For my big diamond, Katherine, and little diamond, Amber, I had searched for hours on Pinterest to find the perfect Christmas present for them. I wanted to craft them something personal to show all the memories we had shared together. I had finally found the perfect gift for them, bejeweled photo collage letters!

Christmas is right around the corner, but you still have time to make these! You can complete a letter in a matter of a day.

First, you need to prepare to do the craft. I went to my local Jo-Ann craft store and got a cardboard letter. I then printed out pictures, right from my computer, of my favorite black and white photos of me and the gift’s recipient.

I didn’t want the letter to just be plain cardboard, so I used white acrylic paint to paint it.

The paint was super quick to dry. Make sure to paint every side!

I’ll be honest with you, readers, I am a perfectionist. So instead of just gluing the photos down with mod podge, I laid out the photos on the letter. I pieced everything together like a little puzzle to see how it would all fit.

Once everything was how I wanted it to be, I took a picture to remember. I then took the photos off the letter and began to glue it down! To do so, you need a sponge brush and mod podge. Both can be purchased at a local craft store. I bought mine at Michael’s.

To glue the photos down, I would first use the sponge brush to put glue down on the letter. I would then stick the photo onto it, trying to avoid allowing air bubbles pop up. Once the photo is on, I put the mod podge over it. The mod podge was put on top of the photo for a glossy feel.

Continue on by gluing down each photo with mod podge and put the mod podge on top of the photo, as well.

Once you have every photo glued down, run one last layer of mod podge over the entire thing. Make sure it is all even.

If you can see the white glue on the photo, it’s okay. That’s what makes the photo appear to have a glossy finish once it dries.

Before doing anything else, you need to let the mod podge dry!

You can always leave the letter just like this, but I decided to bejewel the letter with adhesive jewel stickers.

Once you finish adding the jewels onto the letter, it’s all done!

Amber and Katherine loved them. I am so happy with how they came out!

If you decide to make these bejeweled photo collage letters, drop me a message in the comments below and me know!

And remember to check out the site The Collegiate Standard for sorority and fraternity jewelry! PLUS use coupon code SAMI10 to receive 10% off! A post on their products will be coming soon!!