ORC Week 5… Gallery Wall

 

Week 5 of the One Room Challenge is here!  And this girl got her room FINISHED!  I am beyond excited, and feel so accomplished.   Usually my projects drag out for-ev-er.  (Name that movie) But this challenge was just the motivation I needed.  Next week I will reveal the full reveal of the entire room with before and after shots.  But this week I’d like to share with you the final project that got me over the finish line… The gallery wall!

*Full source list located at the end of this post.

There are many ways to put together a gallery wall… but these few tips and tricks I have found to be fool-proof no matter the style you’re going for:

1.  Find items that fill up your space… oversized wall?  Go for larger frames, shelves, decor items.   Don’t be afraid to mix and match sizes, but you’re going to fill a space easier when your main items of interest match the scale of the space it’s going in.
2. Spacing is important.  Whether you have a square gallery of all the same size frames, or a more eclectic mix of items, try to evenly space things as much as possible, keeping everything fairly close together.  At least the main items.  It’s easiest to start with your largest pieces first, and fill in gaps with your smaller things.  Remember, a gallery is supposed to look like a grouping, so having them within a few inches of each other will help them feel more like it was intentional.  Going back to sizing of your items:  It’s a lot harder when you’re trying to fill up a large empty wall with a few small frames… if your items match the scale of the wall, it’s a lot easier to get even spacing.  Otherwise, you’ll just need more small frames to fill the space.  (which is totally cool if that’s the look you want)
3. Lay it out on the floor, and play around with different layout options.  You can also trace all your items and tape the paper of the traced items on your wall, but I find that to be an extra and unnecessary step.  I simply keep tweaking the items while they’re displayed on the floor, until I like what I’m seeing.  I will even take a photo of all the different options I came up with, so I can see them all side by side and decide what I like best.  Of course I’ll send a photo to my sister to get her opinion also before committing to holes in my wall.  haha!
4. Use command strips when you can!  (This is not sponsored in any way, I just really stand by their product)  I don’t need my husbands help when I am able to use command strips.  I just need a level, and I eyeball things in place.  Done.  Unfortunately for this particular gallery wall, I couldn’t use a single command strip… everything required screws due to weight, or those hooks wouldn’t fit a command strip, and my two photo frames had a velvet backing so a command strip wouldn’t stick to it.  Dang.  BUT, all of my other gallery walls in my home were hung using command strips.

The Mr was so kind to hang everything for me when I asked.  Again, command strips only require some eyeballs and a level… screws need to be more exact, which equals math… which I try to avoid at all costs.  haha!

Once everything was hung, it was time to fill up the shelves!  I may have gotten distracted a few times, as my daughter and I couldn’t resist a little tea party, and just some dress up fun, and princess play…  haha!  These little treasures, are just that: TREASURES!  I originally bought that little bunny and a mouse for my daughter, but it didn’t take much convincing that I needed to start collecting Maileg toys for MYSELF.  HAHA!  So for the past 5 months, I’ve added to my new collection here and there.  It’s ridiculous how much I love these silly little things, I know.  But if you ever come over to one of our tea parties, I know you’d get reeled into wanting a collection of your own also, hook, line, and sinker.  😉

Besides my Maileg collection, I also used other wooden toys, and things that we’ve had for a long while…

Newborn unicorn crocheted slippers…  Can’t handle the cuteness.  These found their way into my cart at Target, even though I don’t have any babies at home any more.  No regrets.   My granddaughter one day will LOVE them.  lol.

Does anyone else save old Halloween costumes for dress up play?  My daughter was a butterfly a couple of years ago, and it still remains her favorite thing to wear for pretend play.  Now she can easily access it on these low hooks…

My daughter’s middle name is Wren, so a bird hook was a MUST.  Especially when found on sale.  Got this little gem from Anthroplogie well over a year ago.  I didn’t know what I was going to do with it then, I only knew it was meant for my Little Wren.

I couldn’t fit the entire gallery in one shot using my nice camera (I really need a good wide angle lens) So I had no choice but to use my phone for the photo above.  Sorry for the quality, but at least you can see it in it’s entirety!  😉

Thanks for stopping by!  I love how this room has come together, and I hope you’ve enjoyed following along also!  Stay tuned for next week’s full reveal!

---

Sources:

House Shelf: A local home decor store- Rod Works

Circle Shelf: Hobby Lobby

Butterfly dress up and metal clip hangers: Crate and Kids (formerly Land of Nod)

Watercolor prints of Temple and small quote: SweetnSandy Art on Etsy

Large painted wood sign: Hello Sunshine Shoppe

Center Bird Hook: Anthropologie

Other hooks and unicorn crocheted baby slippers; Target

tiny plush mice, ballerina bunny, tiny tea set, metal suit cases, tin box, and tooth box, and princess mouse and the pea castle: Maileg USA

Angelina Ballerina plush toy:  I’ve had for years, used to be made by American Girl, you may get lucky to find one on Ebay…

Wooden animal figurines: Ostheimer

Tiny book set: Amazon

Rose print and Wren print: free printables found online years ago.  I cannot find the exact source any longer.

*Many of these items have been collected over the last few years, which is why I don’t have a direct link to anything.  But some of the places may still carry some items; such as Ostheimer, Crate and Kids, and Maileg.