DIY school picture timeline
A new way to arrange (and rearrange) photos over your stairs
COST: $35 ($28 for chain, $7 for S-hooks) EFFORT: 1 out of 5 RESULTS: 4 out of 5
Without fail, we buy a package of our kids’ school photos every single year. Some years, the photos are really nice. Other years, the kids have an awkward smile or a wary gaze. It doesn’t matter to me — I’m ordering them anyway.
I dutifully give copies to the grandparents, but the problem was that I didn’t actually display any of the 8x10s I’d ordered for myself. I just couldn’t decide how or where.
Would I only keep the current year’s photo on display? Would I hang them all somewhere? A gallery wall of school photos wouldn’t be practical, since I’d have to update it every single year.
So I did nothing with my copies of the school pictures, except keep buying them and carefully storing them away.
Recently, I had an idea. What if I hung the school pictures in a way that I could show them all — in order — while also being able to add new ones? I sketched out my plan and decided, yup, I think it could work.
The first step was buying more black 8x10 photo frames, as well as 11x14 frames that can be matted down to fit 8x10s. I knew I’d drive myself crazy if I was set on a perfectly matching set, so I went full Noah’s Ark and ordered pairs of different styles, as long as they were all black.
Then it was time for chain! Two lengths, each eight feet long. I picked gold chain since I thought it would go nicely on the wall along our staircase (which is painted Benjamin Moore’s Revere Pewter).
With a bit of direction from me (OK, a lot of it), my Handy Husband hung both lengths of chain on the wall above the banister — one above the other. He just used regular screws, secured into the studs all the way up the wall.
Once the chains were in place, I was able to use small metal S-hooks to connect each photo frame to the chain — hanging each child’s photos in a perfect timeline of their life.
Well ... I wouldn’t say “perfect.” Even though each chain was one long piece, there were a few spots where Handy Husband had to be choosy about which links he screwed through in order to hit a stud — which resulted in a few tiny sags. I also don’t love that there are a few visible screws that couldn’t be covered by frames. None of it’s not super noticeable unless you’re looking for it, though.
While the execution wasn’t exactly as I’d dreamed it, I love that we can easily adjust the timeline or swap out frames anytime we want. The S-hooks make it easy to lift the frames off and reposition them, and we could even get fancy by adding smaller frames in the gaps — all for zero additional holes in the wall.
Best of all, I get to see the kids’ school pictures every single day! They make me smile every time I walk up or down the stairs, or even just catch a glimpse of them from the hallway or living room.