Who here is guilty of putting a photo in a frame and never switching it out again? I feel most of us can raise our hands to this question. I don't know what it is about a minute long process that can seem so daunting but updating the photos in our home feels like such a task! Those old photos stay in the frame and all our fresh memories usually stay hidden on our phones or computers.
As a family and newborn photographer in Medicine Hat, I've spent a lot of time brainstorming ways to keep our current family memories fresh and on the walls for us to enjoy. My home is filled with photos from recent trips, outings and events and my walls spark great conversation. All the displays I'll speak about below are easy to update and inexpensive.
This photo display was my most recent idea come to life with the help of my brother-in-law. I wanted a way to display a larger photo series that didn't have to be behind glass. I also wanted the option to display photos both horizontally and vertically. These are simple wooden boards my brother-in-law cut to 17"x14". He finished the edges, stained the boards, and on the back routered in a notch for hanging.
All I did to display the photos is use clear plastic photo corners I found at Michaels. They are barely visible so the photos look like they are flat mounted against the board. The corners are sticky and stay on the board so all I have to do to switch out the photo is lift it out and slide another one in. These photos are 11x14 and the board is large enough that I can display the photo vertically as well. I bought an 11x14 binder and sheet protectors so when I have a new display ready the old photos go into the binder that I keep below the display. In October, I filled the display with images of my kids in their Halloween costumes from years past and in December, I filled it with photos of our favourite Christmas memories. Fun. Simple. Easy!
These poster boards are my oldest but bestest idea to date. Each poster represents one year of our life. These are the 2015 and 2016 displays and I have three more that I've moved out to my back foyer. I created a template in Illustrator so it's easy for me to update a new display at the end of the year.
I just pick our 40 favourite photos and pop them into the template, then print it off as one 24x36 image. I usually scroll through my Instragram feed from the last year to help me select the images. The frames came from Michaels and I think I got them on sale for $20 each. My boys stand in front of these posters all the time and talk about their favourite memories. It's a fantastic conversation piece and like having a giant storyboard of their lives of the wall.
This handy display is made by Umbra and came with the cute little clothes pins. I love to update this space to coincide with the current season. I just updated this for Canada Day! I find graphic images from free vector image sites like Vecteezy and print out 4x6 and 4x4 images. I like to mix in some of my own photos as well. I have an album these prints go into when I have another display ready to go.
This display is what I sit in front of everyday while working at my desk. It's a giant magnet board. I buy these little 1/4" rare earth magnets from Lee Valley Tools. They are super powerful and really hold well. I'll go through my photos from the last few months and print my favs at 4x4. I incorporate kid art and favourite quotes to add more colour and fun. Every year, I also print a photo calendar that you can see in the bottom right.
These frames were a recent find at Winners. I loved the clips for easy photo changes but they were displayed behind glass that was glued to the front of the frame.
I literally held the frames over my big garbage can and took a hammer to the glass to bust it out of the frame. Now I can pop in a fresh 4x6 in two seconds.
This is the hallway leading to my boys rooms and I wanted a display that was creative and fun that they could be involved in updating. The solution came from Costco where I found these magnetic white boards for $20 each.
I use the same little rare earth magnets to stick up photos or other fun elements. Then we take turns drawing pictures with the erasable markers.
This space is super fun to update and my boys enjoy helping me create new boards or adding their own drawings. They love being able to write on the walls and not get in trouble!
This wall is directly across from the whiteboard wall. These are Ikea frames. They are behind glass and this is the one wall that hasn't been updated since I filled these frames.
These frames were another Winners find. Can you tell I love that store? These are brilliant because the front of the frame swings open from a magnetic closure.
The back of the frame is a burlap bulletin board. These photos are attached using stick pins.
This wall is in my oldest sons room. I wanted a way to display all the artwork and projects he brought home from school. I found this cool wallpaper that is made up of hand-drawn frames. I use a non-marking sticky dot on the back of his projects and stick them up. He loves bringing his grandparents into his room to talk about what he's been up to at school. It also a great reminder of how far he's come through the year.
This is my youngest sons room. In here is use bulletin boards and open shadow box frames to display his work.
Here is an example of the albums I use to archive all the prints once they come off my walls. When I take down a display I pop them in here and add a few colourful squares of text to make the album feel more like a scrapbook. This album is from Becky Higgins and I found it in the clearance aisle in Michaels. My boys love to flip through these books, as do I.
There you have it! All my ideas to keep your walls fresh with your latest and greatest memories. My home and our walls tell our family story. Get your memories out of cloud storage and into your space so you can enjoy reliving them over and over again. If you are interested in having me come into your home to help you design your wall spaces, you can read more about my In-Home Design Consultation Package and professional print services here.
I’m taking part in a blog circle with some photographer friends of mine. We’re linking to each other’s posts, so you can check out what they’re up to. This month, I’m linking to my friend Sarah Robinson, who shoots Family Photography in Mesa, AZ. Click here to check our her blog post of a cute cake smash session: http://www.sunshynepix.com/Blog/Ryan-Cake-Smash-Mesa-AZ