I narrowed down the pictures to ones that I feel *really* capture my family. While I adore and treasure professional photographs, these pictures are just so us. They are the funny moments, candid shots, pretty scenery and memories I do not want to forget.

I created a print with a quote to place in between the two collages because I absolutely believe:
Enjoy the little things for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.
Feel free to stop by 30days to get a printable version!

Now everyone who walks into our house gets to see our favorite moments as a family.
Thanks so much for having me Kristen! All of the ideas on here are fabulous- I can’t wait to incorporate more into our house.

Mique, this is fabulous!  I LOVE that my camera is always with my on my phone, and Instagram sure glams up an ordinary image. What a great way to share the everyday moments in your home, and along with that quote– it just melts my heart. Thank you! I’m looking forward to meeting Mique at the SNAP! conference in April, and SO excited to shop at the Queen Bee Market she has organized. I am loving the Welcome to the Neighborhood ideas, and anniversary gift ideas. Mique is also on facebook and pinterest.

Pop Art or Andy Warhol style paintings or posters are such a bright and fun way to add some color to a kid’s space or playroom. Today I wanted to show you a technique that makes it look like it is actually a painted picture rather than just a poster.

Now I can’t do all the photoshop work so I had Johnnie from Saved By Love Creations do it for me.

I sent Johnnie these pictures of my kids…

and she worked her magic and they came out looking like this…

Aren’t they so awesome? I love how she took the picture of my daughter looking upward to look like the sun is shining in her face. We got them printed them out on 20” x 20” poster paper for me from.

I got some 1” MDF cut to 19” x 19” and painted the edges white then I used some 3M 77 Spray Adhesive to adhere them to the MDF. I sprayed the MDF and the back of the print. It makes it SUPER sticky. Then I placed the MDF carefully on the back of the poster. You definitely want to get it right the first time, there is no replacing it once it is down.

After it was dry I flipped it over and used an Exacto knife to cut away the excess. Then I used some sandpaper and sanded downward to make the edges look a little worn.

Then I used the magic stuff. It is called Z-gel, it is a canvas texturizing medium If you google “canvas texturing medium” there are a few other brands, but I got the Z-gel from a local shop for free so I don’t have any secret sources. They use this stuff in frame shops to take $5 poster prints and transform them into what looks like an oil painting. Oh..yah…and then they sell them for $100. Using the lines the print already had, I took a one inch foam brush and “painted” the poster. I tried following the lines and curves that Johnnie created. I created texture where there was supposed to be some definition with simple brushstrokes.

Thin strokes are the best. The kind where you don’t even see the white of the glue. This stuff is photo safe and great on posters, prints and giclees. It dries super quick. So if you want to go back and highlight areas later you can. After it as all dry I used screws and wire to create a hangar on the back. It is very important to use screws and not nails when you work with MDF.

Now it looks like I painted these myself with oil paints. They have a neat shiny texture to them. I love the way they look hanging in my playroom. It adds some charm and whimsy to my otherwise messy playroom.

Beckie, those are super cute artistic representations of your children, thank you for sharing!  I am sure they love them, too. Thanks also for the step by step of how you got the end product. You really need to go see all of Beckie’s fun sites: I recently spent lots of time on Knock Off Decor.  She shows fancy store bought items and will feature the “knock off” of that item, like this platform storage bed from Pottery Barn.  You can even submit your ideas if you’ve knocked off something from  the popular stores. Very cool!  And on her original/main site, Infarrantly creative, I loved this tutorial on 5 ways to fake a mantel.  I really needed this in my last home with no fireplace! You can find Beckie in many places, but facebook and pinterest are a few other spots besides those mentioned above.

Aside from random vintage finds, photos are my favorite thing to use in decorating my home. Since most of my photos are candid snapshots, when I see them displayed in my home it takes me back to those moments. I am instantly reminded of the gifts in my life and the sweet (and not so sweet) moments we have shared together. Decorating with snapshots of our family life brings me to moments of gratitude – even when my patience is quickly running out. The little moments and expressions that cover my walls in the form of photos help me have perspective on hard days and remind me of the immense blessings in my life.

I really have no idea how to describe my decorating style…I’d like a great name for it, but really it is just random. Here are some peeks into my home:

This is my living room. I have a few mounted pictures displayed on the shelves. I drew a frame on the wall with a pencil and taped a picture inside it. Random, I know. Above my fake fireplace, I cut 4×6 prints into 4×4 squares and hot glued them to the wall. The very bottom row starts with pictures before we had kids. I add a row or two of pictures each year.

This is one way I display mounted photos. By using handsaw to cut a slit in a wooden spool, I now have something unexpected to hold my prints up.

Here is my kitchen. The large canvas is of my daughter climbing up to wash her hands. I am a big fan of HUGE canvases. However, they can be expensive. I usually print more ‘artsy’ images on canvases so I am more likely to display them longer. If this were a huge canvas of a posed family shot, I’d probably want to update it after a year. This photo, however, I don’t see myself wanting an updated version. By the way, those were my cowboy boots as a little girl. Awesome.

In my bedroom, I covered one wall with chicken wire. I have a need to constantly be changing things in my home. The chicken wire wall allows me to change up wall displays regularly. Obviously, that is not for everyone, but it works for us. You could always just fill a large frame with chicken wire for a similar display on a smaller scale.

