Framed Instagram Photo Collage

I love all of the little candid shots I get from my phone.  They are usually the more {in the moment} type snapshots that really capture your memories.  After living in our home for 4 years now we still have lots of bare walls that need something and hardly any family photos framed- so what better way to utilize precious wall space than to use some of those fun instagram shots.

So I've had this frame just lurking around for years, probably 10 years or more.  Its an old antique frame that had an old print that wasn't really my style in it.  For years I have wanted to use it in some way and I finally figured out what to do with it.  I wanted a white frame so I simply spray painted it white - just a couple of light coats will do the trick.

I found out through the years that I really dislike taping windows and glass - blame it on painting every single window frame in our house inside and out.  So I didn't even bother to do any sort of taping and just painted it right on.  Later I just sprayed a little cleaner on the glass, let it sit for a while and it scraped right off.  It seemed like that felt easier and actually gave me a better painted edge.  But either way will accomplish your goal.  

After I had all of the paint scarped off I had a great helper who cleaned the glass for me.

So now for the fun part, the photos!  I decided to order my prints from a company that uses your photos straight from instagram.  They are called Print Studio (formerly prinstagram) and I have to say I love this company.  This is not some sort of sponsored post, just an actual real life feeling.  The photos are awesome quality, its really simple to use, they came really quickly and have great customer service.  They also have a lot of cool printing options other than just photos.  So definitely give them a look. 

Narrowing the photos down was the most difficult part!  Justin and I worked together to pick our favorites, mostly all memories over the last year or so.  After we had the dimensions figured out I laid out a plan and got to work.  My first idea was to use photo mounting tape to adhere it to some paper (that I had cut to the right size) and then insert that into the frame.  But after I did that, it wasn't as straight as I was wanting it to be and after fiddling with it for a while I took a different approach.  

It was easier to lay the photos out on the glass and tape them together from behind.  It just kept everything really straight and even.  Then I covered it from behind with my backing paper. 

Yay!  I was finally done.  I love it so much.  So many great memories in one space.

So have you guys ever utilized your instagram or phone photos for a fun project?  Share with me!

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