Thursday, February 13, 2014

anxiety rearranging: the gallery wall in the hallway

A few days ago, as I plowed my way determinedly through the 97th slice of cinnamon raisin bread, I thought to myself "hmm, I have been eating All The Baked Goods lately.  I must be feeling anxious."  Why yes, yes I am!

When I am anxious not only do I launch a frontal assault on all the donuts, but I also rearrange the furniture. Looking on the bright side, anxiety produces blog fodder.  I have rearranged a few rooms in the house, switched out all the curtains, and switched all the art.

I may switch it all back.

One of the things I rearranged was the gallery wall in the hallway, which used to look like this:


When we moved in, I wanted to display art we have collected over the years without a cluttered gallery wall.  I thought a display with a midline would look nice and neat, and it did.

However, I have tons and tons of my children's art which I love, and have nowhere to put.  (I've experimented with corkboards and the fridge and various places.)  I decided to mix up the uncluttered gallery wall and add ALL THE KID ART.  I love it, and I have room to grow.



I did not use a template, or draw all the squares on butcher paper. I just started hanging stuff. I put a lot of holes in the wall.  Many, many, many holes that would have been avoided had I had a roll of butcher paper or newspaper.


Who can resist unhappy ninja turtles?


I was at a thrift store and found the two large black frames on either end of the wall for $25. I wasn't offended by either of the pictures contained in the frames, but will probably replace them with some other children's art when I get a few that are the right size.  One of the pictures inside was askew, and when I took the back off to fix it, found this inscription on the back of the painting.


Yes, I currently have "Freaks In Heat" on my wall.  Luckily it just looks like an abstract watercolor.  This is a family establishment.


I have long wanted a copy of the Cycles Gladiator poster.  I ordered one a while back but hadn't found the right place for it.  I think it fits in nicely here.



The unorganized gallery also helps our family calendar and meal planning board blend in, instead of sticking out.


I'm not done with the wall yet--the kids come home from school with lots of projects on 5x5 paper, and I need to buy some frames in that size.  I like that this wall is organic and will grow easily with us for the next few years.  Best of all--I love that most of the art has been created by the people nearest and dearest to my heart.  

10 comments:

  1. The wall is absolutely fantastic and so is all the art from the children.
    Kind Regards
    Cathy

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  2. Love the gallery wall and the stories behind the pictures. How happy are you that you are on the West Coast?

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  3. Loved the before, and like the after even better. Kid art is the best. Miss having kids who make it.

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  4. Love it -- including Freaks in Heat and all the kids' art. It's so happy and fun!

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  5. My favorites are the picture with the vertical stripes, the tree in the third to last picture, and the polka dots in the first picture.

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  6. I love it!!! I loved the organized midline, and I hope you feel less anxious soon, but I LOVE this even more!!!!!

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  7. It looks soooo good Lisa! I have that gladiator poster too but haven't found a place for it yet. You've done such a nice job in your new home:)

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  8. I thought the organized midline was perfect; then I saw the new one, and loved it more! Sorry about the anxiety, but it seems to drive great things. No good art wall is without a few extra holes. I did the newspaper thing, and still didn't get it right. Funny how the art looks different than the newspaper.

    Blogless Peggy

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  9. Beautiful, just beautiful. This new gallery wall is all the more special because of the art it contains. I love it all -- and "the freaks in heat" is actually a pretty spectacular watercolor. :)

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