Colorful DIY Gallery Wall
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** The full blog post for this project can be viewed at https://designertrapped.com/colorful-...
Photo gallery walls are popular, for good reason. But so many of them look exactly the same. We took our photo gallery wall up a notch by infusing it with color and personality. I share exactly how we did it in this video!
MATERIALS NEEDED (contains my affiliate links):
Command picture hanging strips: https://amzn.to/2NZaekX
IKEA 19-inch square frames: https://fave.co/2HB83A8
NOTE---- You do not have to live near an IKEA to buy these frames. They will ship an entire box full of these frames to you for only $9.99!
12" x 12" photo enlargements (I had mine printed by Shutterfly: https://rstyle.me/+wVT6ONOd3eAqxGirhL...)
Latex or acrylic paint in colors of your choice. I had 8 samples mixed in Sherwin-Williams colors in sample sizes. These are the colors I used: Quite Coral, Bee, Pale Moss, Lagoon, Oleander, Edgy Gold and Kendal Green. The purple I used is Orchid by Amy Howard at Home.
Paintbrush
Laser level: https://amzn.to/2ZVxmYG
Dropcloth and/or apron
Gold spray paint (if desired): https://amzn.to/2O3xIoX
Black and gold sconces: https://amzn.to/2ZWExiq
Puck lights: https://amzn.to/34GGAXu
Velcro: https://amzn.to/2Oamu2f
STEPS:
Step 1
Unwrap your frames and remove the white mats from them.
Step 2
Use a paintbrush (I use a 1 1/2 angled brush, but it really doesn't matter what kind of brush you use) to paint your photo mat. There's no magic technique, but do try to use long, even strokes. Unless you are really lucky, each mat will require 2 coats of paint. But don't worry. You only have to let it dry about 30 minutes in between coats.
Step 3
Whenever I was waiting on my photo mats to dry, I would head outside to spray paint my frames. I started with black frames and they were fine. But in the end, I decided I liked black better.
This is the spray paint I used to paint the frames gold. When spray painting, LIGHT coats are best! They go really quickly and dry fast. I applied 4 coats to my frames, allowing them to dry about 30 minutes in between coats. If you apply too much spray paint, you will get drips, which is NOT cute.
Step 4
Repeat with all your frames and mats until they are done! I completed a total of 8 frames/mats. Once they were thoroughly dry, I popped the photos in and reassembled them.
I chose black and white frames because I thought it would be a nice contrast against the colorful mats. I had all my 12" x 12" enlargements printed by Shutterfly and they turned out great (as always).
Step 5
Apply your Command picture hanging strips to the back of your frames. I like to use 1 in each corner so that they remain perfectly level. The small or medium-size strips will work fine for this project. Just follow the instructions on the packages to ensure that you use the strips properly. They are EASY to use!
Step 6
Use the paper inserts from your frames and painter's tape to decide on the layout for your gallery wall. This is one of my favorite tricks! Once you've decided on your spacing, use a laser level (or traditional level) to make sure your frames are perfectly even as you hang them.
Step 7
If you want to add sconces above your lights like I did, then keep reading! You don't have to hardwire them OR plug them in.
So how did I add sconces that actually light up without hardwiring them OR plugging them in?! I used the "magic light trick" that Nesting With Grace thought of! You can click below to watch her video on exactly how to do it. So smart and easy! You can watch her video tutorial here (I used the velcro method): • Magic Light Trick- Add Light to a Sconce- ...
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