The Office Wall

I enjoy creating, whether that be taking photos, creating a decor piece or painting a picture. I would much rather enjoy my own creations than something store bought. It gives me joy knowing I created it with my own two hands. So, when I would look at this blank wall I knew I wanted to create something simple that would hold family pictures.

 Little did I know it would be holding something so much more special than that. My boys are growing fast and I know someday they won't draw me pictures to display on the already crowded fridge. When I first put these boards up I going to leave them blank until I found the perfect photo's to display on them. However, when my two littlest guys gave me pictures they drew during creative time I knew exactly where they needed to be displayed. The best part is that they are easy to change our but the boards fit into the decor perfectly.

Supplies (what I used is in links):

Stain color of choice (I used Rust-Oleum Kona)

Disposable shop cloths

Sponge brush

6 - 12" x 12" boards of choice (I used these)

10 - Bulldog clips

10- Black Screws

10" Wreath 

Picture Hanging Kit

Now, these boards aren't the best but I was staining them and they were going to be covered with something so I didn't really mind the packing characteristics that were added to the boards. My first step was to stain them using sponge brush and stain. I let it sit for a few minutes before wiping off. I let the boards dry for about an hour and grabbed a small sponge brush and added more stain to some wood grain areas that were subtle. I wanted to make a more noticeable wood grain so I would apply the stain only in certain areas, let the stain sit for a few minutes then wiped it off and let dry over night. You can see the dark pieces on the below picture.

I knew that I was going to be hanging 8" x 10" photo's on these boards so I had to really think about how I was going to hang the clips so it looked right on the boards. I measured down 1" from the top of board and in 3" on each side of the board and used a sharpie to mark the spot. My husband pre-drilled the holes before we screwed them into place.  

The test picture without a wreath.

The one board we drilled a screw on the inner lip to hang the ribbon of the wreath around.

I never know how I am going to hang an item until after I have it complete. I was going to use the saw tooth hangers but after discussing it with my husband and he convinced me it would lay flat to the wall like I wanted I threw the ball (and math) in his court. He used two screws for each board, did a lot of measuring and leveling to hang them. The screws actually fit in the corners of the boards as they are hung. 

What was supposed to be a photo wall turned art wall and I love it.