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Monday, April 23, 2012

Recycled CD Mosaic Photo Frame




Surprise!  Today it’s a two-fer.  Two craft tutorials using a similar technique. We all have those CD’s still lying around.  They may be the ones that ISP’s used to send out by the boatload, or maybe some old playlists from our pre-iPod days.  It’s hard to toss them so why not use them for crafting?  And seriously now, old Cd’s are craft supply perfection.  They are free, and they are flashy. 

You will need:

An old CD, if your frame width is wide you may need two CDs

Scissors or tin snips (I used an old pair of scissors)

Tacky glue (I used Turbo Tacky glue)

Paper Mache frame available at craft stores or online, but any flat front frame will work just as well

Black slick dimensional fabric paint

Tweezers

Scrap piece of thin cardboard, a piece of cereal box works well

(It’s a good idea to wear eye protection while cutting the CD in case any of the pieces fly up)


1.     Cut the CD up into pieces.  Vary the sizes and the shapes. Working in small sections squeeze some glue on the front of the frame and spread it out with a scrap piece of thin cardboard.  Use the tweezers to pick up the CD pieces one at a time and place in the glue.  Keep applying CD pieces in this way making sure you leave some space between each piece. Continue working all around until the entire face of the frame is covered with the CD pieces.  Let dry.




Spread the glue





2.     Squeeze some dimensional fabric paint onto a scrap of paper to make sure that there are no bubbles and it comes out even.  Fill in the areas between the glued on CD bits with the fabric glue. Try and keep your lines even.  As you work around filling in the open areas be careful not to smear your previous lines.  When you have filled in all the open areas, let dry.





35 comments:

  1. Hi Crystal, just stopping by to say how delightful your blog is and also to let you know that I am now following you. Please drop by my blog and perhaps you would like to follow me also. Have a wonderful day. Hugs, Chris
    http://chelencarter-retiredandlovingit.blogspot.ca/

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  2. Hi, Crystal :)
    What a great idea! Thanks for sharing.
    You have such a creativ mind ;)
    xo

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  3. How do you come up with these marvelous ideas? I found two old CDs now I just have to take a trip to Michaels for the dimensional fabric paint and I'm good to go. Thanks for sharing. Hugs

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  4. Now, I really like this idea Crystal! Thank you!!! You should make a book with all these great crafts!!!

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  5. Wow! This is really cool! Two thumbs up for coming up with with such a great idea! Love the glamour of this project!

    Annabella Merlin
    Creative Photo Albums

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  6. I like this one! Got a stack of old CDs I want to do something with, I can see myself doing this one. Thanks for sharing!

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  7. I have so many old cds lying around...now I know what to do with them. This is a great project! Would you consider linking it up to my Pinworthy Projects Linky Party over at Just Us Four?

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  8. You seriously made that from a broken CD!!! I NEVER would have thought of that. This is an amazing project! Thank you for the inspiration!

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  9. Umm incredibly cool!!! Following you now and hoping I actually find the time to try lots of your neato craft ideas!! :) Stop by and check out my blog if you get a chance!
    RuffledFeatherShoppe.blogspot.com

    ~Dianna

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  10. how darn cute and clever! I have never seen or heard of anything quite like this!!! Great great great idea!!! Thank you for linking up!!!
    Jaime from crafty scrappy happy

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  11. Wow! What a neat idea, and a great way to reuse something pretty useless and make it just plain pretty! I like how you used the puff paint in place of grout...grout is such a pain to work with! Thanks for entering One Crafty Contest! good luck!

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  12. I love this frame. It looks like a mirror. I think something like this would look awesome on my desk. Great Job. xoxo

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  13. This is awesome. I'm thinking it might work on clay flower pots.

    Thanks for sharing.

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  14. Thanks for the comments! Actually An upcoming design is a flower pot so come back and visit make it easy crafts :-)

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  15. awesome *.*
    i'll try this myself :-D

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  16. Thank you so much Chrystal for sharing this. I finished my first CD flower pot late last night and have just put a photo of it on my blog. I would never have thought of cutting up a CD with scissors ! Take care. Marion x

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  17. Awesome idea! And seriously, congratulations on finding something to do with CD's other than throw them out! I could never think of anything. I have a big mirror that could use a flashy frame and it'd be a great way to use up five or six CD's. I'll have to try this!

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  18. Really, really awesome! Think I'll save this post for my Christmas features, if that's okay. People are always looking for good DIY ideas! :)

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  19. Really super idea! Will definitely be trying this one.

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  20. This will make a great Bible School craft. We always take a photo of the kids. Thanks for a wonderful idea.

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  21. I just completed this crafty idea last night. I love it. Now, I cut the CDs up with scissors and they cracked quite a bit. I am still pleased with the end result, but was wondering if you had this issue as well? Thanks for the idea. :)

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  22. to To Natalie...Some Cd's are more pliable than others and they don't crack at all. When you cut with scissors stay at the edges of the cd and it will crack less. Actually the cracking looks cool and gives it added texture so it can be a benefit with this technique. Thanks for your comments. :-)

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  23. This is perfect! I got a lot of scrap cds. Thanks for the ttip about staying at the edges of the cd. =)

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  24. Wow I never thought of using old CDs like this. Thank you for the tutorial!

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  25. This looks like a really fun recycling craft. I was planning on doing this as a project with my students (Grades 4-6), and I was wondering if the edges get sharp at all. I don't want to have any accidents in the class room.

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    Replies
    1. Most of the cd's I have cut up were kind of bendable so there were no sharp edges. They can sometimes be a bit hard to cut, but if you cut near the edges it is easier. I don't think there would be a problem with 4-6 grades but to save time I would have the pieces per-cut.

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  26. This is awesome! This is going to be in my list of to-do projects. Thanks for sharing!

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  27. When I tried to do this and cut up my cd, the holographic film part of my cd just kept disintegrating and rubbing off (if that makes sense). What do I do so that when I cut up my cd it still has that shiny part?

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    Replies
    1. I think the problem is in the particular CD that you are using. Sometimes certain CD's or DVD will release the top layer. Have you noticed that some of them are easier to cut up? The ones that are easier to cut usually will not drop layers. Try a different CD or DVD.

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  28. THANK YOU SOOOOOOO MUCHHHHHHHHHH.....I HAVE A SCHOOL PROJECT AND IT IS VERY USEFUL THXXXXXX <3

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Thanks for your lovely comments!