I started a project yesterday that I have been referring to as The Project That Made Call A Friend For Advice About Finding A Therapist. I decided to re-do the photo hall completely. As in - take ALL of the photos and frames down and put a completely new set (of photos AND frames) up in it’s place. Before there were just two walls of random wood collage frames. No matching or anything. Perfectly acceptable and WHY DID I NEED TO CHANGE IT?
Well - you see - we’ve spent a lot of money on portraits over the last year. Not “a lot” by some standards, but we did a photo session at Target a year ago with all of MrZ’s family for Mother’s Day. Then, we did another at Portrait Innovations for Christmas last year. Two sessions that produced some great photos that have been in the original envelopes since the day we took them. I’ve been wanting to frame several of them forEVER, and for some reason, thought yesterday would be the day to do it.
Looking back on it now - I realize I should have just pushed the idea to the back of my head along with the desire to wash curtains or scrub grout. Where the ideas that should be ignored are packaged in my brain. WHY DID I LET THAT IDEA OUT?
The one wall now has the photos in the same basic layout that you see on the bed - but it took me about FIVE HOURS. I mapped it out first, did a grid, measured exactly where each hole should go, and went to work. Only none of my numbers seemed to actually work in reality and I ended up balled up in a fetal position in the corner of the living room crying. While holding a hammer in one hand and a level in the other. It was not pretty.
Let’s not even mention the moment of idiocy I had when I stepped up on a step-stool HOLDING MY INFANT SON. Brilliant move, dumbass. Way to get both of you killed.
It’s all done now, thank god. But I want to make sure that I go on record saying that if my Uber-Perfectionist husband says anything whatsoever about anything being crooked or mis-measured, I will beat him with a lazer level. I know it needs improvement, but he is not EVER allowed to mention that in my presence. If he feels the need to correct anything (which he will because he’s that guy who can’t look at a crooked picture for five minutes without needed a stiff drink) he needs to do it WITHOUT ME EVER KNOWING.
Now, if someone finds him strangled in our garage with a tape-measure? You’ll know what happened.
The pictures themselves are beautiful, so the completed wall must be as well. I won’t even attempt something on that scale. I have 2 frames (I’ll have to add a third) hanging where I put the boys’ most recent pics. The reset are in frames on tables and shelves. No gridding/measuring/leveling needed! Smart or lazy?
Dear Crazy Woman,
We need a photo of the finished wall.
Love, Swistle
I need to do exactly what you did. My photo hall is an accumulation of whatever frames I could find at whatever time I was looking. I’m inspired.
And rest easy — ain’t a jury in the world that would convict ya if you, you know…
Try this for the other wall - http://www.thepicturewallcompany.com/
MUCH easier and less dangerous for MrZ!
(To MrZ): I feel ya! Crooked frames make me NUTS!
I’m impressed. I have 4 photos of flowers in the same size (and orientation) frame for my daughter’s room and I have yet to be brave enough to try and get them straight. I hate crooked pictures but just getting this 4 nails in just right might make me lose my ever loving mind. So kudos to you!
Oh Zoot! How wonderful!!! What a great job. I bet it looks fabulous!!! Would you like to come and do mine.
I like the link that Wendy posted. Maybe that would be a better idea for me. I don’t want to have to kill my husband. 
Great job and wonderful photos!!!
Oh…and I’m seriously impressed that you used a level. I use a hammer and nails…and then just kind of wing it.
Oh, God - every time we have to hang something, even ONE picture, we avoid it like the plague. I don’t think we have ever hung things without fighting. Someone should start a business to just do this for people. I would pay! The pictures look great on the bed and I’m sure they’re great on the wall too. Good job.
Is it wrong if I never use a level and just randomly hang things?
I’ve had an intense urge lately to make scrapbooks with every movie ticket, concert ticket, i-zone photo and play program I’ve kept.
It will probably never happen.
Now that you have the frames up, you can just change the pictures out at regular intervals. Or whenever you get tired of looking at one. What a great idea! I have space that could use that.
Oh, wow! That would be me, too, curled into a fetal position and sobbing if I attempted something like that. Which is exactly why I never have! But good for you! And I bet it looks awesome.
Photo of the wall, please.
My husband would have been twitching to do it himself.
We did the same thing in our guest room this year with about half as many frames 6 on one wall 4 on the other. Lucky for me the Mr. seems be a frame hanging genius even if he does hate doing it. Curse Dooce for inspiring us all!!
I have a wall with mismatched frames and all the pictures are really old. That’s OK for the wedding picture, but the one where Lil’bug is six months old, not so much. You’ve inspired me!
Oh, and I agree with Swistle, we need a picture of the finished wall! They look great on the bed.