DIY Collage Wall

My fabulous friend, Andrea, has been working on a collage wall in her bedroom for some time and inspired me to do the same.  However, while she is creative, crafty, and married to an artist; I am neurotic, linear, and married to an engineer.  So for every funky frame and creative finish she has on her wall, I have black wood and equal spacing.  In life, we do what works for each of us.

When I searched the Internet (my go-to resource), I found lots of great examples, but not much info on how to make it work for me.  Here are my very abbreviated DIY instructions:

1. Pick your very favorite photos.  (For me, this took an entire snow day and I still needed my husband to make the final call.)
2. If you're a parent, make sure your children are equally represented...  this was the first thing my daughter checked.
3. Pick a size prioritization and ratio.   I chose (3) 11x14s, (8) 8x10s, and (14) 5x7s.  I also accounted for (2) 8 x 10s to include the "What a difference a day makes" Pinterest craze and my favorite Beatles quote ("And in the end, the LOVE you take, is equal to the LOVE you make").
4. Order your prints.  I used Shutterfly and found a great discount code to make this a more palatable purchase for the hubby.
5. Find your frames.  Being the big spender that I am, I headed straight to Dollar Tree for the smaller frames and Dollar General for the 11x14s.  (By the way, I did this entire project for under $100.)
6. After your frames and photos are put together, measure the space you plan to take over and spread them out on the ground somewhere in an equivalent space.  Resist the urge to hang them up right away!  Take a few days to consider their spacing and order...  We're talking about lots of holes in your wall!
7. After you have chosen a layout, take pictures to remember your order and spacing.
8. When it's time to hang: start from the center!  
9. Work your way out and remember that plans can be changed and nails can be adjusted.
10. Take your time and walk away if you need to...  then, step back and admire your work.

This was a favorite project for me and a snapshot in time that I will always treasure.  While Andrea's is artsy and beautiful and cool, mine features the three people I love the most...  and is symmetrical.  At the end of the day, that's all I can ask for.