I have sent a photo Christmas card every year I’ve been married. I always displayed these photos in frame, but last year I decided that it looked ridiculous-way too much clutter for me and I didn’t have a table big enough to set them all anyways!
At the same time, I was also desperate to find something original AND affordable AND durable (picture boys sliding down full blast) to decorate my stairway banister.
I came up with this:
Every year’s photo is on one side of this little plaque, and the other side has the year in order (1-17) and the date (1993-2009).
I’m proud of myself…I love it! Visitors comment on them when they walk in the door, and the kids can all see how much they’ve grown, and I can see how are family has grown from just the 2 of us to all 7 over all these years. Lovely!
And here’s the coolest thing: They are VERY inexpensive and easy to make.
Here’s what you need:
1. Scrapbook paper (NOT the really thick kind) in coordinating colors.
2. These little thin wooden boards that you can find at Michaels or Hobby Lobby….99 cents, and look for them on sale!
3. Decoupage stuff and a wide sponge brush. I like the matte kind of decoupage..(not gloss like the photo shows)…matte or satin finish hides imperfections better.
4. A whole puncher and some kind of stencil and cutting tool to cut circles. (An Exacto knife works too if you have a steady hand or just use old fashioned scissors if you have to). I bought this kit at Michaels with my 40% off coupon.
5. Ribbon to hang your ornament with. 
Step by Step Instructions:
1. Make copies or use your printer to print out whatever photos you have chosen. If you know how, print them out at the exact size as the wooden plaques, 5 x 6. I just printed mine out as 5×7’s and then cropped the 7” to a 6” because I’m not that computer literate. I also just used plain old printer paper-nothing fancy! I printed them all as black and whites to make them more uniform looking.
While you are on the computer, you can make the numbers…I used white card stock and Bookman Old Style font at the 72 size for the middle number and 18 for the outer date. You will cut these numbers into circles later so leave plenty of room between them on the paper.
2. Take a drill and drill a hole in each wooden plaque so you can insert the ribbon. Remember that some of your photos may be the long way (vertical) or the short way (horizontal)…so put that hole on the long side or the short side of the plaque!
3. Next cut a piece of scrapbook paper for the wooden plaque and make sure it’s about 1” bigger on all sides. Trace where the hole you drilled is on the paper and use a hole puncher to punch that paper.
4. Get out your Modge Podge and your brush. If you’ve never decoupaged before, don’t worry…it’s so easy! (I hadn’t either before I did this, believe it or not!) Take your sponge brush and brush that piece of scrapbook paper on the plain white side all over with the Modge Podge.
5. Place the plaque carefully and centered on that sticky paper and then wrap it on the other side like a present. Smooth out the wrinkles.
6. Now take your photo (that is either the exact size of the plaque or a little smaller), and mark with a pencil where the hole should go…punch that out with the hole puncher. Now use your sponge to coat the wrong side of that photo with the Modge Podge, and stick it on.
7. Let’s do something cute with that number you printed out. I made a few bigger circles to place behind it to add some color. Use Modge Podge on the back of those circles…get them all stuck together and then stick them on the back of your wooden plaque.
8. You are going to coat each side (wait till one side dries till you do the other) with the Modge Podge and your sponge brush. This gives a very sealed, shiny, protective coat. 
9. Look we didn’t even get to # 10 and we’re done! Insert a ribbon through that hole and WALLAH!
These would be so cute on a tree or on a garland by the fireplace too.
And just so you know: Mine are FAR from perfect. They still look cute though and hanging all together no one notices (or tells me they notice!) the imperfections. Mine are also VERY simple…I know the scrap booking experts out there can show me up on this one as far as design goes!
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I loved this last year and I still do! I wonder (and maybe you've shown us and I can't remember) – how do you display Christmas cards that you get? I love looking at everyone else's kids and cards, but I want a new way… I used to pin them to velvet ribbons and just hang them on a door in my living room. Sometimes I just put them on the mantel. But I need a new idea!
I love that idea – thank you so much x
I love love love it! hm… I wonder if I can pull it off! or a version of it anyway! ?? 😉 I will let you know if I do! Have a blessed week!
fabulous idea! I'm going to steel it and use our yearly "Christmas morning in front of the tree pictures". What a great way to share memories with your kids, family, and friends.
That is amazing! You are so creative.
What a fantastic idea! My draw is overflowing with those kind of pictures, so maybe I'll give this a go, next year…
Sarah, they look amazing!!!
What a great way to see all of your Christmas memories at once! Beautiful!
You should be proud!!:)
Enjoy the day,
Cindy
I love it!! Such a great idea!!
Thank you for this! My bannister isn't very big…just a few spindles, but I'm going to make this work somewhere…even if it's around my kitchen bay window. I had mine in frames too…but it's too cumbersome! Love it!
adorable idea! LOVE it! Would work well with school pics too I would think!
Love this! Since we've only sent out one Christmas card, I think I'm going to have to "bookmark" this to try later 🙂 But it is definitely going in my "things to do one day" file! Thanks for sharing 🙂
love them!!! great idea! i've never kicked myself for not doing a card every year until now! 🙂
This is the absolute best idea!! Love it!!
