Let's Make a Photoboard!

Y'all. Have you seen those videos of people making those viral photoboards/arch backdrops for $15? Well, I fell for it. Hook, line, and sinker. It was an adventure! I had a lot of fun with it but, this project was straight chaos. In the spirit of Learning Something New, I gave it my best shot! Alright, let's break this down.

I bought two foam insulation boards for $10.98 each at Lowe's. They are HUGE. As in, will not fit in your car huge. I used my handy dandy box cutter in the parking lot to get those boards in my car. Then I went back in to get paint. I got two sample sizes of the color I wanted. ($3 each!). We love Lowe's because they are dog friendly and had everything we needed to make this project!

Pippy and I had a very interesting car ride home. Of course we had to stop at Chick-Fil-A and get breakfast. I got home and the bottom of my frosted coffee cup fell off. I had frosted coffee all over my driveway. I was devastated and in complete shock. After we got over that, it was time to get started!

First, I cut the board to the size I wanted using a box cutter. I peeled off the silver backing. I painted this board and after two coats, I realized my mistake. It wasn't going to be solid. The foam pattern would be showing no matter what. If you want it solid, leave the backing on and just know you'll need double the paint. I sanded the rough edges.

So messy. So MUCH foam. Everywhere.

Thank goodness my husband has a shopvac and I was able to use it. After a lot of trial and error, I was pleased with how it looked.

Pippy stepped on the wet paint multiple times and received multiple baths. You would have thought she would have learned her lesson the first time. She did not.

Then I had to cut the second board to make the backing. Hot Glue is the way to go and lots of Gorilla tape. I may have tried liquid nails first and it was a disaster. However, I figured it out and got it to stand. It was so light I had to use a weight to get it stand up straight.

I bought some balloon garland tape from Amazon for $3. I already had the balloons and I borred an inflater. This made it a lot easier! I ended up tying ribbon to the garland and taping it to the back to get it to stay in place.

I HIGHLY recommend building these at their final destination. I did not and getting them back in the car damaged them. I was able to fix them but, I was not a happy camper. Overall, it turned out really cute! It ended up costing $31 give or take. I used a second board to make the backing, some people don't. I liked having the extra and needed it.

The Finished Product

Am I crazy enough to this again? Yes. Yes I am. Will I fork out the extra money to do it right and buy plywood? Absolutely. Am I already planning it? Yes!

This is part of new series called Learn Something New. It's a part of the Ten Themes of Self Emowerment™ and it's one I happen to relate to the most. I also think it helps build confidence and get you out of your comfort zone! You can check out the reel and some BTS footage on the Captivatingly Empowered Instagram. Next time, I'll film it step by step to show how I build it.

Stay Curious!

Halle Erin

Got them in the car!

Pippy's "I didn't do it" face