Creating a Gallery Wall {Three Easy Steps}

We all have spaces in our homes that we struggle with. For me, its all the empty walls. I am hesitant to put things up because I fear I will get sick of the things too quickly or see something on Pinterest that I think will look better. This is the exact case for the corner walls over our TV in the living room.

We updated our living room three years ago and I just repainted it last summer. To see the my reveal of our newly painted white (ish) walls go here.

Since the day we moved our TV into the corner in order to fit a much needed sectional in the space, these corner walls have been empty and a bit of an eye soar. One thing I knew was that whatever I did decide to put on the walls, it had to be unique, symmetrical and I really did not want anymore photos, especially since we already have a great photo gallery wall already so I didn't want to over do it.

So I kept my mind open and saved tons of ideas on my "Wall Envy" board on Pinterest. 

Keeping in mind my own style and the look I was going for, I was drawn to these two photos and I kept them on my phone and began my search for the items I was looking for. 

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I really love the idea of the first photo, but again I didn't want to use photos, but I do love how symmetrical everything is and how there is a common theme in that everything is neutral and very unique. Now, I realize the second photo is not a corner gallery, but I was really drawn to the antique porch spindles. Such a unique touch, and again, neutral.
So after searching on Esty and Ebay, I finally found exactly what I was looking for and the vision I had for this tricky space turned out exactly as I had hoped.

I am so glad I went with my gut on this project. It is the exact look I was going for and it didn't break the bank! It cost me a fraction of what a bunch of matching frames would cost!

I found everything in quantities of two, three and four, which made the process so much easier. Now this space is unique, symmetrical and neutral. 

 For anyone struggling with an empty corner wall or any wall in your home, here are my three easy steps for creating any type of gallery wall collection.

Step One: Find your Inspiration & Theme

Go on Pinterest and create a board and fill it with what you find inspiring. Or clip out magazine clippings and keep them handy.

 It's very difficult to mimic another person's vision, so try and see the main theme of what inspires you an go from there! Maybe it's a certain color picture frame or object. What ever it is try and re-create it, but make it yours!

Step Two: Collect 

Collect objects or photos that make you happy and that will coordinate with your theme.

In my case, the "theme" for this wall was architectural salvage. The pieces I used were antique wood spindles in different shapes and sizes. 

Step Three: Execute

Once you have your theme and your objects, it's time to put them together. This part can be frustrating, but just keep your inspiration photos close and see how things are put together and try to execute it in the same manner. For the large gallery wall over our sectional, I gathered all my black frames and kept the photos inside black and white to keep everything pleasing to the eye. Once I had my frames (and objects), I laid them out on the floor exactly how I wanted them and them I traced everything on large brown paper and cut them out and then taped them up with painters tape exactly where I wanted them on the wall. This makes things so much easier when it comes time to nail the pictures to the wall!

I hope these tips help you fill up all those empty walls in your home!

Don't forget to keep in mind the size of your wall area when picking your objects or frames! You don't want a bunch of tiny items and a huge wall and you don't want a huge object on a tiny wall. Keeps things symmetrical and coordinating and you will be a gallery wall master in no time!! 

Linking up with:

Stone Gable Blog

Gallery Wall Beginings {with Uncommon Goods}

*This post contains affiliate links*

When Uncommon Goods asked me to take a look at their website I was super excited, but had a very hard time choosing what I would find useful and unique to me and my style. There was so much to choose from that it took me awhile to make up my mind! Then I thought about plans I had to extend the gallery wall in Gracie's room. If you know me, you are well aware my obsession with gallery walls. I didn't want anything to ordinary and I really wanted to be sure to keep the vintage, rustic theme I have going on in the room, and because the wall is the same wall the pine dresser is on, I didn't want anything to compete or take away from it. I kept all this in mind when I went on my Uncommon Goods search. What I love about what I discovered is that everything on the site is uniquely made by artist and merchants. These are one of a kind items which really drew me in! And what I truly love is that each item comes with an artist story. Pretty neat right??

When I saw these amazing re-purposed layered wood frames I knew right away that I had to some how  incorporate these into Gracie's gallery wall. They make a statement and are a gorgeous compliment to her room.

Have a great weekend friends!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Farmhouse Fall Tour {the source list}

Hi friends! As promised I'm sharing the source list from my Farmhouse Fall Home Tour. If you missed the entire series featuring fourteen other fabulous farmhouse fall home tours you can find them all here. To see my complete tour go here.

 

Although I kept my fall home tour very low key and simple, I still had some fabulous décor items that I recently added to our home and I'm going to share where I found them all with you today.

 

Lets start out with the fabulous zip code pillow

from So Vintage Chic.

Kendra's shop is the cutest and she has so much to offer!!

 

 

 

 

I get a ton of questions about my antique hall tree.

