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No matter how much or how little space you have to work with, DIY photo collages allow you to display your photos so you can relive special memories. Using items that you have around the house or can find at most crafts stores, DIY picture collage ideas let you express your creativity and unique sense of style.
If you’re as tired of boring photo frames as we are, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve scoured the internet to find the best photo collage ideas for your home, office, and every space in between. Whether you’re decorating a child’s room or putting the finishing touches on the living room, these cute picture collage ideas are sure to inspire you. And remember, because you’re in charge of your do-it-yourself project, you can tweak these ideas as necessary to fit your needs.
25 Awesome DIY Photo Collage Ideas You'll Love + Tips
Wood letters, mod podge, and your favorite photos are all you need to create fun letter collages. The possibilities with this craft are endless: Choose a single letter to represent a first or last name, or pick several to create a MOM collage for Mother’s Day or a LOVE collage for Valentine’s Day.
Celebrating an anniversary or birthday? A number collage let you showcase the special moments of a child’s first birthday, a lifetime of memories for a 50th anniversary, or a celebration of life for someone born in 1980. Hang your photos in the right shape, or purchase wood numbers from the crafts store.
Celebrate love with a heart-shaped collage. Depending on your style, you might choose a 2D arrangement where every photo lies flat against the wall. Or you might go with a 3D design where photos overlap and almost look like a heart bursting with love.
If you don’t have a lot of room to display photos, consider this handmade photo collage. Unique and attractive, it offers you a chance to show off several pictures while only taking up a little bit of space. You can buy a star at a home decor store or make your own out of cardboard.
Complement the color scheme of your space with an ombre photo collage. For this project, you need black and white photos, paper in the color family of your choosing, and photo frames. Alternatively, if you have a good eye, you can group photos by like-colors to create your own gradient effect.
Clothespins, twine, and a piece of trim come together to create this awesome DIY photo collage with a rustic touch. Customizable to fit any size wall, the collage securely keeps photos in place but also makes it easy to switch them out as needed.
Repurposing old furniture and home goods is great for the environment, but it can also do wonders for your decorating scheme. Old windows in particular make unique backdrops for photo collages, especially in the living room, as they offer a look into the past.
Create a space in your home that reminds you of the happy beach days of yesterday. A cotton clothesline and some clever knots create a base that resembles a fishing net. From there, just add photos and small mementos to create your collage.
Creating a collage using photo frames can be tricky because it’s hard to visualize what your frames will look like on the wall. However, you can simplify the job and ensure your photo collection fits in any space when you use craft paper to design and rearrange until the collage is perfect.
While you can buy store-bought clipboards for this DIY photo collage, you have more control over the finished look when you build your own using distressed, stained planks and clips from a crafts store. Because photos aren’t permanently affixed, you can change them whenever you’d like.
Don’t have room for a Christmas tree? Recall memories from years past by hanging a Christmas Tree collage instead. The shape comes together when you use photos of the same size, and you can top your creation with a photo of a star or hang a real holiday decoration.
Fairy lights are a fun and whimsical way to decorate nearly any space, but when you arrange them so you can hang pictures, you’ll create a DIY photo collage that you can enjoy day and night. White lights are a good choice for year-round use, but you might think about color-changing lights for easy customization during holidays.
If you fancy yourself a perfectionist, you’ll love the look of this grid-style photo collage. Arranging photos of the same size in clean, neat lines offers a modern look that’s perfect for any space. You can create this nice look with just foam core board, mod podge, and your favorite photos.
Bring nature indoors with this unique photo collage idea. A stick from your own garden serves to hold a cascading waterfall of precious memories. A small screw punch and twine attach your photos, allowing them the freedom to gently sway with a passing breeze.
Get the little ones to help you with your decorating efforts by having them help with this fun DIY photo collage. After deciding on a color scheme, have the kids paint the popsicle sticks. Don’t worry if it’s a little messy — that’s all part of the charm of this cute presentation!
With some wood and a little paint, you can create a gorgeous, rustic backdrop for your photo collage. Pro tip: To give the wood a weathered look, just lightly sand it once the paint is dry. Use clips to hold your photos, and you can change them out as often as you’d like.
