For us, one of the hardest things about settling into a new place has been getting pictures on the walls. I always want some complicated vignette, & My Husband The Gracious always agrees to go with it, until 78 nail holes & 1 frustrated husband later, we give up.
No longer, my friends!
The secret is newspaper. (Or Publix circulars, cough cough…) It’s so much easier to move around on the wall to get it just right! Observe:
I first saw this idea on one of the many design shows on HGTV that I kind of watch if nothing else is on but don’t really follow (Except Design Star — that one I follow. The next day. When I’m folding laundry.), so I don’t remember which one it was. Since then I’ve seen it used on multiple blogs, so I thought I’d give it a shot.
(P.S.: Even if you’re not doing a vignette, this is still a great idea for those annoying frames that have 2 hangers on the back & somehow never get level no matter how many times you measure. Just us?)
Here’s what you need:
- Your pictures
- Hammer & nails
- Some newspaper
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Bold marker
- Ruler or tape measure
- Painter’s tape (or Scotch, if you’re daring or just not in the mood to go buy painter’s)
- Level (if you have it)
- Trace your frames onto the newspaper with your pencil, trying, if you can, to line at least one edge up with a precut edge to keep it as straight as possible. You may need to tape a couple pieces together. Cut them out.
- Turn your frame over & find the hanging hardware. Use your tape measure to measure the distance from the top & sides. Find the corresponding spot on your newspaper, measure it up, & mark the intersection with a big bold “x”.
- Now make some tape rolls with your painter’s tape & stick them to the 4 corners of each piece of newspaper. Position them on your wall & move them around until you like what you see. Now use your level on one of the uncut edges (i.e. edges you didn’t cut because they came that way) to make sure it’s straight & perfect. Oh, & make sure your newspaper is oriented right so that your “x” isn’t at the bottom or on the back!
- Now for the fun part! Hammer your nails into the middle of the x’s, right through the newspaper! How cool is that?
- Finally, rip off the newspaper & tape, & hang your pictures. Beautiful! & no angry husbands, to boot!
(We need to update most of the photos in the frames once we get our family pictures back, but you get the idea. Oh, & don’t you love the grey walls & random speaker thing? The joys of apartment living…)
Happy Wednesday!
