How to Make a Commemorative Anniversary Collage

Have an important anniversary, birthday or other significant milestone coming up? A commemorative collage is a great and inexpensive way to help celebrate the occasion and will last long after the party is over.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• display board
• scissors and tape
• photographs
• used magazines
• Internet, scanner and printer and/or use of color copier machine

1. 
   The buillding block: a display board.

   Purchase a large cardboard display board from an office supply store. One for my parents' 60th anniversary event folds in three for portability and protecting the contents.
   Ideally, a collage should be a mishmash of photos, edit copy and illustrations: like a scrapbook on display. A concession to orderliness in the 60th anniversary edition is a rough division into "chapters" in the honorees' lives: their years living in New York, living in Masachusetts, vacations, etc.
   One feature is a typed stream-of-consciousness list of assorted memorable people, places and events ie: the elephant that stole Dad's camera bag, the hockey tournament in Berlin, NH, hot doughy pretzels after church in New York City, etc.

2. 
   Some useful tools include scissors, tape, old magazines, photos and photo albums.

   Crawl into that attic netherregion and dust off those old albums (and/or download from your computer) any appropriate photos. Ask friends and relatives of the honorees as well.
   Fill in the gaps with pictures cut from magazines or printed from the Internet. A loon picture serves to represent a family favorite vacation haunt, Lake Winnipesaukee; and a skyline pic of New York City represents my parents' original home state of New York.
   Search the 'Net for milestones of the year of the original event. Researched, typed and edited lists of 1949 movies, TV shows, top tunes, headlines and trivia are included in the anniversary collage. Attach a greetings/sign-in sheet for guests to participate in and make the collage even more relevant and memorable for the recipients.

3. Use your imagination and creativity. 60th being the diamond anniversary, I enlarged pictures of the King and Queen of Diamonds cards and pasted my parent's faces on them. Sixty years of US presidents are depicted by making a copy of campaign buttons of the 8 presidents (FDR through Obama) since 1949 (from my political button collection).
   Please scroll down for tips 'n' warnings.

Tips & Warnings

• Photos (even color ones) can be scanned and printed if you have the equipment or even reprinted on a color copying machine. You can return the originals in good condition.
• Tape in place a pen on a string for guests to conveniently add signatures and comments.
• Reach out to friends and relatives for input and different perspectives.
• See more by this writer on examiner.com boston under PETS, in Mariner Publications' "Pet Gazette" and in the August edition of "Northeast Antiques Collectibles".
• You may be able to find books commemorating individual years (movies, news events, etc.) in a card or gift store.
• You can start taping items into place as you acquire them, but not TOO securely as you're likely to keep rearranging them as the project evolves.
• For the best results, start the project several weeks in advance of the event. This will allow more time for ideas to be developed and materials to be acquired.

[MargaritaBobita]

on 11/24/2009 This kind of collage is a great idea for yourself or for gifts for others. Thanks for sharing.

[housejunkie]

on 10/29/2009 I was just thinking something just like this.,....but yours is way better!