DIY Family Collage Art

Hey y’all!  Sometimes my favorite projects are the ones that were created as I went along, no real plan, just messing around with what I had on hand and creating something fun.  That’s the case with this DIY Family Collage Art, which I first shared a few weeks ago on The Everyday Home.  I’m excited to share the tutorial with you here today!

Now, I am a craft and DIY blogger so I keep a lot of craft supplies on hand, but it was super exciting to finish this and realize I didn’t spend a penny!  Not one red cent, y’all!  But even if you don’t have a supply closet full of craft goodies, you can make this on the cheap, I promise.

First, you’ll need to swing into Michael’s, or your local craft store, and pick up one of these laser cut frames and some white foam board.  My frame will hold an 11×14 picture.  It’s big.

Lay the laser cut frame onto the foam board, and use a pencil to trace the inside edge of the frame onto the board.

Cut around the outline you just created, leaving about 1/4″ – 1/2″ of space, as in the photo above.

Grab a can of spray paint in the color of your choice.  I’m hanging this in our dining room, which is navy blue with red and yellow accents, so I chose Colonial Red by Rust-Oleum.  Give your laser cut frame a good coating of spray paint, then set it aside to dry while you finish the rest of the project.

Now, open up a Word doc on your computer and type the letter of your last name, then resize it to fill the page.  Print it out – this will be your template.

Carefully cut out the letter, leaving only the outline to use as your template.  I used a few strips of tape to tape mine back together so I could work with it.

Get a piece of cardstock and attach your letter template to it with washi tape or painter’s tape – something removable, but that will hold it in place while you work.

Go back to your Word doc and drop photos onto a blank page, sizing them to 2″x2″.  I printed more than I needed for this project so I could make a good arrangement that showed our faces.  Depending on your letter, you’ll need more or less than mine – I used about 18 pictures, I think.

Arrange the pictures under your template until you have a nice arrangement that you are satisfied with, then carefully glue them down one by one, overlapping as necessary.  I used a regular glue stick.

Once you’ve glued them down, simply cut around the template to create your family letter.

I chose to laminate my letter, but you can skip this step if you like.  I don’t think it’s completely necessary, but I liked protecting my collage this way.

All shiny!  I think lamintaing makes the colors a little more vivid, too.

Once your laser cut frame is dry, simply use a hot glue gun to attach the foam board to the frame.

I also added our last name and the year of our marriage using my Silhouette machine.  Anothe option would be vinyl alpha stickers from the craft store.

I can’t decide if I want to hang it with ribbon or just on it’s own, but I love the finished product!  It turned out better than I had imagined!

For more fun craft projects using your photos, try these: