As you know, our formal pictures are in our formal living room. For the Family Room, I wanted something more casual. I’ve seen several ideas about cutting boards and Mod Podging on photos so they look like they’re on gallery boards or canvas, etc. I was going to do that, but then it evolved to all the pictures being on one board – I LOVE it! And so I put together a quick tutorial for a Photo Wall Art – Portrait Display:
First, I took down my curtains from my family room (seen at the bottom of this Post About Curtains) and rigged them up outside so I could take pictures with them as the background – I knew the pictures would match the room that way! For the casual feel I went with some crazy faces and some not – just take A LOT of pictures so you have options. The hardest was to get my just-turned-2-year-old to make crazy faces on demand – I ended up making faces at him and he would mimic them back. I made 8×10 prints (through MPix – so impressed with them), but you can even make 8x10s at a 1 hour photo if you want.
To start, I painted a thin board (it can’t be too heavy because it’d be trickier to hang on the wall) black – obviously, color choice is up to you. I had the board cut to 36 inches by 40 inches – I have 12 pictures with 1.5 inch gaps between everything.
Then I put mod podge on the back of the pictures and stuck them down where I wanted them.
Then I put a generous coat of Mod Podge over the top of everything – this helped seal down the edges of the pictures and give some texture (like canvas) to the finish.
We went with exposed hardware and put a screw and washer in each corner. Trevor found some rubber spacer things and used those behind the board (kind of hard to see – it’s black) to make the board sit out from the wall – I love that.
It fills up the wall behind the couch. This view is standing in the family room looking back into the kitchen:
The kids love having their “crazy faces” hanging on the wall. I love the impact and personality it adds to our family room. You can do this – it’s just spreading glue on a board – go try it!
I LOVE this!!
that is SO fantastic!!
This is EXACTLY the kind of thing I was looking for for our downstairs TV/playroom! Thanks so much for sharing how to do this. Chris
This is awesome!! I only wish I had a big wall to hang something like this on.
You can always do a smaller one. Use 4×6 or 5×7 pictures. You could do it with fewer photos and a smaller board. Any size really.
What a fun idea! I love to decorate with pictures…it makes everything so fun and personal. This idea is great and you took such great pictures. Thanks for sharing!
WOW I Love it. We are painting our house and I need something behind the couch so I think I will also try and do this with my sons and daughters pictures. Thanks for sharing. I found you on Boost My Blog and I am now a new follower.
So cute! I’m going to have to copy this idea!
By the way Mandy, I emailed you this morning about winning the LMM giveaway! I know sometimes things get caught in spam, so fyi!! Thanks!!!
Mandy, I love it. I have something similar in our home and we get a lot of compliments on it. your version is so much better. You are so creative.
I love this! I really need something new on the wall in my family room… I love this idea!
Kelly
very very creative!
I am having a giveaway on my blog. $15 store credit to select from a wide range of gorgeous hair clips and hairbands for little girls. check it out.
http://houseonashwelllane.blogspot.com/2011/02/fancy-headbands-and-hair-clips-giveaway.html
This is so cool. I might borrow the idea as Christmas gifts for our family here this Christmas since we might be moving back to Norway in 2012. That way they will have a wonderful way of remembering the kids and all their antix.
Thank you for sharing.
This is so cool. I might borrow the idea as Christmas gifts for our family here this Christmas since we might be moving back to Norway in 2012. That way they will have a wonderful way of remembering the kids and all their antix.
Thank you for sharing.
I LOVE how big this is! I need something this big. Looks like I need to go to my parents house and raid my dads scrap wood pile:)
I like this b/c it’s probably a better representation of your family as opposed to posed pictures.
Creative and fun! 🙂
I love how all the kids are making goofy faces. How fun, and what a great huge, picture prefect focal point that is now.
Come link up!!!
Hugs,
Bella 🙂
What a great idea! I love it.
:)rachel from sunscholars.blogspot.com
Darling! Love all the pics. But most of all the silly ones 😉 Creative Mama!!!!
How fun it that! I love this idea of funny pictures to display–especially in a family room.
One of my favorite projects of yours.. so awesome! I love it.
I absolutely LOVE this one. What a great way to capture children. This project rocks!
This is so ADORABLE! Great job! 🙂
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this idea!! Now to talk Mark into it. :o)
Adorable!! I shared it on my TT&J facebook page and linked to you!
xoxo
Jen
Saw this on TT&J’s facebook page and thought you had 12 children from the thumbnail picture lol.
Love this idea! Little work for a big impact.
Perfection! I Love this, the kids are too dang cute to, Thanks for sharing this at my party!
I SOOO love this! I can’t wait to do this sometime! I LOVE it.
Awesome! Love it!
What a fun idea!
so striking. and the pictures are great!
megan
craftycpa.blogspot.com
This is so cute and very creative!
I love big it is! I think big art work is so much fun, and your kids cute faces to boot! Fabulous Idea!
Carlee,
ladybirdln.blogspot.com
I love the size and the common background. A wonderful idea to personalize your space. I would be thrilled if you stopped by my Commercial Break Thursday at http://www.suzyssitcom.com and link this project!
suzy
Your older girl has a totally elastic face. What great expressions!
Love this! Your kids are adorable! Absolutely perfect for a family room. Thanks for sharing.
