DIY Photo Board Tutorial

I recently shared this post about Olivia’s boba themed first birthday. I spent a lot of time on the decor, but especially this DIY photo board of her first year. It’s one of my favorite party decorations because it’s something I’ll keep and look back on of her first 12 months of her life. I’m sharing step-by-step instructions on how to create one yourself. You can make this for birthday parties, showers, or weddings!

Supplies You’ll Need:

1 2×4′ Project board
Cricut machine
Removable vinyl or custom labels
Transfer tape
12 4×4″ or 5×5″ photos (Walgreens or Costco)
Pencil
Ruler leveler
Elmer’s glue

How to Build the Photo Board:

Step 1: Gather supplies

I shared the supplies you’ll need above but below are some more details about what board I got and where you can print square photos.

I purchased the 2×4′ project board from Home Depot as the base for the photo board. You can ask Home Depot to cut the board smaller. Since we have a circular saw, we made our own cut and used the smaller piece to make a welcome sign.

You’ll also need to get photos printed in advance. Since this is a one year photo board, I printed out 12 4×4″ photos from Walgreens, each photo from her first 12 months! Costco also has 5×5″ photos but they can only be mailed to you so be sure to order those ahead of time.

Step 2: Cut or purchase vinyl labels

I made labels of Olivia’s name at the top and then month labels under each photo using removable vinyl and a Cricut machine. If you don’t have a Cricut, you can purchase custom vinyl labels from Etsy.

Step 3: Plan the layout

Now that you have your project board, labels and photos ready, it’s time to plan out the layout. With 12 months of photos, I did a 4×3 photo layout. To make sure that everything is straight and aligned, use a pencil and ruler leveler to draw across the board and mark where the photos should be placed. Then plan out where the vinyl labels should go.

Step 4: Apply labels and photos to board

Once you’re ready, use transfer tape to apply the vinyl labels to the project board and glue the photos using Elmer’s glue. TADA! The DIY photo board project is complete and ready for your party!

This photo board was easy to make and was a beautiful and personal piece at her first birthday party. I still have it today and will forever keep it as a memento! I also love seeing her progression within her first year – they grow up so fast!