Living in the digital age means information spreads fast. Thanks to the likes of Twitpic, Facebook and Instagram, what people are doing at noon can be shared in a picture by 12:01 p.m.

Albums on Facebook, Flickr and other photo-sharing websites allow people to share photographs of trips, events and daily life experiences with little concern for selecting favorites or shuffling through a shoebox filled with photos. As such, the practice of printing photographs has fallen by the wayside for many young adults.

“I don’t print my pictures that often,” said senior psychology major Anna Fredriksen. “My mom has been on my case about getting holiday pictures printed. For now they’re just sitting on Facebook.”

But when a dreary room needs some cheering up, nothing can beat displaying photographs of family members, friends and the memories of a birthday or vacation.

When space is limited, frames can take up too much room and many come with a steep price tag. Garlands are a great way to liven up any room with color and are a great alternative to frames for displaying photographs.

They can be hung off the ceiling, on a wall or over a shelf without taking up precious space. Best of all, they can be easily made for around $10 – less than the price of most frames at Target.

The first step is to select the photos to be displayed. This could be themed from a particular trip, time of the year or can simply be an arrangement of pictures of friends, family and happy memories.

Pull your favorite images off Facebook and send them to be printed. Walgreens photo department offers one-hour pick up and prints that cost $0.12 per 4×6 image.

Once the photographs have been selected, it is time to decide what type of garland to create. The base should be sturdy enough to hold the photos and can be made of whatever color or textured medium that suits the design scene in the room best. Braided yarn, ribbon, hemp string or even a long piece of lace can serve this purpose well. Roughly one yard is a manageable length, but can be slightly shortened depending on the number photos and decorations, which will be added to the garland.

Yarn costs roughly $3 a ball and most ribbons and lace can be purchased at $2 to $5 a yard. Feel free to be creative and thrifty – for example, use items simply sitting around the house. Extra ribbon, yarn, fabric scraps or pieces of lace can be used to attach the photographs to the garland as well. Do not toss any scraps until the garland is complete.

Next, trim photos down to the size and shape desired. There is no need to leave them in a rectangular 4×6 fashion if circles, squares, hearts or stars would fit the décor of the room better. Be sure to leave a bit of extra space on top, where the photo will attach to the garland’s base.

Once the photos have been trimmed, punch a hole in the top and attach to the string. This can be done in two ways; either punch two holes in the top and thread the string through so the photo lies flush on string, or punch one hole in the center and use some of the extra ribbon, yarn, etc. to tie the photo directly onto the garland base. Varying which method is used can add to the personality of the garland as well.

Once all of the photos have been attached to the base, it is time to spruce it up. Have fun and let the personality of the people and the mood of the places in the photos come out during this step.

Mementos such as concert stubs, postcards, brooches or even items such as scarves or handkerchiefs can be tied, clipped and placed alongside the photographs to tie the theme of the garland together, creating a more eye-catching piece.

Using excess ribbon, lace or fabrics, add strips in varying lengths in between the photos. These can also be turned into tassels by layering the ribbons or strips of fabric and tying a knot around the middle. This will give the garland a greater visual interest through the use of varying lengths, textures and colors.

Once all the accoutrements and photos have been added to the garland, tie a knot on either end, just beside the photo or object on the outermost space. Any excess string can be trimmed or allowed to dangle – whatever is most suitable.

Just like that, photos have been liberated from the confines of the Internet and are free to be displayed in the home, for less than the cost of an average frame.  

Jessica Scharff can be reached at [email protected]