What is the message you want to convey to your children as they come and go in your home? How do you want your guests to feel when they come for a visit? How do YOU want to feel as you walk around your home doing your daily tasks? Happy. Fun. Peaceful. Pictures speak a thousand words, and I love to Decorate with Pictures in my home. I think it brings life to the walls, and joy to the viewer. Whenever I go into a friends’ home, I go straight for the pictures. I want to peek into their lives, and get to know them a bit more. I also feel very strongly that decorating with family pictures builds the self esteem of my children, and shows unity and solidarity as a family; it reminds us that we are a team. It also builds the self confidence of a child, as they see themselves prominently displayed around their home.
My name is Kristen Duke, and I blog at Capturing Joy, and I’m delighted to share my thoughts with you today on how much I love to decorate with pictures. I’m sharing posts on Taking Family Pictures on a few different sites today, scroll down to the bottom to see where I’ll be.
As a professional photographer/DIY blogger/Mama to 4 kids, this is one of my great passions, decorating with pictures. How you decorate your home sends a message, whether you want it to or not. For the past 3 years, I’ve shared a series on my site called Decorating with Pictures, and have asked over 100 creative DIY bloggers and photographers to share how they decorate their homes with pictures. That link is filled with creative inspiration.
May I suggest a few different ways that pictures can be displayed throughout your home, and hopefully inspire you to get a few images off of your computer and up in your home. Once you decide on where you want your display, and how you want it arranged, you’ve got half of the battle tackled!
Phone Camera Displays
Candid moments captured from the phone camera show love just as much those taken with a big fancy camera. One of my frustrations with my phone camera is how dark the images often turn out. I shared a tip the other day about a simple way to brighten your phone images quickly. Our phones are generally not very far from us, and capturing a cute moment has never been easier. Resist the urge to have your child “look at you and smile” and capture them running or laughing or dancing. Here are two great examples from kojodesigns and Thirty Handmade Days, when they were a guest on my series (click on the links to see the full how-to project).
Tabletop & Shelves
Don’t underestimate the ease and simplicity of tabletop picture displays. Have a frame, fill it, done. Whether it’s placed on an end table, desk, or shelf, it’s a small reminder, and also looks great clustered together. Throw in a few other home decor items, and you’ve got a lovely display. Here is an example of Peekaboo Photography’s shelf at home:
Wall Portraits
Walls are big, and people are often afraid to print big because: 1) Fear of committing to the image long term 2) Fear it will overpower the space 3) Concerned about price I am here to tell you–PRINT BIG!!! I promise, if you love a picture enough to print it for your walls, you will love it even more BIG on your walls! Our family does a family photo shoot once a year, and this is usually what I am printing big. I like to be creative and find new ways to display them. A 16×20 wall print is the smallest I wound put on a wall unless it is clustered with others pictures. That size is under $20–so worth the try! Two of my favorite wall spaces in my home now are below. The first are our family pictures on the beach. There were far too many images that I loved, so clustered them together in 2 vintage window panes. We had so much fun that day, and I want my kids to be reminded of that. The second set are in my girls’ room, I want them to see those images and remember how much they love each other (even if things get feisty at times).
{Vintage Windows into Picture Frames//Girls Fancy Room Wall Gallery}
Printing Pictures
After deciding on how you want to arrange your pictures in a space, the next tricky part about decorating with pictures is sifting through the many pictures you love, and selecting a few to print. Set aside some time, and just do it! Start small, and pick 5-7 images, and go from there. Don’t feel bad about all of the other cute pictures you aren’t choosing, they will be ok, promise. For small images, I’m happy with thrifty printing at Costco or Sams Club. For wall prints, I like to use MPIX for more color consistency. Mpix is a company that is partnered with a pro lab, meant for consumers. My favorite places to find cute frames? Ikea, Hobby Lobby, Target, Home Goods. I hope this inspires you to display more pictures in your home. I’m positive, you will feel joy when you have pictures out of those you love, and they will, too. I’ve got lots more Decorating with Pictures ideas here, or follow my Pinterest Board.
Do you have Family Picture Sessions on the brain this fall? I’d love to help you out!
Join me today at these other sites on the web for more inspiration with Taking Family Pictures:
Capturing Joy–What to Wear for Family Portraits
The Idea Room–How to Enjoy and Not Just Endure Family Pictures
The House of Smiths–The Best Backdrops and Settings for Family Photos
Capturing Joy–How to Take your Own Family Pictures
Infarrantly Creative–Decorate with Pictures
{If the direct links above don’t work, click on the home page}
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