First, decide what the theme of your photo collage will be. Special occasions like weddings, proms, birthdays, anniversaries and graduations make perfect themes. Vacations and baby pictures make nice collages as well. Photo collage ideas are not hard to come by and sometimes just looking at old photographs will inspire you.

Secondly, gather up as many photos as you can that fit your chosen theme. It is not possible to know exactly how many pictures you will need, but if you plan on using a larger sized frames like an 18×24 or a 24×36 frame, fifty is a good number to aim for. Choosing more than you think you will need is a good idea as well. We do not recommend using your original photos so you will want to have copies made. If your photos are in digital form, you can burn them to a CD and have prints made or you can order photo prints online by uploading your photos to photo printing site like Clark Color and have your prints mailed to you. Once you have your prints in hand, organize your photos into three groups based on priority – “must include,” “would like to include,” and “will include if I have room.” Your collage does not have to consist entirely of photos. For example, you can include other frameable items such as a wedding invitation, a poem, ribbons, newspaper clippings, stickers or an inspirational quote.

Now that you have your photos picked out, your duplicates made, any you have collected any other items you wish to add to your collage, it is time to get the rest of the materials you will use to create your photo collage. You will need:

• A picture frame to display your collage.
• Sharp scissors to trim your photographs.
• Acid free glue or photo adhesive.
• Poster board or thick acid free paper to mount your photos on.
• A utility knife to cut your poster board to fit your frame.

At this point you have your photos ready to go and you have all of your materials so now comes the fun part – putting together your collage! Arrange the photos on your poster board before you glue them down to get an idea of how the finished product will look and so you can experiment with different placements. Some overlap or blank space is fine and you can trim any photos you need to. You may find it easier to work the edges first then fill in the center, or you can position your favorite picture or item in the middle and work around that.

When you are satisfied with your layout, you can start gluing your photos down. When you have completed your collage, slide it into your frame and marvel at your accomplishment. Hang it up where everyone can see it! Hope you enjoyed our how to make a photo collage guide!

Benefits of Using Acrylic Picture Frames

If price is your main concern when picking out photo frames or if you just do not want to spend a lot of money on frames, then acrylic frames are quite possibly your best bet. Acrylic frames are almost always among the lowest priced frames and are available just about anywhere picture frames are sold so if you want a cheap picture frame you should have no problem finding an affordable acrylic photo frame.

Another benefit of acrylic frames is that they are lightweight and extremely durable. For kids bedrooms, they are a good idea if you are going to hang pictures on their walls. You will not have to worry about rough play or curiosity resulting in shattered glass or injury.

Acrylic photo frames provide protection for your photos from sun damage caused by UV rays and are extremely easy to maintain. This is not always true for glass frames. Pictures in glass frames can become worn or faded from exposure to sunlight. Depending on the size and type of your non-acrylic frame, it may be difficult to keep clean, or free of dust and fingerprints. Acrylic frames can be wiped clean with a damp cloth.

Downsides of Acrylic Picture Frames

The biggest downside to acrylic photo frames is that they really do not add much to your photgraph. A nice frame can complement a special photo by bringing out its colors or best qualities. While not always true, for the most part acrylic picture frames are about as plain as frames come particularly if you are buying based on price.

The other real downside is that acrylic scratches somewhat easily and the scratches are permanent. Acrylic might not be the best choice if your framed pictures are going to be handled frequently. A few scratches are better than broken glass and damaged photos though.

Buying Acrylic Photo Frames

Buying acrylic picture frames comes down to a few simple considerations. Mostly around how important it is to you to have a frame that adds character to your photo, where the picture is going to be displayed and how much you want to spend. If you want a simple, lightweight and easy to maintain frame, you can find acrylic frames easily in local stores or by shopping online and they are very affordable.

Personalized picture frames can be created quickly and easily through a variety of easy techniques. Perhaps the simplest way to make a picture frame more unique is to materials designed for scrapbooking. Many arts and crafts stores and online retailers sell decorative letters, stencils, ribbons, beads, stickers and other supplies that can be used to personalize an ordinary picture frame. Feathers, dried or pressed flowers and small gemstones can also be used to great effect.

