CHALLENGE 365 + INSTAGRAM WALL DIY

I'm really into all kinds of challenges this year! So much fun to see how the results get better over time, how one overcomes obstacles in terms of keeping up the dedication and then: Enjoying the memories you made. For 2013 I wanted to try the 'Challenge 365 - A Picture A Day' - challenge. There are so many little moments during everyday life that are worth capturing.  I've tried to take pictures everyday in late 2012, but I have to say especially as a student it is kinda hard to find interesting pictures on a daily basis. Phones are prohibited in my school and after school I usually spent my days at home. 

But then I came across this cool app called Project 365. You can set yourself a reminder which will pop up everyday at a set time and tell you to take a picture that day! I set mine for 4 pm, right when I would come home from school. Once you took a picture (via the app or just with your normal camera app) you can put it up in a calendar and add a description. So much fun to look back at the end of the month! 

These are some of my favorite pictures from January til May. I have to be honest with you though. There have been days when I cheated. Yepp my bad, but sometimes I just forget to take a photo. Then I used a picture taken earlier or later which kinda represents that day. Sorry to myself for cheating on me! Haha! 

Happily snaping away photos is great - but I even went a step farther and printed them out. Like for real - photos that you can actually touch! So retro maaan! Being a hispter like this I put them up on the wall over my bed as an 'Instagram wall' - can't get much more hipster than this! Okay let's leave the hispter alone - picture wall are great, whether the photos are squares or not! 

Here a quick tutorial on how I got the photos from my phone to the printer.  

Open Photoshop. 1) Open a new file, the size of the sheets you're planning on printing on. Mark a square and fill it with a light shade of grey (I recommend a light color, since some of it might come out when you print along the sides of the photos). 2) Copy and paste that square six times and drag all of the squares in place. 3) Open your picture and change its size so it'll fit the grey squares. You might have to experiment a bit. My pictures had to be 1007 by 1007 px. 4.) Drag and drop them into them right place. PS will automatically add a new layer to your file, so you can move around the pictures seperately later. Lastly - Print!

I adhered the pictures to the wall with double-sided tape. So far all of them stayed in place just fine. When taping them to the wall, take breaks to wash your hands. For some reason they get kinda dirty and you might leave small smears of grey around the photos. Just a tipp!

This inexpensive and relatively easy way to display photos really adds personality to a space I find. So nice waking up, looking at some great memories. 

We're kinda too far into the year to start a 365 challenge, but why not a 180-days challenge? Or a 3-months summer photos challenge? The possibilities are endless and making memories is always fun! So get out the cameras and phones and snap, snap, snap away! 

Lots of love, Tabea ♥