A Little Decoupage

So for the summer time in NYC you definitely need an air conditioner to get by. However, my window in my bedroom was a little tricky because it is 41" wide, and no air conditioner is that wide, even with the extenders. So I asked my parents to give me some scrap wood from the shed being built in their backyard. Then, my mom had the good idea of decorating the inside with black and white photos of whatever I wanted and decoupaging them to the wood to give it a little flair. I decided to do black and whites of places I have traveled/will travel to. After a couple bloopers and re-do's I finally got the finished product up in the window:

And here are the how-to steps in case you want to replicate this idea on whatever needs some sprucing up in your home.

1. Measure out the space very carefully (obviously) so you know how many pictures to get printed
2. I recommend getting the photos you want in a couple different sizes. I picked 4x6 and 5x7  but you could pick any sizes
3. If you are posting these on wood make sure the wood is primed
4. Test out your layout - it looks better if they ends don't all match up with each other, so try layering and offsetting the edges, kind of like bricks. Also you can trim the photos to make them odd sizes to give even more variety to the look.
5. When you're happy with the layout, get your modge podge and your sponge ready and apply liberally to the backs of the photos to glue them to the wood. Then apply a couple thick coats to the top of the photos. It should be really filmy - then it will dry clear.

I have to say, I am very proud of the finished product and it looks so much better than just a blank piece of wood, or tin foil, or cardboard, or even the extender wings.