This Will Change Your Life…or At Least Your Wall

There are two types of people in this world.  Those who print pictures and display them in their homes, and those who do not. 

You might be in the second group if:

a) You have awesome frames, but they display pictures of someone else’s family and the numbers 4 in x 6 in in bold.

b) The thought of choosing what pictures to print, what frames to put the pictures in, and where to display said pictures and frames paralyzes you and sends you straight to American Furniture for wall art.

c) You had no idea people actually print pictures and are stumped as to why they wouldn’t just convert their images to slides and watch them full screen at holidays and on family nights…Christmas Vacation style.  Cue Ray Charles.

It’s a new day non-picture-printing-people.  This year, consider joining the other group of people who print pictures of their kids, dog, and themselves, buy frames for the pictures, and display them in their homes for all the world to gaze upon in wonder.  Why?  Because your pictures matter…they tell your story.  Because you are beautiful, and so is your family.  Because displaying pictures of you and yours is a way to share life with others.  Just ask Facebook…

Any time I go into someone’s home, I am drawn immediately to the pictures they have displayed.  I get that I am slightly biased as a photographer and a lover of all things photography, but I know I am not alone.  Because it is what happens when other people come into my home too.  Every single time.

So, set yourself a goal this year to print more pictures and display more pictures.

You might even get crazy and do a collage on your wall.  Have mercy.  Am I pushing you too far?

Wall Collages are a HUGE trend in the decorating world and also a great way to display your favorite pictures, personalize your home, fill wall space, and start a conversation.

The rule for wall collages is…there are no rules.  Symmetry and uniformity used to be the rule, and now the rule is:  You can do…whatever.  And therefore symmetry and uniformity still goes.  But so does eclectic and asymmetrical.  Stay with me here.

If you are still reading, it means you are at least curious about wall collages.  It is possible even that your heart and ears are open to and dare I say eager to make a wall collage a reality in your own home.  For you, I offer 5 steps to make this happen.

1. Choose a wall in your home that would work for a collage.

The stairwell, an entryway wall, the wall over the couch, or a hallway are all good places to start.

2.  Find a wall collage layout you like.

Google “wall collage” images.  Or click here.  Spend some time looking through the images, find one that speaks to you and works for your wall space, and copy it.  I am speaking mostly to you non-creative types.  Be encouraged to know that we creative types copy all kinds of things from you…like watches and day planners.  These sorts of things are just as outside our comfort zones as wall collages are out of yours.  So copy, copy, copy.  To copy the collage you like, buy frames that are the same size/dimension as the ones they bought, and put them in the same place on the wall that they put them.

Creative types, find a wall collage that inspires you and make it yours from there.  You know what I am talking about.

Great places to buy frames are Hobby Lobby, Pottery Barn, and Aaron Brothers.

You could also click here or here for Pottery Barn’s advice, ideas, and templates for wall collages, and purchase the frames they suggest for the collage template you choose.  The Pottery Barn collage below makes me weak in the knees.

3. Choose pictures for your frames.

A couple of options here…

1) Display a group of pictures from one photo shoot.  From my family shoot, I will generally choose one family picture, a picture of Josh and I, one or two pictures of my girls together, and one of each girl individually to display in my collage.

2) Choose pictures based on a theme (your babies in halloween costumes, swim suits, or snow gear depending on the season..or… your favorite shots of your kids through the years).

3) Mix it up! and do an assortment of pictures, art, letters, etc.  Check out this amazing blog about wall collages.  She did a collage with a variety of pictures and artifacts, and it is awesome.  Take a look below…but still go to the blog.  It is worth your time.

P.S.  When doing a collage of just pictures, I lean on the side of printing them all in color or all in black and white.  Not saying it’s a rule though. 😉

P.S.S  Do not print pictures in 5×7 or 4×6 or smaller for the wall unless they are part of a large grouping of pictures that also includes pictures that are at least 8×10 or larger.  The bigger the better.

4. Print your pictures.

Take full advantage of doing this when your awesome CMP photographer sends you the link to the shopping cart from your photo session and gives you the opportunity to print pictures then and there.  This is by far the best way to go about it.  First, it gets done, and second, the print quality is far superior.  If you are printing a 4×6, not as much to worry about.  But you will notice a big difference in the quality of your prints at 8×10 or larger when you print through us versus printing somewhere else.  It is worth paying the extra money to print at a higher quality.  This is your face and home we are talking about.  It matters.  🙂

If you are printing 4×6 images, or if you are printing images from the disc of digital images you purchased from said CMP photographer or from another disc of images you took on your own camera, the best places to print are mpix.com, Walgreens, or WalMart (no joke).  Be sure to print in matte NOT glossy.  Just sayin’.

5. Hang your wall collage.

Lay your collage out on the floor below the wall before you get started, and make sure it works in the designated space.  Use tape measures, laser levels, ladders, and such to hang.  The blog I mentioned above has another fantastic method to hang a collage.

-or-

Just start hanging.  You will first want to invest in this.

No matter how you go about it, having a wall collage in your home will change your life…or at the very least your wall.  Either way, there is change, and change is good…especially when it communicates meaning and beauty.  And especially when it communicates you.

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