Friday, March 29, 2013

How to make a template to hang artwork

I'm finally getting around to hanging some art in our house. It's about time - we've been here just over a year! I always procrastinate on hanging art and I don't know why. It makes such a big difference in the way a room looks and feels.

Hanging art, especially groupings of art, is not something I enjoy. Who does? Usually I make my husband hold art  in several different places so I can visualize what it will look like. Left a little, up a little, back down a little. Anyone that's ever done the holding knows the my-arms-are-about-to-fall-off feeling. 



I really like those fancy templates you can buy that help you space and hang your art. Since I'm on a budget, I thought I'd make my own. By using a template, I was able to easily visualize how these would look on my wall before putting multiple nail holes in my wall and I did it all by myself without torturing my husband. 


First, I put my art on a piece of newspaper. 




Then I cut around the frame so that the piece of newspaper was the size of my frame-less art. Since I'm hanging two pieces of art of the same size, I simply cut a second template from the first.








Then I broke out the good old painter's tape.




I made a loop with my tape (sticky side out) and stuck it on the hanger part of the back of my art. Then I laid my paper template on the art so that the sticky loop of tape stuck to the paper. 




Then, using painter's tape again, I taped my paper templates to the wall. I moved them around until I liked where they were placed.





See the tape on the back of the paper? I gently held that in place against the wall when I removed the paper template from the wall.





The tape marks where I need to put my picture hangers.




I like to use this type of hanger.



And voila! My wall is bare no more! Well, at least this one wall... I still have a few empty spaces throughout the house that I need to fill.



Having something on the walls always makes a room feel cozier and more finished to me. 

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