Diamonds in the Rough

By now most of you know I love to alter and repurpose things.  I don't really have a green thumb but I can go GREEN with the best of them.  So this week, I decided to alter  some things that I have been collecting.  We all may have picked these up with intentions to make a project with them.  Now I know these acrylic frames look rough around the edges, but trust me when I finish with them, you'll be able to see my diamonds in the rough.

Here are the diamonds, all fancied up.

I added patterned paper to the back of each frame where you would normally place a photo.  For the frame on the left I added two black ribbon flowers that I created from some pleated satin trim.  I created two paper flowers using two punches, a small and a large punch.  Each flower has a little pearl in the center.  I diecut paper frames for each frame and left the top portion of the frame open so that a picture can be added.  I also added an image from some patterned paper to the frame on the left.  A small post-it pad was added and a holder for a pen.  This would make a lovely gift for someone to sit on their desk.  The frame on the right was created with a school theme.  It also has a frame to hold a favorite picture and post-it note pad and pen holder as well.  This would make a nice gift for a teacher.  So if you have been collecting these little diamonds or if you are inspired to just pick up some new ones at the store, these will make a great and purposeful gift for someone.