How to Create a Vintage Dictionary Photo Gallery Wall!

One of the things I get the most comments and questions about when people come into my house is about my photo frame wall in my formal living room. Everyone steps up, peers closely at the frame, and asks, "Is that dictionary paper back there?" Yep. It is! When I was planning this gallery wall in this room, I knew that I wanted a black and white photo grid. But I didn't want a bunch of large, in-your-face photos staring back at you when you came in. I wanted them to be more subtle. And since these frames came with pre-sized mats, I also wanted to save money.

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One day when I was sitting in my craft room, contemplating how I could make it all work I glanced down to see a vintage dictionary I recently acquired from a second-hand store. "Hmmm," I thought. "I wonder . . ." and so I ripped a few pages from the dictionary making sure not to choose any pages with inappropriate words for a family setting, and I placed it inside the frame with a photo on top. PERFECTION! Actually the pages were perfectly sized and inexpensively fit the inside of the photo mat, allowing me to use a 4" x 6" black and white photo on top of the paper.

To recreate this project:

1. Purchase a large, white frame frame with a mat opening of 8" X 10".

2. Use vintage paper (wrapping paper, vintage dictionary paper, or scrapbooking paper) to fill the open frame of the photo mat.

3. Print 4" x 6" photos in black and white (or color) and mount them in the center of the paper.
4. Place the glass on top of the mat, photo, and background paper and mount the frames on the wall. I used washi tape to hold the paper in place.

Here are some additional photos of the wall and the photo frames:

Like this project? Be sure to search by blog for other Photo Gallery Wall projects!