And here is a peek at my daughter’s room. I do display photos in the more traditional way of using frames. When framing photos, I usually try to combine them with other elements to create a bit more of an eclectic feel. It is probably time for me to update those photos!

So there you go, a glimpse at a few ways I display photos in my home. The great thing about this series is so many ideas have been shared for just about every decorating style. I don’t think it really matters how you choose to decorate with photos, but more that if you have the desire to display your photos that you find ways to do it. Thank you for having me Kristen!

Thank you, Ashley!  I love all the fun variety  of displays you have.  I SO agree on the canvas, to use an artsy image because they are timeless.  Thanks for putting it into words for me! The little spool photo holder is also very cute! I’ve been a bit fan of Ashley’s photography for a few years, and her blog inspires me to capture the little moments in the life of my children. You can find Ashley on Facebook and Pinterest.

P.S.  I’m headed to the East Coast in 2 weeks and will host a beginner’s workshop, and hold a few mini portrait sessions (special travel pricing).  Email me if you are interested in either!  Workshop info HERE, and I would love to photography your famly in Baltimore, New York City, Delaware, or Philadelphia! Pass this along to friends that might be interested that live in the area;)

My name is Desirée and I blog over at The 36th AVENUE.

I am super excited to be here today visiting with Kristen and all of you.

What a wonderful series this has been!

I want to focus my post today on decorating using children portraits.

I love decorating with pictures… if you were visiting my home you’d find family pictures scattered all over the place.

Some of my favorites however are children pictures.

Having a great photograph is as big a part as having a great display.

Here are some tips that I like to personally follow whether I am the one behind the lens or our children are in front of someone else’s camera.

1

Show their personalities!

Children are children for such a short time.

What they like one year they may hate the next.

Sometimes you can show their personalities through objects that they love.

Capture them!

Miss Laid Back…

Mr. Tough!

Miss Cute!

Artistic.

2

I don’t edit a child’s face.

Children are naturally beautiful.

Make sure you capture those unique features that make them… them!

Before we know there won’t be spaces between their teeth…

And those cute little freckles will be covered with makeup…

Boo!

3

Listen to them…

Children are naturally creative.

Some of my favorite pictures have come from their ideas.

Welcome To My Life!

4

A photo is just an image until you print it!

I know many people thinks that in order to display portraits you have to have a gallery wall.

This concept can be overwhelming for some and pretty expensive.

Yes, frames are not cheap.

Here is an idea for you…

Use an old large frame or window and add some chicken wire to it.

{ Click HERE for the full TUTORIAL }

Pin the pictures, change them often, make it fun, and enjoy those moments that make each day count!

I hope this post inspires you to not just take pictures…

… but to use them as accent pieces in your own homes.

Thank you Kristen for having me.

I can’t wait to see the rest of the series!

Desirée.

The 36th AVENUE

Thank you, Desiree!  I LOVE that you mentioned capturing the details, because those details make great artwork!  I also love to capture the fun and spunky personalities.  This series is all about printing images, so that is another GREAT reminder to do so! I discovered Desiree’s blog recently, and then realized she is related to a local friend of mine–fun! I look forward to meeting up with her at the blog conference, SNAP, that we will both attend in April. The 36th Avenue has lots of numbered lists that I could look through for hours. My fave’s are 20 handmade gifts for him and 30 amazing furniture makeovers. You can also find The 36th Avenue on facebook and pinterest.

I love Kristen’s series of Decorating with Portraits. When she asked me to do it this time round, I thought about what would be a different spin on the typical gallery wall. Also I am spray paint happy. So portraits + spray paint = this:

My colors for 2012 are aqua, apple green, and purple. I was sick to death of the black frames I had for years and wanted to infuse this wall with lots of color and brightness. So I sprayed the frames green and glazed them with dark brown to give it an aged look. Then I realized “Hey, dummy! You have three kids now and three frames!” So I decided to take their pictures and put them in the frames.

I own a Canon Rebel 2ti with a 50 mm 1.8 lens. Nothing super fancy, but it does the trick. I took my kids outside and did some pictures. Easy peasy. I was tempted to print their pictures in black and white, but looked better in color and I don’t regret it.

Unfortunately the best pictures were all landscape, which I personally think is more challenging to decorate with than portrait (up and down). I made the sign with some planks I had which I painted in my house colors. Then I used my silhouette to cut out some stencils of this delightful quote by Winnie the Pooh. (And if you point out that ‘day’ is crooked I will be sad because dude, I already know.)

Now this wall is screaming with color and I LOVE it. The quote makes me happy, my kids pictures make me doubly happy, and the color makes me feel good.

So dare to make your pictures even more colorful by infusing color into your gallery wall. You won’t regret it!

Ha! I also love spray paint…LOVE the frames painted!  And that quote craft above is super cute and colorful.  Thanks for sharing, Heidi! I first heard about Heidi when wer were in the competition Crafting with the Stars together.  She was paired up with my buddy Amy from The Idea Room.  She ended up advancing further than me, but I don’t hold it against her;) On her site, you’ll find lots of beautiful quilts, and here is a link to some favorite posts of hers. You can also find Heidi on Pinterest and Facebook.