During peak pandemic times we really were reaching on places to take Hue for outdoor activities. All play dates were cancelled because everyone was super scared that they would expose their child to Covid. So, Jake (Hue’s dad) and I were trying to find new places to take Hue. We couldn’t do play grounds because those were closed but the grassy fields attached to a lot of parks/playgrounds were open so we did A LOT of exploring and Hue started to collect a lot of sticks. Jake said something innocent one day like, “You’re getting quite a stick collection!” to Hue when a light bulb went off in my head to frame all these little sticks to remind all of us about the time in our lives when sticks were life! More than a year later sticks are still life but since play grounds are open now they have a lost rank on the list. Also, collecting rocks are high up on the list too, you can check out how we organized his rock collection here.
I had a shadow box frame that I bought a long time ago and was saving for something special. I went back and forth if I should paint the frame a fun color but decided that I kind of liked how the wood tones of the sticks matched the wood tones of the frame. It has a distinguished look and painting it would make it look more kitsch but I think we will keep this for forever so I decided to keep it classic. Also, I already had all the materials on hand besides the sticks so it was just a matter of pulling all the supplies out.
SUPPLIES:
- Sticks (from nature)
- Artist tape (I love this store)
- My favorite pen ever
- T- Pins (or I used these but I think T-pins would be better at keeping things secure)
- Shadow Box (I got mine here a couple of years ago but something similar to this)
Obviously you have to collect some sticks first. That is the fun part! Then hide them from your toddler when you get home! I tried to label them once I got home so the memory was super fresh in my mind. I just wrapped some artist tape around the stick and cut the edges for a cleaner look. Then I wrote the date/memory/area we got the stick from.
Next, I took the back of the frame out and laid it on the table and I put all the labeled sticks out to see which configuration looked best. Once I liked the layout of the sticks, I secured them with the pins. If I had something tricky-shaped then I used a little bit of tape on the back to help secure it.
Then I put the secured sticks art back with the frame and hung it on Hue’s wall. It’s kind of a show stopper and a great way to keep all those memories together. When I look at these framed sticks I can see Hue playing the drums on the bleachers at Lake Balboa or discovering a new area of a park we had never experienced before. So the memories are kind of the best part of this. Plus the funnest part is hanging out with your kid while they are on the hunt for the next stick!