Gallery Walls

I have been collecting cute signs and framed items for the past year in hopes of creating a few gallery walls in our house. Yes, we’ve lived here over a year and still have huge blank walls. I got a few extra things at Christmas to add to the mix. I was off work between Christmas and New Years so Justin and I settled into the task of getting things hung. I rolled out some leftover Christmas wrapping paper and proceeded to lay out my pieces. I have a mix of handmade items like my Georgia string art or the tatted Cook doily, purchased items like my Georgia souvenir plate and my silver peanut dish, our wedding invitation, and prints like my “I love Georgia” letterpress I got from my sister as a graduation present.

You can see here I didn’t have frames picked out. We went to Tifton and found semi-matching frames for the smaller items. I switched things around until I got them just right and then I traced the outlines of each piece.

We taped the paper to the wall to get the placing just right. Justin had to measure from my marks to the hangers of the various items to make sure they were hung in the right place. He’s definitely a measure-twice-cut-once person, which I definitely am NOT! We used these Incredible Hooks from Dollar Tree. They are lifesavers. They can hold up to 35 pounds and work great as long as you’re not right over a stud. We had two or three items that were on the studs, so Justin did drill a few holes.

These hooks are great for sheet rock but they took a bit of force on our paneled walls, so Justin drilled pilot holes with his screw gun and the smallest bit he had (I think a 1/8” bit).

Here is the finished product. I think it’s really neat that six of these are handmade by a friend or family member. I hope to keep adding to the spread as we find meaningful pieces.

 

Several years ago I had a boss that would purchase art when he traveled. Justin and I decided that it would make sense to do this instead of buying souvenirs that would just gather dust or get thrown away years down the road. We made our first purchase in New Orleans for our fifth anniversary. We bought three prints by James Michalopoulos. His impressionist style caught our eye and we trekked into about ten stores to find the ones we liked. We also got a group of postcards from our trip to the Great Smoky Mountains this past fall. See- it’s not high end art. One day we might be able to purchase original artwork, but for now it’s more about preserving the memories.

The final piece was from my trip to India this summer. I bought several saris with the idea that I would frame them or stretch them on canvas. I also bought a painting on silk of a decorated elephant. Somehow I forgot to write down the correct number of frames so I was three short. Justin had the best idea of framing a sari with the elephant silk on top. It worked out great!

Our final work in progress is the UGA wall. Justin got these three UGA signs for Christmas and he’s had the old Herschel Walker clock since he was little. I know this wall will be added to a lot in coming years. It’s not decorator chic but I live in a house with Justin and Wyatt and it can’t all be frou frou.