Art on Display

 

Well, folks, the books on display in our playroom now have a new companion. Say hello to our art gallery! This was a must have for our play space because Audrey loves to be an artist. Our refrigerator at our old house was always covered in her artwork. Since our new refrigerator is stainless steel and not magnetic, I wanted to give her (and Will too) a place to show off their work. And, I  definitely have Pinterest to thank for this awesome idea!

image via Maddie's Nest

 

I always look for frames when I'm at a thrift shop. All the ones that I found were under $2.00! And, I also used a couple that I had on hand so this project was definitely easy on the wallet. I wanted the artwork to stand out and wanted to keep the room looking fresh so I spray painted all of the frames white.

 A friend actually suggested this and I'm glad I took her advice. The white frames balance out the white book shelves that we already hung on the other side. See what I mean?

Once the frames were nice and dry, I attached a piece of wire on the back and sawtooth hangers if the frame didn't already have something to hang it from.

To create the gallery on the wall, I used an amazing trick that I saw on Young House Love. I used a giant piece of paper to plan out where the frames would go on the wall. Once I was happy with the arrangement, I traced the frames and put an x where the hooks/nails needed to go.

I taped the piece of paper to the wall and began inserting the hooks.

I used frame hooks which are great for when you don't have a stud.

Two of the frames were on a stud so I just used nails to hang them. Once all the hardware was in place, I tore the paper down and put the frames in place. Success and it was so easy!

All that was left to do was to add some artwork. I used small clothespins to hang the art from the wire.

I hung a few things Audrey had already made and I used a couple Instagram pics leftover from Will's birthday party for the small frames.

Finally, as soon as Audrey saw the art gallery on the wall she wanted to make something new. She did a self-portrait with oil pastels. I love it!

 

 

The art gallery is a perfect addition to the kids' space. I love that it keeps things looking tidy while also allowing Audrey to feel like a real artist.

 

 

 

Well, the playroom is nearing completion. I still want to add a chalkboard and some more things on the walls. I will be sure to share the details and post a big reveal once it is all done. It might take a little while because our living room definitely needs some serious attention right now so the playroom may be placed on the back burner for the time being.

 

Have you completed any Pinterest-inspired projects, lately? I would love to hear all about them.

 

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