How to make a photo wreath 3

Earlier:
Part 1      Part 2

After cutting out all photos (glued on black card stock), take the whole mess to the office-supply store and have them laminate the photos in one continuous lamination. They have to carefully feed the photos in several wide. If done correctly, you will have a huge sheet of preserved photos that have enough room around them for the lamination to stick. You don't want any parts
that are going to come apart.

Next cut out each laminated picture. On back, place a
gold foil sticker and write the year. Punch a small hole
and insert a Christmas ornament hook in the hole.

I love my photo wreath. It's interesting
and brings back so many great memories.

I think I'm going to make a second photo
wreath, this one devoted to the grandchildren. 

Note: Store your photo wreath in a closet inside the house.

You don't want humidity to undo all your loving work.

This ends this series. Let me know what you think!

How to make a photo wreath 2

See Part 1

Mount your color copies on thick black card stock. 
To get color copies, take your originals to the office-supply store and ask them to place them face down on the copier glass so you get about four to a page. I got mine printed on plain paper instead of photo paper. Although I am persnickety about quality, I knew the copies would look fine once mounted and laminated.

Supplies needed for the photo wreath:
Color copy of each photo for wreath
Gold foil stickers on which to write years
Black card stock
Lots of glue sticks
Plastic template
Scissors
Pen
Black permanent marker
Hole punch
Christmas-ornament hooks

Now take the color copy mounted on black card stock, lay the plastic template over it, and use a pen to trace around the inside of the template window. Then cut out with scissors. 
Do this with each photo.

In making the photo wreath, I made what I call
my 3-year-old mess. As in the type of mess a
toddler would make. Somehow things just 
explode when I'm engrossed in a project.

Next: Part 3

How to make a photo wreath 1

Several years I got it into my head that I was going to display my favorite Christmas photos somehow during the holiday season. It would probably be a special photo album devoted just to the cherished Christmases of the past. Then I thought of hanging pictures on something like a string and using it as a garland. But as I was wandering around Hobby Lobby hoping for
inspiration, I came upon the plain wreaths. That
was my "aha" moment, and the whole project changed.

I got a fake wreath and hung it on the wall to inspire me.
Wreaths come pretty flattened out from shipping,
so don't forget to fluff out all the little branches.

This is where it all started. I went through my old-school photo albums (27 of them), pulling out the Christmas pictures that brought back the most memories. I can't say that they got put back in the right places, but nobody needs to know that.

Next: Part 2 of 3