Capturing all those high school memories in 3 small panels of a board
We just attended our first senior banquet which meant it was time to create a senior board. I have been a scrap booking enthusiast for years so I was surprised how much I stumbled out of the gate on this one. I thought I’d share a few thoughts about our graduation board creation in hopes it may help others.
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First, decide how you’ll organize your photographs on your senior board.
My daughter organized hers by grade. I’ve also seen them organized by activity (dances, sports, family, etc.). Some people don’t want to organize them in any way and just want a giant collage of pictures that aren’t in any particular order. There is no right or wrong answer, but take a few minutes to decide what your layout approach will be.
Second, pick your photos!
This is a tough one. High school seniors have attended hundreds of important activities throughout high school and all are important. This board seems pretty big at first, but it actually fills up very quickly. I recommend making a must-include pile and a like-to include pile as this can help prioritize placement on the board.
Then, pick the colors that you’ll use to give the board color.
Many people simply pick the school colors; however, some people (especially girls) are starting to pick different colors. It’s the senior’s board and they should be able to personalize it to fit their personality.
Then, begin to layout the pictures on the board.
Don’t tape them down yet. Most likely you won’t have enough space and you’ll need to re-visit the picture choices.
Next, don’t be afraid to trim photos!
With limited space and lots of pictures, we simply had to trim off the tops, bottoms, and sides of pictures if there wasn’t anything valuable in that part of the photo. Often it is just air, walls, or people in the background, so it’s easy to lose those. Other times, you may need to cut off below their knees or part of a shoulder. Remember, there are dozens of pictures on the senior board and we don’t necessarily need to see the shoes every time.
I do like to keep the heights the same on the pictures because it helps them line up nicely on the board. Also, as you’re laying out the pictures, be sure to reserve space for your decorations and letters/words. I recommend reserving the top 6″ of the board all the way across if you plan to place any type of garland/banner along the top.
Once the general layout is done, it is time to decorate.
This is the fun part (or at least I think so)! There are several things you can do to add decorative flair to your senior board:
- Frame some or all of the pictures with colored paper. This makes the pictures pop. We chose to cut 1/2″ strips of glitter paper and place them behind some of the pictures on the side panel. Glitter paper is pretty expensive and this let me add the pop of color and glitter, but helped my glitter paper go far. Once you figure out your framing, you can begin to adhere the paper frames/backgrounds to the board.
- You can also add embellishments – We cut circles out of my gold glitter paper and glued them. You can use any kind of stickers (I love the ones that have dimension.)
- Consider adding something along the top of the board. Banners, tassels, pop poms, anything that adds some personality to your board. We chose to make a crepe paper banner that we strung along the top of the board. See my Crepe Paper Tassel Garland post for instructions on making a crepe paper tassel garland.
- Add words. This should include your name and any other type of labeling you’d like to add. You could print out a quote that is important to you. You could print out your college logo. These words can be stickers, traced cut-out letters (or letters cut by a Cricut machine), or even printouts that are cut and taped on your board.
The most important thing to remember about your senior board is that it should reflect you and what you like! Make the choices that you’ll be happy with.
If you’re planning a graduation, see some of my other blog posts that may be helpful:
- Photo Booth Backdrop Ideas
- Cotton Candy Station
- S’mores bar
- Graduation Senior Table Photo Poster
- Graduation Party Centerpiece (with pom poms and pictures)
- Graduation Photo Guest Book
- Another Graduation Photo Guest Book
- Dr. Seuss inspired Guest Book
- Card Box ideas, includes request for guests to address envelopes
- Graduation Card Box
- Graduation Centerpiece in galvanized tin
- Graduation Centerpiece in mason jar with pom poms
- Graduation senior board
- How to make a popcorn bar
- Frame Luminary
- Senior Table Photo Poster
- Photo Displays for Graduation Parties
- Hinged Frame with photo clips idea
- Graduation Money Gift Box
- Flower Pot Graduation Cupcake stand
- How to make a Donut Bar
- Graduation Party Sign Ideas – Easel Signs with Vinyl Letters
- DIY Cake Stands for your Food Bars
