Gallery Wall

This post has been a long long time coming. The Gallery Wall was semi-finished back at Thanksgiving, and honestly still isn't done now. But it is close enough. So here goes.

I picked a big blank wall in the living room to create the Gallery Wall on. I consulted a few different sources on how to go about planning and hanging all the frames. Young House Love has a good description. In the end I did the time consuming, cut out newspapers the same size as your frames, method. It worked very well. Much better than if I had tried to hang them with my usual method - which is stick a nail in the wall and hope it is in the right spot. But first, I had to collect all these frames. I only bought three of them brand new, the rest I already had or my sister scored from left over rummage sale items. Only 5 of them were originally white. The rest I spray painted over the course of a few days. See this post about how to spray paint frames.

(one of the rummage sale beauties before I removed

the art and spray painted the frame white). 

Here is the newspaper layout up on the wall - I actually have trimmed down a few since then, this layout was a little overwhelming.

The best part about the newspaper process is that you don't even have to move the newspaper cutouts to put your nail in the wall - just rip the newspaper away around it.

Here is the play by play of what I included:

This awesome "H" is just a print out from the website Daily Drop Cap - if you have never been, you need to go check it out now! Amazing art. Also, pictures T.J. and I took with his dad's fancy camera this summer in Mackinaw and here in our own back yard. 

In the upper left corner is a "pencil" drawing of our house. I just selected a picture of our home and selected "Pencil Sketch" in Picasa - viola, interesting art. Then we have our two fur babies on my sister's boat and a family picture sans-Lexi in Mackinaw. 

Here we have another picture of T.J. and I in Mackinaw (are you seeing a theme here? We love the place!) - and a key to another of our favorite places... Our graduation picture - we even got to walk at the same time. Finally, the big picture is of a good chunk of my family ice skating on my sister's lake in Michigan.

Here is the wedding picture collection - couldn't leave those out! On the left, our rehearsal, and on the right my favorite wedding picture + pictures with all the kiddos in our lives. 

The watery picture was taken in South Carolina (near Charleston) at a golf course where T.J. briefly worked. Tubing at my sisters lake.

Here is another graduation picture (without the silly black gowns) and our engagement picture. The empty frame below it I intended to hot glue a clip to, so I can switch out the picture easily.

This beauty I made out of an old sequin bag and a beautiful card my sister sent me. It is a candelabra and says "shine". 

Side View