Except for a few pieces, everything was made from scratch. As we go through the pictures, I'll break it down and explain how I did it all. I hope you find some inspiration and motivation to do one for yourself!
First of all, let's see what the wall looked like BEFORE the transformation.
It's a side view, I know, but I was in my pajamas and was most certainly not going to stand in front of the mirror. You get the idea, big black Ikea mirror with lanterns hanging on the sides. It worked for a while but I'm starting to feel claustrophobic in our living area because we have dark cabinets, dark furniture and darkish walls (compared to the light gray I have picked out, they are dark). The mirror has been moved to our bedroom which I know will just give me motivation to finally complete our bedroom.
On to more important things, like frames. Now I have tell you, I made the frames. I know not everyone will be able to make frames but they are actually easy to find at places like Hobby Lobby. We were working pretty much on a $0 budget so I used what wood I had sitting on the side of my house to make the frames. I used a miter saw to cut the 45 degree angles and wood glue to hold them together. Funny story, we were going to use shallow depth staples to secure them on the back and when we bought them to put in the stapler, we discovered we didn't actually have a stapler. Ha!
We started with a 2x4 from a pallet and cut it down to make the frames. It was quite dangerous so I wouldn't recommend you doing this if you are a rookie. My husband cut these for me as I am terrified of a table saw. Terrified. He actually found a few nails deep in the middle of the wood, but thankfully he found them before he sent them through the saw. Below is what they look like on the back side. I didn't stain or finish these frames, just sanded, cut and glued.
The white frames are old frames I bought from Goodwill and repainted white. I have a pile sitting in my craft closet I use for various things. They come in handy to use frame labels for birthday parties or seasonal prints. It's so nice to have a variety of sizes on hand!
I guess this whole idea got started when I decided I wanted to make a chalkboard. God has been laying some pretty awesome Scripture verses on our hearts and we wanted a way to be reminded of them on a daily basis. Sometimes you just need a big fat reminder sticking in your face to hold on to His promises.
I took a simple piece of plywood and painted it with chalkboard paint then built a frame out of 1x3s. I wish I would have taken a picture of the back of the frame so you could see how I secured it. I used a Kreg jig which made the process so much easier. If you don't have one, GO BUY ONE!
The plywood was actually pretty warped from the wet paint and from the fact that it's thin plywood so we had to screw it down in a few places. We secured the rest with finishing nails and added a picture hanger on the back which was way easier to do than I though.
Okay, let's talk about how awesome this awesome sign is! As always, I
visited Pinterest as part of research for how I wanted my wall to look.
One glorious day, I found this pin. I used the same technique as from my DIY Wood Transfer Sign. Because it is such a bold statement,
I decided to stick with a thin font. It showed up really light at
first so I painted over it with black paint. Be careful not to drag
your hands across the ink as you're painting over the letters, when
transferred on top of paints, it can smear.
I made the sign from my stock pile of pallet wood I have on the side of my house. Couldn't have been easier to make. I found 3 pieces the same size, removed staples and nails, sanded, secured and painted.
I fell in love with this Be Kind print as soon as I saw it and knew I
needed to incorporate it somehow! The best part is that it's a FREE PRINTABLE!
That's always the best kind. I transferred the sign onto a thin piece
of plywood and framed it with my DIY frames. This time instead of
painting over the letters, I retraced them using a black permanent
marker. It's up to you whether you want to use a marker or paint (if
you have to use anything at all).
This may be one of my favorite pieces. This is the same wood I used to
make my frames. As I was sorting through my wood pile I found these two
beautiful 2x4s in perfect shabby chic condition. I used part of them
to make these chevrons and the rest to make the frames! I still can't
believe that from 2 4 ft 2x4s we were able to create so many items! I
used my handy dandy miter saw to cut the 45 degree angles and secured
them using a Kreg jig. I put a really light coat of gold paint on top
and sanded it down.
I was browsing through Rodworks one day looking for inspiration when I happened to come across their section of beautiful knobs. I started thinking of all the ways I could use them. I continued shopping through the store when I found these adorable number labels and it hit me. In other gallery walls, I had seen the number of family members displayed in different ways and while I had originally thought I would paint the number on wood, this was even better. I immediately saw the whole thing come together in my mind as I was standing there in the store! The best part is the knob was 20% off and the label was only $2.
For the record, I am totally on board with this Hello fad. I love the simplicity and the font. I found this at Hobby Lobby in the paper crafting section, right there with the chipboards and pendant garlands. I wasn't sure if I was going to buy it because I wasn't exactly sure how I would display it but it still made it's way into my cart!
That same trip, as with every trip, I visited the clearance section where I found this sign for $4. When something is $4, I'm pretty sure there is no debate about whether or not to get it. I'm not exactly sure what was happening because the twine was in fact glued in the random fashion you see below but that didn't stop me from seeing it's potential. I yanked it all off (after I purchased it of course) and sanded it down. I lightly brushed it with white paint, then finished it off with a few gold streaks. I love when ideas just magically come together. It made the perfect backdrop for my hello. I painted the hello to watch the knob by mixing blue and green paint and lightly brushing gold on top.
In any gallery wall, a framed monogram is necessary. This was of course a paper mache letter that I painted to match the knob and hello. I just lightly brushed on the gold paint and then took a paper towel to help blend.
This wall was so fun to make. I absolutely love the difference it made in our home. It's one of the first things people see when the walk in and makes such an awesome statement! Gallery walls are really one of a kind and so easy to customize to your home and design style. There is never one gallery wall that is the same which is why I love them! They are great representations of you and your family while reflecting the latest style and trends in home design. I hope you were inspired by my wall. Good luck as you design your own!
A big shout out to my husband for helping me hang everything!
Thank you, too Rowen. :)
