Follow me on Instagram? Then you may already know that I completed this Gallery Wall recently, and how insanely excited I am about it. I know… I’m capitalizing the words Gallery Wall as if it’s The Great Wall of China! It’s not… but it’s the Great Gallery Wall of the Murray Household, ok? If your answer to the first question was “yes”, you have also already seen this:
Want to see how it turned out? Check it:
Let me just apologize for having to use iPhone photos for this. I keep forgetting my camera at my parents’ house and I simply couldn’t wait to post about it. This wall has been in the works for a long time, and it turned out so much better than I even imagined. Here is how it all started:
I had several frames already and purchased more slowly over the last 8 months. Yep… that long! As you can see in the first picture in the collage above, I started out with very few frames. I traced their shapes onto newspaper and taped them to the wall. I then moved some of them around and added a few more, which you can see are the plain shapes (and I do realize this all would have looked much nicer had I not used colourful, printed newspaper the first time around… you win some, you lose some!). My husband was kind enough to hang up ALL of the things on this wall. Isn’t he amazing?
Gallery Wall Supplies:
- 3 HAVERDAL frames – $7.99 each at IKEA (used for the cameos)
- 2 sets of NYTTJA frames (one white, one black) – $3.99 each at IKEA
- 1 pack of KORT art cards – $3.99 at IKEA (framed with NYTTJA)
- 1 white RIBBA frame – $14.99 at IKEA
- 1 BILD poster – $5 at IKEA (framed with RIBBA)
- Letter “M” – $3.99 at Walmart
- Brass letter “t” – $5 at Urban Outfitters – on sale, purchased in July of 2012, no longer available on their site. Side note: yes, I did purchase the AWESOME brass stencil months before we even had any actual thoughts on what this wall would look like. I just knew I would love it wherever it ended up! Also, I attempted to purchase the “m” brass letter, but it was sold out!
- Chalkboard (and here) – Antique shop find/DIY project. Approximate total cost: $15 (not including cost of paint used for other projects).
- Teapot framed artwork – Bridal shower gift from a lovely friend
- White square Threshold frame – $7.99 at Target
- Estimated total of seven other frames – $60 (all on sale between $5-12 each, purchased over the last 2 years)
- Cameo artwork & photo prints – $3
TOTAL ESTIMATED COST: $150.00
You wonderful Instagram followers will also remember seeing this:
This little lovely was a portrait of me done by Alisha when we were in Teacher’s College. Isn’t she brilliant? I used washi tape on the mat to liven it up. I ended up adding washi tape on several of the frames, actually, and the two shadow box frames have small photos taped to inside.
Here’s a close-up of each side of the wall:
Pardon the glare – we have sliding doors to the deck directly across from this wall, so it’s inevitable! Also, pardon the empty frame – no 5×7 photos to be found in this house!
So there you have it… my somewhat planned Gallery Wall. I say somewhat because although I went as far as cutting out newspaper frame shapes, there is nothing meticulously measured or planned, there are nail holes hiding behind some of these frames already because they had to be moved, it’s all very much interchangeable – let’s face it, we all know how likely I am to move some of these around or at the very least, change the photos in the frames!
A look at the whole living room now that one more step has been completed? Sure!
There you have it. One of the many projects currently on the go is complete… for now!
Linking up here and at The Re-purposed Life.
twopurplecouches says
May 17, 2013 at 1:13 pmYEAAAA!!!!!! You did it!! I LOVE how it covers so much of the wall. And I spy a Keri Herer for IKEA bunny in there :)
Thalita says
May 17, 2013 at 2:16 pmI FINALLY did it!!! Thanks so much!!! And yes, the bunny was meant to be! Love it! Thanks for posting about it!!
Alisha says
May 17, 2013 at 1:29 pmThis looks SO incredibly beautiful!!!!!!! I’m so happy my drawing still made the cut!!! Seriously, it’s just stunning and so, so special!!! And I see the tea pot! Really wonderful work T!!! Xoxoxo
Thalita says
May 17, 2013 at 5:56 pmThanks love!! It wouldn’t be the same without those two pieces of art :)
Deli Silva says
May 17, 2013 at 9:14 pmIt is sooo you. Looks amazing. By the way your living room looks very beautiful.
Thalita says
May 18, 2013 at 8:47 amThanks mama!! :)
Maria Matter says
May 18, 2013 at 9:42 amyou have a beautiful living room Thalita!
your gallery wall looks wonderful, it’s fun to see all the different pictures!
