Creating A Hallway Gallery Wall

Since moving into this house, I've been struggling with a small wall at the end of our hallway. I've tried adding interest by hanging a large mirror, of which I disliked because who wants to watch themselves walking down the hallway en route to the powder room.  Then I tried a trio of watercolor prints hung vertically, which looked alright but had little personality.  My last attempt was painting the wall red to echo the one in our front entry, both of which can be seen from the living room.

My rule was that all the elements used in the gallery had to be DIYed from things found around the house.

Here is what the wall looked like before I began...

Creating A Hallway Gallery Wall using elements shopped from the home

Repurposed Clock Frame

Starting with the frame of a wall clock that broke a few years ago.  I removed the broken mechanisms and attached a sheet of striped scrapbook paper onto the clock face with double sided tape.  I had a French Postal Graphic decal in my stash and applied it to the paper.  Voilà, instant art!

Rustic Moss Monogram

I wanted the initial of our last name(s) included in the collage. I say names because despite being married for 28 years, I still go by my maiden name. Thankfully our sir names both begin with the letter B.

I simply covered a wooden letter B with self-adhesive sheet moss.  To add some contrast against the red I whitewashed some pieces of cedar tongue and groove boards, leftover from another project, and attached the B with a hot glue gun.  Then I remembered two plate shelves I recently whitewashed and planned on selling.  I love the added interest it gave to the gallery wall!

Wooden Finial

When I saw the large decorative wooden finial at Michaels, I knew it would be perfectly incorporated into the gallery wall. It is the only item I purchased.

Metal Fleur De Lis Framed Art 

Several weeks ago I won the bid on this Fleur De Lis metal framed art at a local online auction site. The frame was dark wood and the metal a brushed antique gold. To better suit our color scheme I gave the wood a whitewash and rubbed silver gilding wax over the gold.

Framed Scrapbook Paper

I had the small white wooden frame in my stash and I simply added pretty Chandelier felted scrapbook paper inside and voilà, more instant artwork!

Small French Plaques With Glass Knobs

The two small fabric decoupaged frames with pretty glass knobs were hanging in our bedroom. The edges of the frames were black and so I added some contrast by whitewashing them.

Beveled Mirror

Last but not least, a small beveled mirror was added to the mix. I know I said earlier that I disliked having a mirror hanging at the end of the hall but hung off center it isn't reflecting our every move as we walk down the hall.

I'm quite pleased with how I finally succeeded in transforming a rather blah wall into one with lots of personality and character!

If you've been following my blog you may remember how I gave Mom's Stool that she used on a daily basis, a special makeover. Finally, I found the perfect spot to showcase this sentimental piece.

Easy Peasy TIPS for creating a Gallery Wall

TIP 1

Tape craft paper together the same size as the area of your gallery wall.  In our case, it was the entire back wall of our hallway.

TIP 2

On the floor lay out the elements for your gallery onto craft paper.  One rule of thumb is to create a symmetrical configuration by lining up the edges of the art on each side to form a square or rectangular shape.

TIP 3

Once you are happy with the placement draw an outline around each piece with a pencil.  Hang the craft paper on to the wall with painters tape and check it using a level to ensure it's hanging nice and straight.

TIP 4

Measure where the hooks are on the back of each element and mark it on your outlines.  Add nails or wall anchors where necessary and take down the sheet of craft paper.  Hang up your art and that's it!

I hope this has inspired you to create a gallery wall in your home using items that you already have!

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DIY Sunday Showcase Party and Features {July 25, 2015}

While the party begins this gal has her behind parked in a beach chair with her feet dangling in the water, a bag of good books and a cooler full of cold drinks. While a much-needed blogging break is on the agenda, setting aside some junk'n time is at the top of the list.  No, winery tours are at the very top followed by good eats and then some junk'n.  Gotta keep my priorities straight! 

Bloggers this is a great link up to showcase your work because not only will it appear on this blog but on the blogs of our five co-hosts.  That's six opportunities to have your work featured!

Come join us and share your favorite DIY Projects, Crafts, or Recipes.

The party goes Live every Saturday at 5:00pm CST and runs until the following Wednesday.

