The Making of a Collage

I finally figured out what to do with one of the two large window frames I bought last year for $10.00.  I decided to make a collage of my kids and use the window as the frame.  I know, this is nothing new, but I wanted to share my "creation" with you.

I started out with this...

One side had glass and the other did not, so I took a hammer and smashed the one remaining pane out of the frame.  Once the glass and all the sharp edges were removed, I sanded the entire frame to clean it up.  I had plans to paint it, however, the green paint on the frame actually matched (almost) perfectly with the green I had painted my entryway, so I decided to leave it as is and apply a dark walnut stain to the surface to enhance the wood grain showing through the bottom.

Next, I cut two pieces of glass to fit inside each window panel.

Now the hard part...finding enough pictures of my kids to make a large collage and, I have to admit, this was the tough part.  I've never been one to take alot of pictures and I discovered that I didn't take very many as they were growing up.  (regrets!)  Anyway, I gathered what I could and started attaching them to acid-free foamcore.  I then matted each collage with a creamy white matboard.  I secured the collage behind the glass and attached picture hanging hardware to the back.

I then cut the letters "love" from 1/4" mdf board using my scrollsaw and a small heart from scrap plywood.  I covered the heart with sheet moss and stained, painted and sanded the letters.  I attached the letters with hot glue and used jute twine to attach the moss heart to the frame.  The window frame already had a hole in it so I thought I'd get some use out of it.

I'm quite happy with the way it turned out.  It measures 5 ft. x 30" so it covers a large area in my hallway.  Now I just need to figure out what to put on either side of it.

Thank you for stopping by...I hope you have a great weekend!

Lesa