Well hello there! I’m so excited you dropped by! I am also excited to share my gallery wall that I created for this month’s Decorating Challenge. It’s all about gallery walls this month!
When we first decided to do gallery walls as a theme, I knew exactly where I wanted one: above our bed.
How about we see what was up there before though?
Yes I did just share a picture of my unmade bed with the world. 🙂
I really didn’t mind what I had up there. I was actually SO proud of it when I first put it together because I used all things I already had from my old house, but hadn’t used together before.
I really wanted to personalize it though.
And personalize it, I did!
Better? Much more personal for sure!
To create my wall, I gathered several pieces. Mostly frames and a few other things, and I arranged them on the floor until I was happy:
I knew I wanted to include photos from our wedding, but they were just not good y’all. Half were blurry. Bright flash in several. Others were so dark. I honestly didn’t really care when I first saw them because I was just happy we had our special day in photos, even if they weren’t perfect.
So when I wanted to incorporate some into my gallery wall, I decided to cheat and make them all black and white. That fixes so much! Of course I cropped and edited them like crazy too, but I ended up with some pretty decent photos after all.
That large one in the center was made using one of the frames I had up there before, so pretty much free!
I shared the sign on the top right on Tuesday.
It was made from a curbside find and you can see how I did it here. So also…free!
The scrolled white wood piece in the top left was also above the bed previously.
Our last name spelled out in black and white photos of architecture that resembled letters, was purchased at a craft market several years ago. I snagged it from our dining room. 🙂
The gold frames all came from this yard sale day:
I pulled them from my stash and dusted them off. I decided to give them a silver toned finish. I spray painted them black first:
Then Rustoleum’s Metallic Bright Silver:
Then I immediately took an old rag and patted and dragged it across the frames to reveal some of the black beneath, and age them a bit.
You can see better here:
Collecting everything was the hard part…hanging it all was EASY!
- After I had everything redone and ready to go, I laid it all out again:
When I was happy with the layout, I took photos with my phone for reference.
- Using brown paper, I cut a silhouette of each gallery item:
- I marked what each one represented as well as where the hangers were on the back of each.
- Then I taped them to the wall:
- I then used my markings to add nails:
(A somewhat crooked picture of me…nailing nails to the wall.) Does it get more exciting than this??
Yes!! Because this was the EASIEST way to hang a gallery wall ever!
(I hung the original six items the very same way!)
- Remove the paper and hang your gallery!
Easy! And I love how it turned out!
A tribute of sorts to me and my sweet hubby. There are photos of our sweet boys all over the house, but I wanted this space to belong to just us.
I did purchase two things new…the pretty mirrored frame in the bottom right corner, from Homegoods. For $12.99, how could I say no?
And I found this beautiful clock at Michaels. I decided to leave the battery out and set it to the time we got married. (Not sure if I could listen to the tick tock at night!)
I painted the gold oval frame that was to the right in my first layout, white, and created something sweet to put in it. Then I put it inside the larger oval frame. (I also painted it black first, then followed with white and rubbed off the raised areas.)
That larger oval frame was a yard sale find also, one of a pair I found. You might remember I used the other one to create this pretty tray:
Are you surprised my bedroom furniture isn’t painted?
This is usually a really bright space, so I love the warmth of the wood in here. It was quite overcast when I took these photos.
For more gallery wall inspiration, be sure to check out what my beautiful co-hosts are sharing:
Top This Top That Refresh Restyle Artsy Chicks Rule Our Southern Home Restoration Redoux
If you have a fabulous gallery wall, we want to see it! Take a photo and hop on over to our Decorating Enthusiasts DIY Forum on Facebook and share with us! We created this forum not only so you could participate in our fun decorating challenges, but also so that you have a judge-free zone to share your projects any time, ask questions, and hang out with other creatives just like you!
But wait! There’s more! Let’s play on Instagram too!
Here’s how to play:
1. Add your own post on Instagram
2. Tag it with the #DecorEnthusiast
3. Follow all 6 of your hosts here:
@christykjames (me!) @artsychicksrule @oursouthernhome @restorationredoux @refreshrestyle @topthistopthat
We will choose one winner that will be featured on all 6 blogs this Saturday!!
Next month we will have a new co-host joining us… a great big welcome to Shannon from Fox Hollow Cottage!!
Next month’s challenge will be styling bookcases/shelves! Guess I better find a bookcase. 🙂
I’ll be back tomorrow sharing what I did to this club chair:
Update: See the makeover of this chair HERE now! 🙂
Thanks so much for following along, Friends!!
XO,
Don’t Miss a Thing!
If you like what you see, there are several ways to follow along!
