What is it exactly?:

It's a photo puzzle made from old cereal or cracker boxes. A picturesque paper weight, this craft will add not only a little personality to your desk space, it also will keep you entertained during those humdrum hours on the job or dull days at the dorm.

Usefulness factor:

If you've just finished off a box of corn flakes and you're feeling a twinge of creativity creeping in, this is the craft for you. Don't just toss your glamour shots in a drawer or breakfast boxes in the trash, turn them into a unique display for your favorite Kodak moments. With a few snips of the scissors and some well-placed tape, you can say good-bye to those typical frames and create this picture-perfect puzzle to put a new spin on sentimental photo displays. In a few short moves, you can flip your photo puzzle around as you please to keep the memories from your snapshots on constant rotation.

Get started:

1. Cut out the back and front sides from each of the cardboard boxes.
2. Make a cube pattern with the pen and ruler by marking lines for three connected 2-by-2 inch squares horizontally. Next, create four 2-by-2 inch squares running perpendicular to the second square. When the pattern is finished, it will resemble either a cross or T-shaped pattern.
3. Cut out the cube pattern, and make upward folds at each one of the marked lines to form the shape of a cube.
4. Secure the corners of the cube with tape. Repeat steps 1-4 until you've created a total of six cubes.
5. Label each side of a cardboard cube 1-6. Repeat this step for all of the cardboard cubes, making sure all of the numbers on all of the cubes correspond to the same sides.
6. Cut your first photo into six 2-by-2 inch squares. Write the number 1 on the back of the six segments. Repeat this step with numbers 2-6 for the remaining photos. Though it may pain you to destroy your favorite pictures, trust us, the end result will be worth it.
7. Match the corresponding numbers on the cubes and photos and with a glue stick, affix all of your pics. Let dry.
8. Stack the cubes to form a picture puzzle that will keep your desk decorated and your friends perplexed for hours.

Total cost:

True frugality at its finest, this craft is free.

Challenge level:

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the Martha Stewart challenge, this is a 5. It was a bit tedious to create the cubes, but relatively easy to piece this photo puzzle together. With about 20 minutes of labor, this craft takes less time to complete than getting your film developed at the 1-hour photo.

5 stars out of 10

Our thoughts: Photo frames are dull and commonplace. This craft is no Rubik's Cube, so this picture puzzle can easily be changed to suit your mood. It's a great way to reuse those old breakfast boxes to create a sentimental display for your desk. A picture is always worth a thousand words, and the Cereal Snapshots craft is priceless.