MEET THE HOSTS

              

Jennifer at Pink When

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Katie at View From The Fridge

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Erin at My Crafty Spot

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Wendi at H20 Bungalow

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Alli at An Alli Event

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Marie (moi) at The Interior Frugalista

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♥♥♥ Our Features From The Last Party ♥♥♥

If you are not one of the six featured here today you may have been featured at our DIY SUNDAY SHOWCASE TALENT BOARD on Pinterest so be sure to hop over there as well!

MY PICK:

FABRIC INLAID DRESSER by Confessions Of A Serial DIYer
Christy rocks the white furniture makeovers but she's also known for her signature fabric inlays.  Isn't this dresser gorgeous - it's definitely one of my favorites!  

JEN'S PICK:

MODERN MASTER BEDROOM REVEAL by Delineate Your Dwelling

KATIE'S PICK:

KATE SPADE INSPIRED KEY FOBS by Flamingo Toes

ERIN'S PICK:

DIY GLITTER GLOBE MOBILE by Delineate Your Dwelling

WENDI'S PICK:

DIY SCARF TRAY by Confessions Of A Serial DIYer

ALLI'S PICK:

9 SUMMER CRAFTS FOR KIDS by Suzy's Sitcom

If you've been featured here today copy our Feature Button!

PARTY RULES:

1. Follow your party hosts.
2. Post a maximum of 3 of your newest DIY's.
3. Linking to the party allows the hosts to possibly PIN your project to our DIY Showcase Pinterest Board, use your project in a round-up post (with direct links to your post), as well as Feature your project in the next DIY Sunday Showcase!
4. Please Do Not Pin from the party, instead go to the original blog post.
5. In order to be featured you need to grab the button or link and copy it onto your post or in your link party page!

So let's get this DIY Sunday Showcase Party started!

An InLinkz Link-up

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Whether Spring, Summer or Fall, who doesn't enjoy relaxing outdoors with a good book or their favorite beverage. Even better is having a favorite bench to share your morning coffee and glass of wine at the end of a long day. As you create lasting memories together, wouldn't it be lovely to share them on an Outdoor Garden Headboard Bench For Two?  

Today I'm sharing an easy to follow tutorial on how to repurpose a double headboard set into a headboard bench and how to add sentimental graphics to make it extra special.

Outdoor Garden Headboard Bench For Two

One morning while Mr. Frugalista and I were enjoying coffee on the deck, I said: "wouldn't it be nice to have a wooden garden bench by the back flower bed?" That's when I remembered that sitting under a tarp was a sweet head and footboard that we picked up for a song at a local thrift store.

In that moment we decided to repurpose the headboard into a garden bench. When we pulled the tarp off I gasped - some little critter decided it would keep them well fed over the winter!

The two banisters, shown in the picture below we got for $15.00 at an online auction.

Thankfully it only gnawed on the bottom half so it could easily be hidden by the frame of the bench seat as pictured below.

Instead of a long drawn out step-by-step tutorial on how we made the bench I've created a pictorial that I hope will help.

Step 1: Bench Seat

Build a frame for the seat with 2 x 4 lumber and attach it with wood screws from the back of the headboard so the top is 18-inches high.

Step 2: Decorative front face place

Attach a face plate onto the front of the seat frame.

Step 3: Cutting the footboard

Slice the footboard in half using a table saw.

Step 4: ReSizing the footboard sides

Cut each footboard piece 18-inches long (this will be the depth of the seat).

Step 5: Attaching the sides

Place a piece of wood under the seat at a height of 18-inches from the top of the seat frame (this will be the height of the seat). Square and level the sides, clamping them in place. Attach the footboard to the seat using wood screws. Attach it to the headboard post from the back as well.

NOTE: you could use a Kreg Pocket Hole Jig to attach it to the headboard post but we didn't have one at the time of building this bench). You will be filling in the screw holes later with wood filler.

Step 6: Cutting the banisters to use as front legs

The size you cut them is your personal preference but they do need to be a minimum of 18-inches long. You can see in photo 8 that we made ours longer to add a decorative element to the bench.

Step 7: Level the seat

Double check that the seat is perfectly level and attach a temporary piece of lumber to hold the seat level.

Step 8: Adding the front legs

Attach the banister legs to the front of the seat frame.


Now it's time for the pretty...