Travelers unite! Whether you travel the country or the world, you’ll love reminiscing about your trips when you look at this lovely map-shaped DIY photo collage. This type of collage works best if you have a bigger space to work with as you can really see the detail of your exciting photos.
Continuing with farmhouse feels, this wire frame is perfect for displaying photos while adding a rustic touch to any space. If you have access to a home improvement store, you can even use chicken wire for the backing. Mini clothespins work wonderfully to keep your photos in place.
Whether you’re celebrating the holidays or looking for a way to give guests a warm welcome to your home, you won’t go wrong with this wreath-spaced photo collage. While there are lots of directions you can go with this idea, we think using small picture frames looks best.
A fun thing about this geometric photo collage idea is that you have lots of material options for the background design. Use twine, yarn, braided rope, jewelry cord, or whatever suits your fancy. When it comes time to attach photos, you can use clips, clothespins, or thread.
A fun thing about this geometric photo collage idea is that you have lots of material options for the background design. Use twine, yarn, braided rope, jewelry cord, or whatever suits your fancy. When it comes time to attach photos, you can use clips, clothespins, or thread.
With this bulletin board photo collage idea, you get to pick how neat or messy the finished product turns out. Use colorful push tacks and a haphazard arrangement for a bit of light fun, or opt for thin pins and straight rows for a more uniform look.
If you really love DIY projects, you’re going to love this unique picture collage idea. You’ll first use old doors or boards, hinges, and small wheels to build a room divider. After painting it in the colors of your choice, you’ll decorate one or both sides with photos that make you smile.
Form meets function in this creative DIY photo collage. Build your own free-standing clock with a piece of thin wood and a clock kit, or go all out by transforming a section of your wall into the clock. Either way, photos as the background or on the hours make this a piece that’s all yours.
We love this washi tape photo collage idea because it allows you to play with colors and patterns. You’re free to use as many designs as you’d like, or you could create a theme by sticking with a particular color palette. As a bonus, you can easily remove the tape and try something new whenever you’d like.
Tips for Making the Perfect Handmade Photo Collage
It doesn’t matter whether you’re super craftsy or not — creating a homemade picture collage can be as easy or as elaborate as you’d like. However, whichever route you take, there are some things to think about, such as style, positioning, and size.
Choosing a collage style
The very first step in your DIY photo collage project will be choosing a style. Do you want to arrange your photos in a shape, such as a heart or moon? Is there a certain look or feel that you’re aiming for? Also consider your skill set and how much time you have to dedicate to the project. For example, if you don’t have much time nor a steady hand, you may want to opt for a wall decal rather than painting a family tree.
Figuring out positioning
In addition to determining where you want your collage, you also need to think about how large it will be and its exact placement. Also think about the size of the photos you’ll use for your project. For example, 8 x 10 photos are more appropriate for a large collage, while wallet-size photos are perfect for use with a letter, number, clock, or map-style collage.
Marking out space
Once you’ve decided the size and placement of your collage, it’s imperative that you do a dry run with paper cutouts, pencil, twine, or other temporary placeholders to be sure that the picture in your head can be properly transferred to your wall, staircase, or other space. Marking out your space will also ensure that you stay on track and that your collage comes out just as you planned.
Choosing frames or going frameless
No matter which DIY photo collage style you choose, you generally have the freedom to decide whether you’ll use frames (Amazon have a great selection) or go frameless. Choosing one or the other typically falls to preference, but you may find that frames give a more polished look to your project. Frames will also keep photos from curling with age and weather. On the other hand, some collage styles demand that you go frameless. For example, the clothespin (these ones are bright and colorful), fairy light, map, and washi tape wall collage ideas we’ve suggested before won’t work if you use frames. For these projects, try to print your photos on thicker paper for extra durability.
Hanging your photo collage
When deciding how to hang your photo collage, you need to consider the surface you’re working with and the composition of your collage. Heavier collages may need wall anchors to ensure they don’t fall. But if you’re renting or otherwise can’t screw things into the wall, you need to look into temporary measures. The washi tape project we suggest above offers a perfect solution: Washi tape peels away easily, so you can remove your collage at any time. You can also use Command Hooks which feature a sticky backing that removes without damaging surfaces. The brand even offers cute spring clips that look just like small clothespins.
Why not combine these fabulous photo collages with a DIY hat rack!