If you've been a follower of mine you will know that we have a teeny tiny entry and that I have been struggling with this entry wall for some time. Then last spring it happened... I found this amazing antique hall tree on Craig's List for $25!! It was in really rough shape, but over nine (yes nine) months I managed to strip the old stain and sand it down to it's natural state. I also added a vintage French grain sack to the back.... I am so happy with it and I found it here. I still have some tweaking to do with this, but I found the perfect hooks that need to be added and I'm still debating on whether to keep it natural or to paint it. Right now I'm loving it just as it is.

 I find the majority of my fun, one of a kind vintage items on Etsy and believe it or not local Facebook tag sale pages!! These are great because they are local and not only can I purchase which is very dangerous, but I can sell items too!! With any online tag sale network, it's always important to be cautious and meet in public places for pick up and selling if you can!

Another arena for unique items is Instagram! I can't tell you how many amazing items and Etsy shops I've found on IG. It's an amazing tool to get your work and items out there!!

 

 

 

I fell in love with this amazing Bakery sign from As the Crow Flies when I saw it on one of my favorite IG accounts.

It never hurts to ask questions when you see things you love on public IG accounts! It's all about sharing the love!!

 

 

This gorgeous fall wreath was locally made.

 

 

If you are local and would like this or any wreath custom made

head over to Forgotten to Fabulous.

 

 

Now, you may have noticed some changes in our living room....

 

 

The changes aren't huge, but as minimal as they may be, they still make a huge impact!

All I did was replace the smaller cream colored sign under our gallery wall for vintage French inspired sign that is chippy and the perfect shabby shade of white. A great friend of mine I met on a tag sale site gave it to me.... And the other change, still nothing major, is I replaced the large white picture ledge my husband built with an antique mantle that same friend gave me. All I did was give it a good cleaning with a high quality wood cleaner and them painted it with bright white paint I had left over from another project. It's super heavy so we just screwed it into the wall using wood screws where we found a stud and toggle bolts where it was just dry wall. It's very important to use the proper hardware when putting heavy items on your walls!! And yes, we learned this the hard way!!

 

 

Another change is our new kitchen island.

Once again, I found this on a Facebook tag sale page. This time I did an ISO (In search of) post to one of my favorite tag sale groups. I posted a picture of an antique baking table and it just so happens that someone had one and had planned on selling it!! Total score!!

 

Next up are my EAT letters in my kitchen.

 

 

I have had these letters for some time. You can find them here.

I took them down when I painted our kitchen and wasn't sure I wanted them back up. The were originally bronze so I used this spray paint and they are now the perfect color!!

 

 



This adorable little sign I purchased awhile back from one of my favorite bloggers.

I have been following Melaine and her blog, My Sweet Savannah for many, many years.

It was the very first blog I ever read and follow regularly. The sign was purchased from Melanie's Etsy shop, but now she has an IG account solely for items she is currently selling!! She is a must follow for sure!!

 

The next item is dearest to my heart....

I am a lover of signs and would have them on every single wall in my home if I possibly could.

 

 

 

The very first sign I ever purchased was from

Between you and Me Signs.

I adore Tara and her husband. They are an amazing team and they put this sign together for me and I am so pleased I have it to display in our home....

 

One thing I always tell people when they are on the look out for home décor pieces is this...

If something speaks to you, brings back a memory or you simply love and adore and if it's within your budget, get it!!! If you can't think of a place for it now, one day you will!!
Any other questions about our home, please leave it in the comments and I'll get back to you soon!!
Have a great weekend!!

 

 



Antique Pine Dresser {the reveal}

Happy Friday friends!

Are you all in for a treat today! A while back I posted pictures on Instagram of my daughters antique dresser that took me months to complete... I did a blog post about all the before details and exactly how I obtained this look.  You can read all about the before here.

Well today I finally took the time to take after photos. I warn you now I may have gone camera happy, but I really love the way the dresser turned out and wanted to be able to share every detail! I also upcycled the antique shaving mirror that now serves as a mirror and jewelry box that sits on top of the dresser. I had the hardest time finding the perfect wall mirror as the walls in our daughters room are slanted... I love the character they give to the space, but it's often very hard to find wall decor that isn't to large or to small.

Grab a nice cold (or hot if you prefer) drink and enjoy!!

What do you think??

This dresser pretty much set the stage for our daughters big girl room makeover.

I'm still working on getting new bedding and pillows and custom curtains!!

Can't wait to show you all!!

Have a great weekend!!

 Don't forget to follow me on Instagram to see what I'm up to on a daily basis!!

Linking up with

Miss Mustard Seed

Blesser House

Craftberry Bush

Stone Gable Blog

A Bowl Full of Lemons

Thoughts from Alice

Finding Silver Pennies

French Country Cottage

The Curator's Collection



Gracie's Big Girl Room {progress}

WARNING!! Long post ahead!!

Not sure why, but I seem to get the most motivated when the weather outside is horrible and there's nothing to do but to stay in doors!! I guess it's just my way of dealing with cabin fever!!