* Affiliate links have been included in this post so you can see the products that I used to make this bench. See my full disclosure policy HERE.


I used a (*affiliate link) Stain Blocker because our bench was made from all sorts of different wood and I wanted a unified finish.  I was also worried about tannin bleed from the dark wood on the headboard and footboard. I'm glad I took this step because the finish turned out beautiful!

You may have noticed in the tutorial photos there were no Finials on the front legs. As an afterthought, we purchased fence post caps and they echo the posts on the headboard perfectly!

Isn't the *(affiliate link) DecoArt Chalky Finish*(affiliate link) paint color gorgeous? It's called Serene!

It went on like buttah and I only used 1 1/4 jars to paint three coats, underside included.  I could have gotten away with only two coats but there were some spots I missed so I added a third.

To add that special touch to our wooden garden bench for two, I created a graphic in PicMonkey using the Silhouette Image Birds On Branch graphic from the Graphics Fairy. Next, I went to Block Poster to enlarge the graphic to fit the back of the headboard.

I rubbed a pencil on the back of the graphics and traced it onto the wood. Using *(affiliate link) art brushes I hand painted the details.

I could sit here for hours listening to the birds chirping while enjoying my morning cup of coffee.

I just love how this bench turned out and don't you think it just begs for some time with a good book. If you love it to, please share it with a friend and/or save it on Pinterest.

While I adore this sweet bench I did put it up for sale because the pretty serene color does not go with our outdoor space color scheme. I'm happy to report it sold VERY quickly and I hope the new owners enjoy their new Outdoor Garden Bench For Two.

This isn't our only headboard bench, we made an Embossed Leather Upholstered Bench as well as a pretty Parisian Dining Room Bench.

My hope is that I have inspired you to think twice about all those headboard sets you see at your local thrift store.


You will find this project linked to these fabulous LINK PARTIES.

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Thrift Store Upcycle Kitchen Command Center

Today I'm sharing a quick and easy thrift store upcycle by refreshing a handy but dated message board into a pretty Kitchen Command Center. My daughter desperately needed something to hang in her small apartment galley kitchen to sort mail, write quick reminders, and tack things like grocery lists. She was tired of mail accumulating on the kitchen counter or worse, getting lost.

We found the perfect solution for little money and a coat of fresh paint and the color looks nice on her kitchen wall. I surprised her by hanging it while I was babysitting my three-month-old grandson.

This is what it looked like before - well sort of. I forgot to take a before photo before taping the corkboard and middle section in prep for paint.

I had also removed an assortment of mismatched decorative hooks on the bottom before taking this picture.

Here are the products I used for this makeover...

First coat of chalk paint

The message board was painted with two coats of pretty Moon Dew blue chalk paint.

With Frog Shape Tape, I added some fun chevron stripes on the corkboard.

Reverse Transfer Labels

To label the pockets for sorting mail, I used a reverse stencil transfer method by attaching self-adhesive letters from the dollar store onto the pockets.

I dry brushed Simplicity White chalk paint over the blue paint to soften the blue and give it a rustic layered paint appearance. To do this you dip just the tips of your brush into the paint and offload the excess onto a paper towel so very little paint remains on the brush. With light pressure and long random strokes layer the second color so the blue base layer shows.

I applied the paint thicker over the pockets so the letters would be more pronounced. Before the paint dried, I removed each letter carefully with tweezers.

Refreshing the chalkboard

I also gave the chalkboard a quick refresh with a coat of black chalkboard paint. After it was dry I seasoned the board by rubbing the side of a stick of chalk all over the board and rubbed the chalk into the paint with a paper towel.

Such an easy peasy update and what a difference!

That's my adorable grandson on the laptop screen. That smile melts my heart every time I see it. When I arrived to babysit he was screaming like a wild man. Made it hard for my daughter to leave but I managed to get him settled and fast asleep within five minutes - cuz that's just what us Grandma's do.

When he opened his eyes from his nap he looked up at me and smiled from ear-to-ear and showed me how he can make mouth bubbles. I love that little man to the moon and back!

Here is another Chalkboard Message Center idea using repurposed cabinet doors for a girl's room. This is another thrift store upcycle for our daughter's place here in my post Wall Mounted Coat Rack For Under $5.

You will find this project linked to these fabulous link parties.

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