I will use this for our yearly pictures with Santa!
LOVE THIS!!! Thanks for letting me steal your idea! 😉 Seriously, move over Mar.tha Ste.wart…you should be the one making the millions!
Oh my goodness. This is one of the best ideas I've seen. I LOVE IT! Now it's finding the time to do it.
I loved this last year and bookmarked it. In January my sister and I got together and made these – it was a fun project. I'm so excited to get them out this year! Thanks for the idea.
I am not crafty at ALL, but I love this idea so much, I might break down and try to make it 🙂
Oh My! What a Great Idea!!! I love it! Last year I filled my Christmas Tree with pictures of Christmas past – my parents, grandparents, sister and now this would be a great thing to do with those. Thank you for sharing!
I am so proud of myself – I did this last year and it has been a kid favorite – it also gives everyone something to look at! I love it!
Stunning — simply stunning!
Thanks for posting this again this year. I was trying to figure out what to do with 14 years of Christmas Pictures and couldn't remember where I saw that "great idea" from someones blog from last year. It was you and what a great idea. Thanks
Sarah, so cute — my girls will love doing this this weekend!
I love this, great idea to display all those cards from years past.
such a great idea! it's simple and so very lovely!!
this is on my list to do this week…hoping i get it done. i love it!
I am not so crafty so my solution was to use small frames and put on the xmas tree. I like the way you put the garland on the stiarcase so I am going to have to copy that!
I just love this Sarah 🙂 So great!
Love this! Can't wait to try it out. Really cute idea.
What a great idea! There are so many applications for this. Thanks for sharing.
Honestly, I don't think this could be any more adorable. It's absolutely DARLING! Makes me wish I'd taken a Christmas photo every year!
I love these!!!! I so want to copy! Thanks for sharing. I have mini frames with my kids' photos in them one for each year and I put them all on one tree, I cry every year, in a good way, as i put them up. Photo decoration is the best.
Love! Love! Love! I am totally copying you! Thanks!
This is such a great idea! I'm going to do this with the kids Santa pictures! THANKS!
I RARELY coment on blogs. So take this as a HUGE compliment. I LOVE this idea. LOVE LOVE! I think I'll do it as ornaments for our tree. My mom used to break apart clothes pins and make them into stars and put our school pics on them for ornaments. I loved looking through them every year. This is an updated (adorable) version. THanks for sharing.
I loved this idea so much last year that I copied it right then – even though I knew I wouldn't be able to use it until now! I just pulled the pictures out this weekend and they made me so happy I giggled. Thanks for sharing such a great idea.
I love this idea! What a keepsake for your children!
Awesome!!!
Sarah this is so awesome! Thank you for the tutorial!! I think we posted our new blog headers at the same time..love yours!!
This is darling! If I could escape the house long enough to gather the supplies I would take this on. Maybe next year! At this rate, Amazon is my best friend (love that picture in your header). And for the record, I am in love with your monthly headers. They make me happy! Hope you're doing well!
I.LOVE.THIS.
Sarah, I mentioned this post in my most recent blog post (about holiday cards). I loved this idea when you posted it last year & did a sim. project for Valentine's Day (the hearts are a bit tricky to wrap and I still have Modge Podge on my counter. It cracks me up because my ocd friend is always trying to clean it off the counter & I just say, "its Modge Podge"!).
I love your idea because anyone who enters will know that it is all about family at your house! My banister & railing is the same as yours. Wish I had the white painted trim & wainscoting. I love your wall color! Do you know the name of it?
hugs, Cathy
what a creative idea! love it! and i love your blog too!
Thank you for sharing such a great idea! I love doing Christmas crafts – but always end up biting off more than I can chew (thus they never get finished). But this looks so doable that I'm making it my project for the weekend.
I love this! You picked great papers – and of course, great pictures 😀
Wow. These are original and very cute and it's fun to know there can be more every year. Great idea.
This is so simple yet beautiful, I luv it. Thanks for sharing.
THAT is a cool idea. I need to do that.
This is one of the sweetest and coolest ideas that I have ever seen for Christmas decorations! Adorable! Can't wait to have a family to do something similar 😉
Just dropping by to let you know that I linked to this post in a round up today from the Home & Garden channel at Craft Gossip. 🙂 This will appear in the main Craft Gossip RSS feed, on the main home page and can be found directly here
http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/9-garland-ideas-for-the-holidays/
If you would like a "featured by" button, you can grab one here!
http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/grab-a-craft-gossip-button/
Oh goodness, I found your blogs many months ago and then someone closed my window and I have been looking for you since them. I just found you now Google something different wow! glad I found you again. How can we subscribe to you? adoyo80@yahoo.com
I am so doing this….
After the New Year! Awesome idea!
Thank you so much! I love your blog and look for it everyday – I loved this idea last year and just finished making one this year!!!! THANK YOU!
Thank you so much – I love your blog and read it every day – I wish you lived in Massachusetts! Anyway – I read about your garland last year and FINALLY made one last night! It is so much fun to see the children grow over the last 16 years on my new garland@!
I love this & will link back to it soon. I don't have a banister though… trying to think where I could hang these. Hmmm..