Amy b says
Love your gallery wall. But you have got me thinking…I have been sorting pictures to use for a gallery wall going up my staircase…and we have a lot of pictures but not many of just my hubby and me! I have used our wedding pictures (and love them) but I think I need to be more mindful of getting pictures of me and hubby when the camera is out. it is something we seem to stop doing once we have kids, i guess. Thanks for the inspiration!
Christy K. James says
Thanks, Amy! You are so right…we always take tons of pictures of the kids, but rarely take a minute to capture ourselves!
Sue Farmer says
Hey Christy!! Love the gallery wall and the clock set to the time you got married, what a great idea!!! XOXO
Christy K. James says
Thank you so much, Sue! That wasn’t my intention when I bought it, but after I put a battery in it, and it started to tick tock…wasn’t sure if that would be a bother in the quiet of night. This was a perfect solution. XOXO
Carole says
Christy, you asked “Are you surprised my bedroom furniture isn’t painted” and I say I am glad that it isn’t. It is so much more interesting when good wood pieces are mixed with whites no matter how “white” your home is. I have light blue walls through out my home, lots of white painted furniture and many beautiful antiques that I would never paint (nothing ornate, simple farmhouse style). It all blends so well together. All shades of lighter blue, pewter and silver, and white accessories fit right in and I love it. That’s why I love your style; I could live in your home.
Christy K. James says
I agree, Carole! I love a mix also. Sounds like we have very similar tastes! 🙂
Debbie @ Refresh Restyle says
Beautiful! Love your tip for using the black and white photos! You’re such a pro, I just eyeball everything 🙂
Debbie
Christy K. James says
Thanks, Debbie! That black and white option works miracles. 🙂
Tammy says
Love your gallery wall… Before we painted we too had one…now you have inspired me to put it back up.
Christy K. James says
Thanks, Tammy! I bet yours was pretty!!
Addie says
STOP!!! Stop making these crappy hard things look so easy!!! Another fine job!!!!
Great pointers on doing placement!!! thanks!!
Addie
Christy K. James says
Ha ha really…the hardest thing was collecting all the stuff. 🙂
laura@top this top that says
what a pretty bride…and gallery wall. I love that it totally evokes such a special memory for you.
Christy K. James says
Aww thanks, Laura! It really does. 🙂
Christy @ Our Southern Home says
Christy, I love your master gallery wall and how it tells your story!
Christy K. James says
Thanks, Christy! I love it so much better than what was up there before! XO
Nancy @ Artsy Chicks Rule says
Love, love the gallery wall Christy!! It’s so sweet!! The clock set to when you got married is perfect! And no ticking while sleeping!! lol
xo
Nancy
Christy K. James says
Thanks, Nancy! Yes…no ticking lol…only snoring…and fans lol!! 😀
Courtney Lovell says
Fun project! I love a good gallery wall and added my recently created gallery wall to your Instagram challenge. Your wall looks so classy and elegant.
Christy K. James says
Thanks, Courtney! I’ll be sure to check out your wall, thanks for playing along!
Lauree says
I love how perfectly balanced your gallery wall is. The redo of the frames is magical – I love repurposing. My bedroom furniture is not painted either…I love the warm wood and the grain of the wood. I do secretly daydream of painting it white, I’m saving that for if I ever run out of other projects to do.
Christy K. James says
Thank you so much, Lauree! Ha ha I say I love the wood in there (which I do), but I too have imagined what they would look like painted. 🙂
Leah says
Wow, that looks really beautiful. I love the clock so much, and I totally agree with the warmth the wood adds to your space. It’s just perfect!
Christy K. James says
Thank you, Leah! I am usually redoing things to sell, so it was fun to spend time on something for our own space for a change. 🙂
Samantha says
I love every bit of it! Such a beautiful collection of frames and pictures! You did an awesome job!
Christy K. James says
Thanks, Samantha! I’m so excited with how it turned out. 🙂
Marie@The Interior Frugalista says
Your gallery wall is so pretty Christy! I love those architectural photos that spell your last name…want. The photos being black & white adds visual interest and softens the gallery. Setting the clock to when you got married is such a fabulous idea.
Miguel Franco says
Hi Christy!
A new fan here!!
it’s my first time in your DIY blog and I am fall in love with yours ideas and job.
Thanks for sharin’
Greetings from Mexico.
Christy K. James says
Welcome! Thanks so much for taking a minute to say hello! 🙂
Trisha says
Beautiful gallery wall. I’ve never had brown furniture before, so I wasn’t sure if I could add black and white frames above my headboard but this looks great.
I have the architectural alphabets as well. I was wondering what you’ve put them on. I’d prefer to do something different then getting them framed as well.
Thanks
Christy says
Thanks, Trisha! The guy I bought my letters from mounted them that for me that way, and it looks like he custom made them. The frames are very similar to these I found on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2anhAdV You could just mount them to a strip of wood using command strips. 🙂