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[BunSnoop]

In the summer I purchased two large collage frames.  Today I took about 20 pictures out of the frames I had displayed on the fireplace mantel.  I wanted to have less frames/less clutter look.  One collage frame will have mostly pictures from family on my side and the other collage frame will have pictures from my husband's side of the family.

I stated just placing some of the photos on top of the collage frames to get an idea of where I will place each photo.   Looks as though I will need to go into the photo albums and find about 4 more pictures to fill all of the spaces in the collage frames.

Next - some of the pictures are a little smaller than the opening in the collage frame so I will need to purchase either a mat board or construction paper, etc. to use around those pictures.  Won't be able to go to the store to buy that for a while as we're having bad weather here.

Did not realize until I got started how time consuming this project is, but I think it will look nice when completed.  Just doing a little bit at a time.  I'll have to figure out next what to do with all of the old frames.  I'll probably put them in the Goodwill donation bag.

Has anyone else done something similar?  If you have any tips/suggestions, please share.

[ThinkingOutLoud]

Tips/Suggestions/Ideas:

- as far as size issues - just scan or copy them to be the size you need

- making them all black and white would look more cohesive

- having sayings, etc in some of the spots would add interest 

    - family names in each (ie johnson, smith, brown)

    - personalized info (ie monograms, states/towns where lived)

- including pictures of homes lived in would also add interest

Hope you're happy with the final product.

[BunSnoop]

@ThinkingOutLoud , great suggestions - thank you so very much!!!!

[ThinkingOutLoud]

@BunSnoop  If you use the fabric idea that @GingerHead shared, use one that has meaning (ie leftover fabric from a wedding dress, drapes from grandma's house, etc.)

[GingerHead]

@ThinkingOutLoud 

Oh yes! Good idea, you could even use decorative paper or a meaningful letter or newspaper article, etc.....The ideas are flowing.haha

[gardenman]

Depending on the size of the collage frame and your printer's capabilities, you can scan all of the photos into your computer, add borders to them and print them as a single image bypassing the need for a mat at all while preserving the original photos. You'll typically need a wide-format printer for most collage frames, or export the image to an outside printer, but it's an easy way to make a collage. (Well, easy if you know how to use photo editing software like Photoshop Elements.)