Huge Family Photo

 Let me start off by complaining.  This project is not as easy as Infarrantly Creative makes it look.  They said this project was going to cost $20 and was "super easy." Ha!  It was neither.
I did start off the way they told me to.  I drove 30 miles to Staples (note...every other office supply store does this too! Don't drive 30 miles, go to Office Max) to get an engineered print.  This was pretty cool.  I expected the picture to be pixelated but it wasn't.  It was stunningly huge though.  I ordered the 24x36 print for $4.99. Fat rolls zoomed in?  Of course, why not?
Then at a particularly enjoyable trip to Home Depot I bought a 4 ft x 4 ft piece of plywood.  It cost $18. Yes, I'm already over the promised $20 and I haven't even begun to mess up.  Next, they said to find a frame I liked and to project the shape and trace it.  Apparently, you need a classroom grade projector to actually be able to make this work.  When our projector fell short it gave me some cool advice on how to make my own.  I made my own following their instructions and again, failure.  After two hours of trying to make this work I (and my mother-in-law...aka partner in all things crafty) decided to draw our frame.  As you can see it took us 4 tries to get this right too.  Another hour in and we had it!  Thankfully, my father-in-law owns all things tool related and he cut and sanded the frame.  He made this look easy and it took him about 20 minutes. For me this would have been a total disaster and I would have ended up at Home Depot at least two more times.

I drove home with my new frame stabbing me in the side because I picked a rainy day to do this project across town.  Miraculously, I made it home without being impaled and decided for a fresh start. I painted the frame with some left over paint and was ready to easily apply the picture and be done.  Again, Ha! The paint went on easily and I got over confident.  First, this part is my fault, I used Mod Podge (what the hell is that stuff?  As far as I can tell, really expensive Elmer's Glue) to apply the picture to the frame.  Mistake. The picture immediately bubbled up.  I threw the paintbrush. The next day I went to Office Max and asked for an engineered print.  Yes, they can do them!  BUT, if you are going there be prepared for incompetent print services employees.  I had to tell the nice (or not) girl behind the counter how to print.  Seriously?  Isn't that her job?  Anyway, saved time and money.

This time I used spray adhesive.  Yes, much better except the husband decided it was going to dry clear so he sprayed it all over the board.  Doesn't dry clear.  He convinces me that it's savable we just need to use the Mod Podge and paint over the whole picture like the instructions explain.  Again, failure.  Mod Podge makes the paper bubble up immediately!  I still haven't figured out how or why people use that stuff.  I may have thrown the paint brush again.  Then I repainted the frame.

Third time. 

This time the husband went to Office Max and the same lovely employee tells him they can only print in color.  Apparently, they own the only printer in the world that doesn't print black and white!  So he finds another wonderful employee to help him.  Again, explaining exactly how to print something.  Third time was a charm.  Well a slightly imperfect charm but a charm none the less.We sprayed the back of the picture and used spray fixative for the top instead of Mod Podge.  The paper still bubbled but you have to be really close to see it.  We put the frame very high up. 

I'm pleased with the outcome but leery of "super easy" projects found on Pinterest.