Gallery Wall: Turning a Vision into Reality in 5 Simple Steps

(One of) My major malfunction(s) is the execution of my creativity. People are often shocked to see my artwork. It’s special. The kind of special that needs serious assistance. I struggle to pick out colors that match when I’m doing anything artistic. This is the main reason why I have one bathroom that is a heinous shade of navy blue.

Two years ago, I attempted a gallery wall. I really went all out and spent a small fortune on really nice matching metallic frames. It was going to be symmetrical with all black and white photographs. Anyone who visited my condo between April 2016 and March 2018, I apologize. That gallery wall was a complete eyesore.

I decided to give the gallery wall another try. This time, I enlisted Ben’s help. He loves symmetry and perfectly straight lines.

STEP ONE: Select your frames, signs, and mirrors

What “look” are you going for? That’s a question I dread- especially at the hair salon. My answer is always something like this, “I don’t know. Something that looks good.” We looked on Pinterest and found the look we were going for- mixed wood&metal with a bit of a rustic touch. I loved this gorgeous sign from Smallwood Home. I was able to snag it for $69! I wanted it to be the focal point of the gallery wall. I spent several weeks collecting inexpensive frames from places- Michael’s, my mom’s house, the bowels of my storage unit. If they weren’t the color I was looking for, I would simply sand and stain them. (I’m basically ready for my own HGTV show)

STEP TWO: Trace your frames on craft paper

I think this is where it all went wrong the last time. This is the most important step- hands down. We put the craft paper on the floor to get a rough idea of how we were going to place things. This is the gigantic roll of craft paper I have. I use it for so many things.

STEP THREE: Decide what will go in each frame

I ended up printing 172 pictures from Shutterfly. (No exaggeration) I made a list of which sizes and lay-outs I needed. I tried to have a mix of landscape and portrait. I also thought we wanted all black and white. However, we had one beautiful photograph from Bermuda that just needed to be printed in color.

STEP FOUR: Tape the craft paper to the wall

I tend to rush through tasks. I’m sure my second-grade teacher wouldn’t be shocked to hear that I wanted to complete this entire project in one night. Thank God Ben was around to hold me back. We hung the craft paper up on the wall using painter’s tape. We actually kept the craft paper up for about a week before we actually hung the frames. We would look at it while eating dinner or watching TV. We must have adjusted things a dozen times. (And by “we”, I mean Ben.)

STEP FIVE: Hang up your frames

We finally hung the frames up using picture hooks and nails. We started with the largest pieces first and worked from the inside out. Here is the finished product!

What I love most about this wall is that each picture holds an incredible memory or a piece of our heart.

 

xoxo Laura