Grandma’s School Photo Wall
Memories are important in our neck of the woods and probably in yours, too. What images are better tied to childhood memories than those annual school pictures? My Grandma kept photos of her own thirteen kids on display which made for some fun conversations over my lifetime. The family’s favorite wall, however, was the “grandkid’s” wall. This is where Grandma hung each grandchild’s senior portrait…all forty-two plus of them (as there were a few adopted, step, and honoree grandchildren). To be fair, a few didn’t actually finish school, but Grandma didn’t care. She proudly added the most recent school picture for any grandchild who wasn’t able to complete all twelve years.
Mama’s School Photo Wall
My mom kept school photos for my siblings and me in collage frames. A large senior portrait was in the middle and encircled by small pictures from each of the previous grades. Those were eye-catchers, too. We could always have a good laugh at missing teeth, buck teeth, and changing hairstyles.
Not Grandma’s Farmhouse Anymore
Times are different now, with the reimagined “farmhouse” style of home decor. Photos aren’t there simply for the sake of memories. They have to be integrated into the decor style. When my daughter and her husband built their new home last year, the decor chosen mostly fit into that particular trend. I figured this would be the prime time to get creative. So, I handmade some of the items that my daughter wanted for her new home. Honestly, I hope that something I have made will be passed down as an heirloom someday.
Making the School Photo Display Boards
The first thing my daughter wanted was a display board for each of her three children’s school pictures. She found examples on Pinterest and Etsy, of course. The boards had to be rustic, match all the other newly stained wood in her home, and have a space for a photo from each school grade. We decided to string some jute twine across the bottom of the board underneath the numbers and pin the photos with mini clothes pins. I hand-painted the kids’ names and the numbers for each of their school grades. If I could rewind the clock, I would definitely use my Cricut machine to tackle that part.
First, I claimed some of my husband’s 1/2-inch rough saw milled boards that were about 7 inches wide and had him cut three boards down to about 42 inches each in length. Then I stained them using the leftover stain from my daughter’s mantel and beams.
I printed out each of the kids’ names in a script font that my daughter liked along with three sets of numbers. We included Pre-K and kindergarten or K-5, in addition to the numbers for grades 1-12. I placed sheets of fabric pattern transfer paper behind the printed lettering and traced the names and numbers onto the boards. Painting on rough wood is never as fun as I think it’s going to be. As a born crafter, I can attest, the excitement of any new project erases all common sense during the initial phases of the creation. Ultimately, the painted lettering looked fine, but it was quite a time-consuming ordeal to get acceptable results. The letters and numbers had to be repainted several times. This would have gone much more smoothly had I just used my Cricut and applied vinyl lettering to these photo boards.
Finishing Touches
Once all the numbers were in place, the boards were sprayed with a protective clearcoat. I stretched the jute twine across the bottom portion of the board and stapled it where it wrapped around onto the back. It had to be pulled tightly to prevent sagging, especially as more and more photos would be hung. Finally, small wooden clothespins were added to hold each photo.
These photo boards aren’t my grandma’s random collection of frames, but they certainly add a rustic farm-housy touch to one of the new home’s walls. My daughter loves them, and they seem to be a topic of discussion for many of the family’s visitors. So, I’d say this project was a success.
