AT Projects Revisited: Gallery Wall

Remember almost a year ago when TG took the kids to Gigi and Papa's leaving me with three days of free cleaning, organizing and crafting time?

I just realized I never shared my two big projects on here due in large part to the fact that they weren't completely done until months after my family returned. So here's part one of the last two alone time projects.

I give you my gallery wall.  It's a work in progress.  Even now looking at this picture I'm feeling like there should be something to the top right of my 3 photo frame.  Maybe one or two of the things that this blogger used to make a complete hallway gallery?  Hers is pretty awesome.


I know, I know what's up with the blurred mess in the middle?!?  That piece is actually our name frame that I planned the whole wall around.  For safety reasons I blurred out our last name, but this piece of art is amazing.  My older sister gave it to us for Christmas two years ago.  The artist spelled out our last name using information about our family to form the letters.  For example the middle 'N' is made out of children's blocks spelling our kids' names.  The last 'N' is in d'nealian letter form on lined paper because TG and I both teach.

For the layout, I didn't draw a plan or tape a mock up which most tutorials suggest you do, but I did work the layout on my dining room table until I liked it and then transferred it down piece by piece.  I do things the super easy way like that all the time.

The rest of it I pieced together using ideas from Pinterest and family photos that I loved.  The frames are just a random collection of old frames and thrifting finds that I spray painted either with Rustoleum Hammered Silver or Satin Espresso to give them a unified look.

I picked up the "love" plaque at Joann's on deep discount and the mirror at Dollar Tree.

I made this sweet reminder of our wedding date with some remnant fabric from our couch pillows, wooden numbers that I dry brushed with white acrylic paint, and two sequins after I saw the one this blogger made.


I picked up two small plaques, also in the clearance aisle of Joann's. They had a green bird print on them and I just used mod podge and scrapbook paper to cover it.  I hand wrote and cut out the letters and used sky blue acrylic paint to paint a wooden number 4.  It's not as cute as Shelley's from House of Smiths, but I like it.


This last project took the longest for me to plan out and complete (sorry it's blurred for privacy reasons again).  I loved lots of subway art prints that I had seen in the blogosphere and I really wanted one for this wall, but I was unsure about how to make mine.  Shelley Smith made one using vinyl decals and this blogger actually made a poster print and placed it on a canvas.  I opted for neither of those and used an assortment of scrapbook stickers and just the thinnest layer of sky blue acrylic paint.  While it was still wet I carefully peeled off the stickers to reveal the places that were important to us.  Some of the stickers didn't come up cleanly so I had to touch it up with white acrylic paint and a small brush by hand.  It's not perfect, but I love it anyway.


Here's the finished product one more time. I realize the builder grade "white" kills the wow factor of it some, but I am completely stuck on what color to paint the hallways of our home.   I'm hoping this summer to make a decision and get them painted.  Anyone have a great neutral go to hallway
color for me?