If you choose to make your own personalized photo frames, you will need to mindful of the type of frame you are customizing. A wooden frame may need a different type of adhesive than a plastic frame would require. Another good tip is make sure you first place all of the items you will be using for personalization onto your frame without using any adhesive. This way you can get a good idea of how your frame will look when completed without making any decisions you cannot undo. Also, try to buy the best type of frame for the enhancements you plan to make. For example, if you wish to place decorative items around the outside of the frame, a wooden frame that is flat and wide will quite possibly be the best choice.

If you would really rather buy a personalized frame than handle the personalization yourself, there are many options as well. You can opt to have a frame engraved with the message of your choice. For example, a silver frame with a personal message engraved adds an elegant and special touch to any photograph. Wooden frames can also be customized and engraved with names, special dates or any short message.

Whether you are looking to liven up your photos, exercise your creative flair or give a memorable and unique gifts, personalized photo frames are just the thing. It does not matter whether you make it yourself or order it from a frame store. A personalized picture frame is sure to liven up your photos and bring a smile to your face.

There are a number of good reasons to buy a multi photo frame. If it seems you have more pictures you want to display than space to fit them in, then a frame that can accommodate more than one picture will probably conserve some room and allow for showing off more photographs. Multi photo frames can also save you both money and time. For my most prized photos, I prefer to try to find just the right frame. One that accents the photo nicely and brings out the best features of the shot. Unfortunately, that approach is time consuming. If I have six or eight pictures with a common theme that I would love to put up on my wall, such as photos from a family event or vacation, I find that it is a lot easier to buy a simple multi photo frame or a collage frame. It is also usually much cheaper than buying individual frames for each shot. Frames that can hold multiple pictures make great gifts as well. Friends with large families are sure to appreciate being given the frames as a gift. If have pictures of loved ones framing them with a multiple photo frame can make for a unique and memorable present.

If the only factors you are concerned with are convenience and price, then maybe whatever multi picture frame is on sale at your local department store will suffice, but you may end up wishing you took your time or spent a little more. Otherwise, in order to select a good multi photo frame you will have to consider a number of factors. Is the frame for your home or office? How many pictures do you wish to display? Where will your new frame be placed? Do the colors and style of the frame go with the pictures and the room where it will live? The answers to these questions are all pretty straightforward so you should think about them before you go shopping for frames.

Whether you are looking to display pictures of your wife and kids on your desk at work or you wish to create a photo collage from pictures of a memorable event to hang on a wall in your home, multi photo frames are a great way to do either. They also make great gifts. Multiple picture frames come in all shapes and sizes and are widely available so you should have little trouble finding the right frame for your pictures.

5X7 is one of the standard sizes for photo prints and a popular choice. Photos printed at 5X7 have a long side that is 1.4 times longer than the shorter side. A 5X7 photo print is not as boxy as an 8X10 print and not as panoramic as a 4X6 print. Because 5X7 is a standard size, it is usually very easy to find a picture frame to fit. Almost too easy. With so many choices, it can be a challenge to find just the right frames for your pictures. I have three very simple guidelines I like to follow when choosing not only 5X7 pictures frames but any picture frames for that matter.

Tips for Choosing the Right Photo Frames

First, and I think most importantly, know which picture the frame your buying is for. It may sound silly, but I have bought picture frames from time to time because they were on sale or because I thought they looked pretty good in the store. Almost every time I purchased a picture frame with no specific picture in mind to put in it, I struggled to find a picture that looked really good in the frame or a room in my house where the frames would blend in. It is much easier to choose a frame when you know exactly which picture you are going to put into it. When you have a photo in mind, you can choose a frame that will complement the photo. By shopping for a frame for a particular photo, you may save yourself some aggravation and maybe a few dollars as well.

I think it is also very important to choose a photo frame that accents the picture not one that overpowers or draws attention away from it. Try to select a frame that brings out the detail or the colors in your photo. 5X7 picture frames should actually be close in size to 5X7 in my opinion. Small picture in a big frame just does not work for me. I want the picture to stand out rather than the frame it is in stealing the show.

My last tip for choosing the right picture frame for your 5X7 photo is always consider the room in which you plan to display the photograph. Make sure that your 5X7 picture frames will have a place to be displayed. Also make sure you pick out a frame that goes with the room in terms of color and style. Frames that are inappropriate or out of place in a room can look gaudy, boring or really tacky.

If you are like me, then when you shop for 5X7 picture frames or any picture frame, not just any old frame will do. You do not need to pay a fortune or spend hours searching for the perfect frame. With just a little thought about the room where your picture will reside and a picture in mind, you can find the right frame.