After going to Disney World with a friend, I wanted to make a gift for her birthday that used a photo from her favorite ride, Splash Mountain. I wanted it to be more than just framing an image though, so I attempted to come up with items that would fit the theming of the ride. Things that came to mind were wood, moss, and sticks, which go with the “briar patch” storyline of the attraction. I originally was going to just Google some photos of the characters from the ride (Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Fox, and Br’er Bear) but ended up coming across an old Disney book at a thrift store. The book and attraction both take characters from the 1946 Disney film Song of the South, which really isn’t a highlight in Disney’s history due to the way race is presented in the story. Because of this, I really didn’t have much of a problem cutting up the book to use it for my frame (normally I’m not a book cutter, I promise!) The illustrations in the book were spot on for the theme, and I felt that it would really make the gift unique.
I must admit that the ride photo I chose of us, which was our favorite photo of all the times we went on the ride during our trip, was actually just a photo of the screen where you can view your photo after the ride. I took a photo of the screen and managed to make it look moderately decent without purchasing. Sorry, Disney! This photo was our favorite because of how we were seated center in the log, the expressions of the people on the ride with us, and how we bonded with the kids in front of us. They had never been on the ride before and looked to us for a bit of emotional support as each drop approached.
I also had a photo of my mom and I on the Disneyland version of Splash Mountain, so decided to make a similar frame for us. Since we actually had PhotoPass this time around (maybe because of my guilt from the other photo?), I wanted to utilize one of the photos since we don’t have any Disney pictures from over the years framed or displayed. Although Splash Mountain doesn’t scare me, I always have trouble keeping my head up on the final drop, so this photo was a major accomplishment for me! I think being in rows of one prevents me from ducking my head towards the person next to me. My face is a bit concerning though, so maybe ducking would have been preferable!
For the frames, I thought that a patchwork look would work with the items I had accumulated and ended up with two frames that took me right back to the briar patch.
What You’ll Need:
• Frame (I bought mine at Michaels)
• Patterned paper (I used one large sheet and pages from a small paper pack)
• Glue stick or adhesives (I used sticky dots)
• Scissors or paper cutter
• Moss
• Sticks, wood pieces, denim pieces, embroidery floss, photos, or other decorations
• Glue (I used Aleene's Tacky Glue)
Directions:
1. I started by choosing the photo I was going to use printed it on a 4x6 piece of photo paper. I then trimmed it.
2. With my photo ready to go, I begin arranging a scene behind it. I first cut my large piece of paper, which had a wood pattern. This acted as my base to build upon.
3. Next, I cut out characters from the book I had. I wanted a circle shape, so I used two small mugs and traced around a few of the characters using a pencil. I then carefully cut out the images using a scissor. I cut out more than I would need, just so I was able to play around with some different images. You can also use different sized shapes to differentiate the images a bit.
4. To start assembling the patchwork theme, I used my other patterned papers and cut them into small square and rectangle shapes. I laid them around the sides, with some overlapping and others not, until it looked decent.
5. On top of the paper patchwork, I placed three of the circle images I chose from the book, representing the three main characters from the ride. Once everything was arranged how I liked it, I then used sticky dots to quickly attach them all in place. I figured this might be a bit easier, and less potentially messy, than using a glue stick.
6. With everything in place, I then attached the main Splash Mountain ride photo in the center.
7. Since nothing really required drying at this point, I started adding a few more dimensional aspects. First up, I cut a few squares of denim from an old skirt. I then did a quick basic running stitch around it to add a bit more color. Once the stitching was secured, I glued the denim pieces to the paper background.
8. Lastly, I added the moss and sticks. I attached the moss by putting down a circle of glue, and then patting in pieces of moss. The last items I attached were a few small sticks. I tried to get them as flat as I could so there would be no problems with assembling the frame.
9. Once everything was dry, I put the finished piece into the frame. Then it was ready to gift and display! (and reminisce about the memories)
Here are some photos of the final product:
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