Gallery Wall

I was pretty excited when I found these two little things over the weekend:

Belt/ Tie Rack from Value Village 

 .

Cork & Magnetic White Board 40 % off @ JoAnn's

Is it sad that I love such cheap, functional things?The white board is for communication with the hubs. I work a night job and he works during the day. Sleep deprivation and simply lack of time to communicate leads to forgotten bills, misplaced papers and stressful days in general. The hooks are for dog leashes. It's by the garage so you won't see it in any other pictures today. I'm just so excited about I had to share. I've got a loose nut somewhere, I know. 

Anyway.....

Here's my gallery wall. 

From above

Yup, that's another family tree.

From the side

Instead of buying new prints (my printer does NOT do photos) The girls and I made hand/ foot print frames to replace some of the moor out dated photos.

From the other side

All my frames came for my living room. They were hung gallery style there too but we got a fish tank, then we got an armoire for the tv, then we had to move the play kitchen to the living room to prevent escapes out of the window, ant then, and then, and then...basically I couldn't reach them to straighten them, dust them, or update them.  Plus now the communication board doesn't look so lonely.

There's no science to a gallery wall, just nail it up where it looks good. If you are sketchy about the whole idea you can find templates online. 

Another idea is to make your own layout with newspapers like above from  Young House Love before before you turn your wall into swiss cheese.

 Or you can cheat like I did in my entry way and hang two collage frames instead. Add a couple of details to even it all out and poof! Instant gallery wall. 

And for all of you REALLY observant people, ya, this lively entry way is right across form the stairs. 

For now, my wall is just at a starting point. I'm not one to hang something just for the sake of hanging it. Over time this wall will evolve and grow. 

Pst... 

Guess what.

My favorite part of the wall isn't even in a frame. It's this rock.

Well, fossil actually. See the leaf? I gave it a coat of clear nail polish to make it stand out a little more. It's my favorite because it reminds me of one of my favorite dates with my hubby. We went out rock hunting but came back with a bunch of fossils instead. That's what those other big rocks on the ledge are too. 

If there is a secret to a gallery wall I think it is to be personal about it. Put things in it that people don't expect and that they will ask questions about, otherwise it's nothing more than a wall of frames. 

I linked to:

 The Inspired Room's Gallery Wall Party