die hard Scrabble players will not easily part with extra tiles!

Personalized Photo Frames

I started out with a plain picture frame like this one that I found on clearance.

This old keyboard is turning out to be quite handy!

I picked one that had a fabric frame to be able to sew and glue things into it.

I toyed around with the placement of old jewelry and different colors of silver and gold.

I knew I wanted her name at the top, so I glued those keys on first. Then added the space bar at the bottom. I added the lace trim in layers. The rhinestones were a broken headband.

Then I selected a bunch of odds n’ ends I had laying around.

I had a friendship bracelet that I found in a secondhand jacket from my cousin…

A ring that I bought at Goodwill for a Halloween costume.

A hair tie that had a cute cloth rose.

And a variety of other assorted parts.

Here’s what it looked like after a few hours and a few cups of coffee. Now, before you think I’m crazy and hoard all of this old stuff, just take a look into your own drawers and see what you can repurpose.  You’ll be amazed at what you can scavenge from the garage and around your house! Add a picture of you and your friend if you’re feeling extra ambitious.

What’s the most memorable handmade gift you’ve be given?