Monday, April 19, 2010

On the Wall

It has taken, literally, YEARS to figure this out, with lots of bad ideas and a huge stack of all kinds of photo frames set aside for our garage sale later this spring, but I have finally achieved wall art perfection:
So I didn't like the photo frames because I could never get their placement measured out perfectly (me and my math...sigh) and they always hung a little crooked and our walls are crap, I mean CRAP. They're plaster over metal lathe, and can you imagine a more nightmarish scenario for trying to hang something from a wall? Half the time you hit the steel, and the other half of the time a huge chunk of plaster falls out. And poor Matt, who has the primary responsibility shelf-making in the house--he has uttered swears that I have never heard before, and I have heard a lot of swears.

Anyway, inspired by these Photojojo vinyl wall frames that just stick right to the wall (vinyl decals are way trendy right now, because, I don't know, people need more vinyl in their houses?), I first tried to make my own removable frames with Velcro for re-stick-ability. Cardboard record album covers were a bust because they curled, especially if I tried to decorate them with wallpaper or collage, but even thicker corrugated cardboard tended to curl, and EVEN mat board curled, as well.

So I brought out the big guns. Foamcore, baby. Never gonna bend.

The photos themselves I laminated to make them sturdy to be on the wall without a glass cover over them. My plan is also to swap out the photos and other artwork fairly often, so I needed something quick and dirty. Here's my VERY dirty application method:
Pushpins through the laminate and into the foamcore hold everything nice and secure, doesn't leave much of a mark, and makes it a cinch to swap stuff out.

Now if only a person didn't pretty much have to donate plasma to afford new ink cartridges.

7 comments:

  1. Donating plasma is very noble--think of the lives you could be saving! And the money's not too bad for just an hour of your time.

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  2. Nope, I'm not allowed to donate plasma--lousy veins. Prostitution is pretty much the only outlet left to me.

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  3. Prostitution is probably more lucrative. I can't donate plasma either, for the same reason. Stupid small, roll-y veins ruining my chances at easy money!

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  4. i hear ya on the ridiculous cost of ink.

    glad you found something that works.

    but honestly, the best thing about your wall art? is the photos themselves. you have some really great shots, of some adorable kids.

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  5. :) I have one of brick. It's no fun, either. I hot-glued clothes pins to it.

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  6. I LOVE gluing things to my walls!!!

    It does make me really happy to be surrounded by all my favorite photos. Very nest-y, somehow.

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  7. Hello.
    I'm just seeing this post and I have some questions please!! How did you get the foamcore colored? Did you paint it or buy it that way? Also how did you attach the foamcore to your wall? These are really cute. I might use my cricut to cut vinyl to decorate the foamcore and then the pushpin idea would still work. tHanks for a cute blog.

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