The last time I can remember creating any type of collage I was in high school. And I am sure it was a combination of pictures of my bffs and our celebrity crush at the moment. I'll admit that collages are fairly dated home decor these days. It is more about the shiny matted frames that fill up a good gallery wall.
But thanks to Instagram they have sort of brought back the idea of the collage in a cool hip square photo white border sort of way. I notice that the Instagram accounts that I love the most are often a collection of well curated images. So this project was inspired by that. I wanted to put together a bunch of my recent favorite photos that didn't make the cut to their own individual frame. But I balanced it all out and gave it a pink theme with photos of flowers from our home.
Not only does the pink and white balance out the images, I like that I bring in a bit of the everyday alongside mostly vacation type photos.
Creating a collage like this is incredibly simple. You can make it in any photo editing software that allows for you to create a collage. I usually choose to make mine in Picassa because it is very quick and easy to use.
In Picassa:
1. Select one image
2. Click "create" on top menu bar
3. Choose "picture collage"
4. From there you can add more photos from "clips" toolbar
5. Choose "grid" to get the square Instagram layout
6. Adjust border with "grid spacing"
7. Adjust collage size under "page format" - I made mine 8x10
8. Once collage is finished click on "create collage" and then save the picture to your computer
I really like the uniqueness of the collage that brings color and variety to my walls. Something like this could also look great with all the images in black and white. The become their own form of art when photos are thoughtfully put together.
They also make a great gift of a collection of photos without putting them into a photo book. For Christmas I made my friend Deb a collage of pictures of us and my nephews on some of our hikes and adventures we have gone on over the years.
I hope this inspires to use your photos (and even your real Instagram photos) in a fun and creative way that can be enjoyed in your home!