It has been a long winter and I've been busy with all kinds of projects. Just recently I shared my plans for Gracie's room make-over. If you missed it you can read all about it and see before pictures of the space here.

I have since painted the room pink. Yikes, I know what your thinking, but believe me it is the slightest hint of pink and you will see that it almost looks white! It's actually perfect for the vintage look I'm going for in this space! I also picked up an amazing vintage dresser I found on Craig's List. I have had the best luck with Craig's List. The key is to check every single day, as often as you can for what your looking for and better yet, you can set alerts through Craig's List for exactly what your looking for so you don't miss out! This particular dresser was super dirty and the white layers of paint where thick. Once again, I failed to take a proper before picture. All I can tell you is that it was painted white and stained a very dark cherry stain under the white paint. I stripped the paint with Citristip which I found at my local Home Depot. This stuff is amazing!! The primary reason I chose this brand was because I could use it indoors! It surprisingly has a very nice citrus sent to it so it really worked out great, but I do have to admit it was the single messiest project I have ever tackled!! WARNING: Messy, Messy, Messy!!! After stripping and cleaning up a huge mess I began sanding. In doors? Yup. In doors. I did this all in our basement in an small confined area. I had already put tarps down before I started the paint stripping process, so that helped to. Most importantly, I wore a mask and cleaned the filter to my mouse sander very often. This process took me at least three weeks. Sanding is major job and I knew that I wanted to sand all the way down to the natural wood so it was best to take my time and do it when I could. I was in no rush and I knew that it would be so worth it!!

Here is the one and only "before" photo I have.



All and all it was a really tough project but in the end it was so worth it!!

Would I do it again?? Absolutely, but I think next time I will tackle a project like this outdoors!!

Here is the dresser after the sanding was complete and with it's new knobs!!

Because I sanded the dresser to the natural wood I had to seal it, so I used a few layers of lime wax and then I finished it off with a layer of Annie Sloan Clear Wax. The knobs are from Hobby Lobby. They were pink but I painted them in the mint green color I used for Gracie's night stand. It's also the same paint color I used on the inside of the dresser drawers!!

I snagged the adorable nightstand below from my Grandfathers house! It's covered in a dark stain so I just painted over it and distressed!! I adore this mint green color. It's called Winter Fresh by Behr. Highly appropriate I must say!! It's the perfect vintage green color. My daughter actually picked it out from the three paint swatches I had her choose from. Girl after my own heart!! Here is the completed nightstand.

Super cute right?? I wasn't fond of the brass pull originally on this piece, so I used this adorable glass knob I picked up from Home Depot for another project. It really gave it the perfect touch!!

Now, I originally wanted a nice gold mirror for over the dresser, but because the walls are slanted it makes it really hard to find the perfect sized mirror. Also, Gracie is still not that tall and probably couldn't see herself in the mirror anyway, so when I saw this vintage shaving mirror on an antique tag sale group on Facebook, I decided to snag it and make it into a little vanity mirror that would double as a jewelry box!!

Here is what it looked like before.

Gorgeous as is, but a bit to masculine for a little girls space. So I decided to paint and distress it with some Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Pure White.

Now this my favorite piece in the room right now and Gracie adores it!

She hangs her necklaces on the sides of the mirror and puts all her favorite rings and bracelets in the little drawer. The knobs actually came from her old Pottery Barn jewelry box....and they are the perfect size!

Progress with this space is slow due to my day job and the priorities of being a mom, but I did have a chance to put together Gracie's gallery wall. If you know anything about me, you know how I adore me some gallery walls!! This to me was so important for this room and I wanted it to reflect the new space so I added some new inexpensive items as well as items from the old gallery wall. I found a great antique frame on Craig's List and I pulled out an old canvas Gracie had painted that really ties everything together. Here is what it looked like before I started nailing.



Please excuse the grainy photos, but I've been using my cell phone to capture these candid moments!!

And here is what the gallery wall looks like now...

As you can tell I have a little heart theme going here.

This picture is truly what I envisioned when I first began piecing together this room update. The two major pieces that brought this entire room makeover to life are dresser and the "love" sign. Mite sound pretty silly to makeover an entire room based on a dresser and sign, but this is how creativity begins. I knew when I purchaed that sign over a year ago that there was no way it would work in this space, not with light blue walls and hot pink accents all over, but I adored it and figured I'd keep it until I found the proper place for it.... And when I completed the dresser I knew immediately that the walls would have to be painted. Pink walls were not part of the plan, but that's just how it all evolved.... Some designers start with fabric or wallpaper to begin pulling a room together... I simply use what I love....

Anytime your making over a room you have to begin somewhere. Begin with what you love and move forward from there. I can assure you it will be worth it. It probably won't come together in a week or month, or maybe not even in six months, but eventually you will have that space that you envisioned and it will be well worth the wait!!

Linking up with:

Miss Mustard Seed

Craftberry Bush

Ginger Snap Crafts

Savvy Southern Style

Shine Your Light