Thalita says
May 18, 2013 at 9:47 amThanks you so much Maria! I kind of can’t stop starring at it lately!
graceandjoygirl says
May 18, 2013 at 12:52 pmMy favorite piece is the chippy paint frame around the chalkboard. It looks great! I filled a little bare spot in my house recently, too!
http://graceandjoygirl.com/2013/05/14/finished-foyer-answering-the-pinterest-challenge/
Doesn’t it feel so good to look over at your gallery and know that each piece is special. Great work!
Thalita says
May 20, 2013 at 8:34 pmOh thank you!!! I am also quite a fan of that old frame. I went to check out your post – AMAZING!
It feels awesome to have one less empty wall in the house!!
T2Women (@T2Women) says
May 18, 2013 at 10:02 pmLove this!! There’s a new LINK-UP Party going on at thet2women.com and we would love to feature your post!! Here’s the link: http://thet2women.com/welcome-to-one-sharendipity-place-link-up-2/
Thalita says
May 20, 2013 at 8:36 pmThat is so wonderful of you!!! Thank you SO much!
titicrafty says
May 19, 2013 at 10:49 amI love it!!! and I also love your living room!
Hugs
Cami @ TitiCrafty by Camila
Thalita says
May 21, 2013 at 9:55 pmThank you so much Cami!! The living room has been a major work in progress, but I am happier with it than ever!! Thanks so much for stopping by!
Krista @thehappyhousie says
May 19, 2013 at 11:48 pmSo many unique little touches! I love a good gallery wall… I think my favourite part might be those adorable silhouettes… or maybe the chalkboard!! Great job:)
Krista
Thalita says
May 21, 2013 at 9:57 pmOh thank you Krista!!! Both of those are also favourites of mine, being that they were both also super fun to create!! Thanks so much for the kids words!!
xoxo
Lauren @ The Thinking Closet says
May 21, 2013 at 11:28 pmWow, Thalita. This gallery wall is breathtaking. I can tell a lot of TLC went into putting it together, and I appreciated seeing the whole process in photos. My favorite might be that portrait that was sketched by your friend; before you shared who did it, I thought it might be a Picasso print or something. Seriously! So inspiring. Do you just walk by, stop, stare, and smile at this wall now? If not, you should! Sending my smile your way.
Thalita says
May 24, 2013 at 9:08 pmPardon the very late response… Thank you so much!!! Isn’t the little Picasso-esque portrait great? It was part of an art lesson in Teacher’s College – we had to draw someone without looking at your paper, only looking at the person and you were not allowed to lift your pen off of the page. Cool right? I had done this before, but it was pretty amazing to have one of my closest friends do it this time! Oh and I find myself walking by, just staring at the wall VERY often! I do love how it has come together!
Lauren @ The Thinking Closet says
June 5, 2013 at 12:43 amJust had to add that you totally need to link up this post as well as the million other gold-related posts you have at the Ditto DIY Link Party (the theme is…well…gold!). Thought of you and all of your amazing gold creations.
http://www.viewalongtheway.com/2013/06/ditto-diy-link-party-my-big-fat-gilded-failure/
Thalita says
June 5, 2013 at 5:54 pmOh my goodness you are too sweet! I will definitely do that… as I struggle to catch up on blog reading and writing! Thank you so much, Lauren!!
Diana Rambles says
May 23, 2013 at 8:40 pmVery nice! I have a big blank wall that is in need of something like this! Thanks for sharing this at my Pin Me Linky Party.
Thalita says
May 24, 2013 at 6:41 pmOhhh that sounds like a project waiting to happen! :)
Lorraine says
May 24, 2013 at 9:22 pmHello Thalita! So nice stopping by to visit with you and see this beautiful gallery! Looks great!
Kindly, Lorraine
Thalita says
May 25, 2013 at 8:55 amHi Lorraine! Thanks so much for stopping by to leave such kind words!
emily says
May 26, 2013 at 8:49 amreally really pretty! I love gallery walls and that quote in the middle is perfect! Thanks for linking up to Tasteful Tuesdays and for the link back :o) Can’t wait to see what you bring next week. Emily @ Nap-Time Creations
oh, and I just posted an amazing round-up from last weeks party… stop on over and check it out!
Ashley says
May 27, 2013 at 6:26 pmHi I found you on Adorned From Above Wednesday Blog Hop. I am a creative graphics and web designer, as well as an avid blogger looking to connect with more people. Would love it if you stopped by our website/blog at http://www.ashleychapmandesigns.com/
Thanks so much,
Ashley
Hani Shabbir says
May 29, 2013 at 1:58 pmHow lovely! The saying is beautiful. :)