That is too darn cute! Awesome idea! Thanks for linking up.
This is gorgeous, so fun and it looks so great on your wall! ~Lori
I absolutely love this display! Great idea and I think the faces the kiddo’s are making just tops it off! I featured this on my friday favorites!
http://www.lilbitofus.com/2011/03/friday-favorites.html
I LOVELOVELOVE this idea!!! And the scrapbooker in me thinks it would look awesome with some letters adhered to the center with a word like: family, love, silly…..whatever comes to your mind…or even yhour last name….or initials. OMGosh how you have inspired me!!!!
Ahhh brilliant idea!!
I needed something for my newly painted hallway so I shall be doing a long version in antique white I think. Funnily enough I have that type of board in the cupboard already!!
Thank you for the idea 😉 x
I really really like this and may need to copy it:)
Wonderful! I love that you added ModPodge to give it some texture, too!
Happy SU Sunday! Visiting from FB Crafterminds 😉
you may have just saved my living room from decorator’s demise… I just ripped everything off the wall to paint and have been staring at the blankness all week… tomorrow? picture time!!!
So cute…I love this idea. It’s a GREAT way to use those silly poses that sometimes REALLY show their personality…but aren’t what you would normally “frame”.
i featured your wall all this week!
http://typeadecorating.blogspot.com/
Aw, SO CUTE! Look at those faces! I love how you went with silly faces…no wonder the kids love looking at it! My little boy (almost 3) loves to look in the mirror and make weird faces. It takes up a good 1/2 hour of his time. So fun!
Love the way that it turned out. Having such a wonderful way to create memories of your children.
Mod podge is great
AWESOME!! Seriously amazing!
Thanks for linking up to Making It With Allie last week! I can’t wait to see what you have for this week!
AllieMakes.Blogspot.com
That is amazing I love it!
~Kimberlee
I’ve put together a round up of inventive photo displays on Craft Gossip today and included your post. 🙂 You can see it here
http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/6-inventive-photo-displays/
I would love it if you would share the Craft Gossip love and show your visitors you’ve been featured, you can grab a button here!
http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/grab-a-craft-gossip-button/
VERY COOL!!
Hey I just loved this idea of yours.It is so nice an d beautiful pose and the way you displayed it was really very nice.I too love wall art pictures like this.
This is a great idea. I have yet to try this. I was thinking that putting Modge Podge to a photo would just make it smear from getting wet. Hmmm….gonna have to try this for sure. 🙂
I was just wondering where you got it cut?
my husband cut the board to size for me, but Home Depot and Lowes both can cut boards, usually for free – and that way they fit in your car better for transportation!
Did you use matte or gloss modge podge? Did you just paint it over regular photos without sealing them in any way?
I can’t remember – – I think it was matte. And yes, I just painted over regular photos with mod podge – it sealed the photos, so you don’t need another way. Good Luck!
Hi Mandy, I love the mod podging to look like canvas but question:
Where do you print the photos? I know Walmart has cheap prices to print pictures but I wasn’t sure if they would work as well on a project like this.
PS. Trevor’s blog is super funny!
Prints from Walmart would work find, but I highly recommend mPix.com – professional quality prints and the prices are comparable to Walmart – they are great.
Is this glossy or matte modge podge?
Thanks!
great question – – I think it’s matte, but I’m not completely sure. I bet either would work just fine. Good luck!
What kind of board is it? How thick? Want to make sure I ask for the right thing!
great question, and I’m not sure – – I just looked at the options for 4×8 sheets and picked one that was thin. Sorry I’m not more specific on details!
I was just wondering what kind of paint you used for the board (spray paint or actually brush painted) What would you suggest?
I just brushed on some black paint I had – I’m sure spraypaint would work too, but I think you’d probably get better coverage brushing it on. Good luck!
I found this on Pinterest. This is really wonderful! Love the mix of the silly and the ‘proper’ pictures!
I’ll be adding this one to my “Creative Ideas” pinterest board. 🙂
so glad you found my blog!
I am in the process of making a photo like this w/ my 2 boys and using 6 photos. My question is, how did you hang this photo? Did you just use the screws and screw into the wall??
It is a neat idea and cheap too!! I wanted something to hang in our family room that didn’t have glass in it bc it’s by a door. This was the perfect idea!!
Yep, I just screwed it to the wall. You can see in the corners of it the silver – I drilled a hole in the board and put a washer and a screw through it, so the screw would look like it was added interest and not just a distraction. And then just screwed it directly to the wall. No glass or anything. Good luck with yours!
I absolutely love this. Would also be great for wedding pictures, new baby from pregnancy pictures to the finished project “new baby” and much much more.
I love this idea!! I take tons of photos of my 3 children. Does it matter if you print the pictures in matte or glossy? I have never worked with modge podge and from the looks of it, it is safe to use on photos. The modge podge doesn’t alter the print any does it?
I had mine printed in matte just from a one-hour photo type of place, and it didn’t alter the print at all. hope that helps! enjoy your project!
Where did you get the board? A craft store?
the board is from the home improvement store – hope that helps!
How do I go about printing photos for this? Would I need to have them printed on photo paper or regular, copy paper?
Mine were on photo paper, just a 1-hr photo type place. good luck with yours!