Photo Collection Suggestions

[MixedBerryJam]

Is this the home decorating board? I'm in need of some inspiration (and logistical ideas, too), and I'm hoping you can help.

I have a long, narrow living room with a fireplace on one of the long walls. If my living room weren't so messy, I'd post a picture, but I don't think it's necessary for my question.

I'd like to put a montage of family photos over the fireplace, and have scads of photos to include (probably 100 of them, but I don't really think I'll use that many.) I've seen some Pinterest ideas I've liked:

This is my favorite, but I don't know where to get the "family tree" accent pieces, and I think they really make this design. It wouldn't be the same without it. I like the next one almost as much, I think because of the round shapes thrown in there randomly:





I like the simplicity of the same-color, different-sizes frames in these designs (sorry I can't get this first one smaller)

and


Something like this next one might work because, while my living room as a whole is pretty neutral (butterscotch leather sofa, pale blue rocking chair and chestnut-stained gumwood panelliing below the chair rail, I go crazy with accent pillows and have a very colorful, eclectic collection of them lining the sofa. So having the mattes colorful like the pillows might draw things together. If I have standout mattes, I should go conservative with the frames, don't you think? This might be too contemporary for my house.



I also like this idea, but I am not a heart person, so I could envision doing this in an oval shape, or even possibly in a giant letter "G", our family initial.



Would you use all the same frames, or all different frames, or all the same style but varying sizes? And where would you buy the frames? I've looked in loads of thrift shops, but they mostly look thrift-shoppy. Buying new will cost a ton of money. I expect the final montage (if that's the right word) would be about 5' wide and 3' high.

Can you help me get started?

[mrsacornblue]

The family tree is probably a vinyl decal...you can get one at Etsy, I would imagine. If you are artistic, you can also probably freehand it with paint. I like that one, the one with the wooden monogram or your idea of doing your initial...the rest of them just look like a mass of frames on a wall, IMO.

I think this is a project that will probably take some time to amass everything. The frames are going to be expensive, but I think if you stick to a similar color (black, white, silver, ect), you can find them on sale or at thrift stores/garage sales. You can also paint them. As for size, it depends on the size of your pictures. I'd stick to similar sizes, i.e., don't go over 4 X 6 or 5 X 8, depending on how many pictures you want to include. T

[winofairy]

I really like pic #3 (the one with the green bench).

[emoflamingo]

I like the 3rd one the best. It's going over the fireplace? Will it be really viewable? (I'm short so.. things on fireplaces aren't viewable for me lol.)

[MixedBerryJam]

Yes, over a fireplace. We are a short folk, too. I hadn't thought about that part of it.

The pics will mostly be snapshot/candids and mostly 4x6 or smaller that I crop; there might be a couple of 5x7s thrown in but I'm thinking they'll be cropped to 5" being the maximum measurement. I don't wan't a few big pictures: I want lots of little pictures

Thanks for the idea about the top one likely being decals - that would be awesome. I can totally stick decals on my walls. I was thinking it was some kind of metal sculpture-type thing and that was itimidating me. Thanks also for the idea to paint the frames - that will definitely make getting frames at Goodwill more doable. I am leaning towards one of the top two designs, with darkish frames (although not black) since my walls, at least at the moment, are ivory.

Thanks for your help!