Believe Frames

Christmas is a time when we all think about what we value the most. Whether you believe in Christ, or God, or family, or Santa, this is the time of year when we shed some of our cynicism and remember the hope found in belief.

I picked up these little frames at Michael’s earlier this year. I loved the ornate carving in such a small size, it reminded me of some of the baroque religious artwork I studied in my college history classes. But I wanted to fill it with something a little more simple.

I picked a font on my computer and made a Word document with the word “Believe” all spaced out as I needed them to fit my little frame. I set them up to be 1 1/2″ high x 2 1/4″ wide. To make the linen fabric go through my printer, I cut a piece of freezer paper to the standard 8 1/2 x 11 size, and ironed it onto a piece of fabric cut to the same size. The freezer paper has wax on one side that will bond to the fabric just long enough to make it firm enough to get through the printer.

I used a ruler and rotary cutter to cut the linen to the size I had measured, then I cut a piece of gold lame to fit the size of the frame.

Using a matching colored thread, sew the linen onto the lame, leaving about 1/2″ of border.

Pull out the loose threads up to the line you sewed to make a fringed border.

Give the finished piece a good ironing (carefully if you’re using lame like me) and fit it inside your frame. I just tuck this inside the branches of the tree as is, but you can attach a hanger to it if you’d like.

To me this ornament bears testimony of my religious beliefs, but we all believe in something. And I think that this time of year especially is a great time to think about those beliefs we hold most dear and give thanks for the strength to hope.