Easy DIY - Dinosaur Photo Holder

Easy DIY – Dinosaur Photo Holder

Welcome back. Today I’m converting my kid’s old plastic dinosaurs into chic photo holders. They don’t look like it quite yet, but the photo holders will be Anthropologie inspired.

First up, my Anthropologie inspiration. These super cute dog photo holders from Anthropologie retail for $22 each.

I didn’t have any dogs in my kid’s toy stash , but I still had a pile of plastic dinosaurs waiting for me to destroy. I’m also using leftover wire, spray paint and paint. My copycat photo holders will be free. Free is always good.

We’ll start with the actual photo holder. Look in your stash for wiring that is not too flimsy that it will fall over if it’s holding a photo, but not so stiff that you can’t bend it into a spiral.

Of course you can always purchase photo holders. I found a pack of 30 on Amazon for only $6.

Drill a hole, about the size of your wire, in the center of the back of your dinosaur.

Wrap your wire around a cone (or do it freehand) leaving about 6 inches to stick into your dinosaur. Trim off any excess with wire cutters.

Flatten the spiral so it’s tight enough to hold a photo. Stick the wire in your dinosaur.

Rendition 1. Do nothing to the dinosaurs other than poke a hole in their backsides. This is probably the best solution for those kids who still want to play with their dino toys. Just pull out the photo holder and he is back to normal.

To get my dinosaurs to be more like my Anthropologie inspiration I’m taking these little guys outside to give a quick black spray paint job. Once the tops are dry, turn over and spray their bellies.

Rendition 2. Leave your dinosaurs black which will stand out in any decor. You could also paint the dinosaurs any color to coordinate with your child’s room.

Still on our way to the Anthropologie inspiration. Use Rub ‘n buff in gold to apply a light gold finish over the black spray paint. Use just a dab on your finger and lightly go over all the dinosaur surfaces.

If you do not have the rub ‘n buff but do have gold paint, you can also use a dry brush to lightly go over all the black surfaces.