TGIF!!! I have officially made it through my first week in kindergarten! My class is filled with cuties and for the most part they are wonderful and well-behaved (definitely still working to train them on routines and such, though, hehe!).
I hadn't done an apartment update in a while, so I thought I'd share my gallery wall with you today.
WARNING: This post is chocked full of pictures...but I'm very, very proud of my wall and couldn't bear to spare any details!
As y'all know my bedroom in the apartment had two large blank walls so I decided to fill one with a gallery wall. The wall I chose is the one directly across the door, so the gallery wall is one of the first things you see when approaching the room. Before explaining the process, I'll give you a quick peek at the final product:
It was quite the process, but I had lots of fun. My first step was brainstorming what to put on the wall. I literally wrote down a list with all sorts of things I thought would be good.
Then the real fun began. I was on a mission! The next day I began collecting and organizing the different things I wanted to include. I then played with lots of different layouts until I found just the right one!
As I played with the different layouts, I focused on symmetry and balance. I wanted to have matching pairs (like my gold frames, the cork boards, and black frames) as well as individual items that were placed in a way that maintained balance.
Finished product, except I exchanged the white frame (bottom left) for a black one that matches its counterpart (bottom right).
Next, because I am a bit OCD, I measured everything and made a precise diagram, complete with measurements, showing exactly how I wanted everything to be placed on the wall.
My dad (who so nicely was the one hanging the wall) got a kick out of this!
And of course, the last step was actually putting it up!
We first put two lines of painter's tape on the wall according to the width of the gallery wall.
Next we put up the first thing: My Virginia Sign (a present from ALG).
My bed became quite the work space!
We then proceeded to hang everything else according to the center point.
I tweaked my measurements some because seeing the width on the wall made me realize I wanted it to be just a bit tighter!
VOILA!
Now I'll go through and show you the specific pieces of the wall and share some tips along the way!
Left Side:
Starburst Mirror (I've had this in my room since I was a little girl), Framed Quote, Corkboard, Framed Envelope, Framed Quote, and Framed Postcard of UVA Rotunda
-Fun Tip: I wanted to have cute pushpins for my cork boards, but couldn't find anything I loved around town. I ended up making my own by simply super gluing jeweled buttons to thumbtacks.-
Middle:
Virginia Sign, Monthly Sign, Ceramic Tulip, Green Sign
Right Side:
Framed Quote, Corkboard, Framed Fish Stationery, Framed Quotes
And here they are up close!
It's hard to pick a favorite part of the wall, but this is probably it--This envelope contained the first love letter Bryce ever sent me and I am absolutely smitten with the dogwood flower he drew on it!
I absolutely LOVE this quote: "I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well." -Diane Ackerman
-Fun Tip: The cute lemon border is simply Lilly stationery with the inside cute out and glued to a white picture frame! Green gingham ribbon was also added by me!-
Rotunda Postcard--UVA's main icon is the rotunda and there's lots of art depicting it, but I fell in love with this architectural look at the rotunda and bought this postcard when I was in Charlottesville for Foxfield this past spring.
I thought this quote was absolutely beautiful: "The Sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever." -Jacques Cousteau
This pearl frame had been a gift from my best friend, ARS, last year and I had been waiting for just the perfect thing to fill it!
Kate Spade said it best: "Playing dress-up begins at age five and never truly ends."
-Fun Tip: You don't have to break the bank, this frame, as well as the two black frames at the bottom of the wall, and this frames counterpart (the shabby chic mint frame) all cost $3.99-$4.99 from Christmas Tree Shops.-
You know how much I love Richmond, so I thought this would be a great fit for the wall: "Southern Belle Secret #5 Virginia: Monument Avenue- one of the prettiest streets in the country"
-Fun Tip: I printed most of these quotes myself from the internet using photo paper.-
I love this fish and had him hanging in my bedroom at my parents' house as well--he's from a free set of stationery we received from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation ages ago!
I also loved the look and words of this Audrey Hepburn Quote: "The best thing to hold onto in life is each other."
Sine "Print"--Sine is where Bryce and I met and this "print" is actually just a calendar page by Eliza B. Askin (a favorite Richmond artist) I cut out and framed. The pink "matte" is scrapbook paper and the tan "matte" is a dish towel!
I love these two little decroations! I bought the tulip years ago at Shops at 5807 and the sign was a gift from my roommate first year of college: "Whoever said money can't buy happiness...doesn't know where to shop"!!
And finally, I just love my ever-changing month sign. I simply cut pages out of my old Lilly planner and put them in the frame. I had a hard time changing to September's page--this August one might be my very favorite!
Did you make it all the way here to the end? If so, thanks for joining me in my excitement for my gallery wall! It was really so fun to put together and is such a great display of things that are special to me!
Do you have a gallery wall in your home?
How do you display sentimental treasures?
My final project for the apartment is to make my headboard and bed skirt, but those take the back burner to school right now!
Have a fantastic weekend!
