DIY Gallery Wall by Courtney @ Baxtron{Life}

I am by no means a crafty lady, but occasionally I do like to try things that stretch me outside my comfort zone.  I've really enjoyed seeing gallery wall ideas on Pinterest, and other people's blogs, as well as in homes of some friends in my neighborhood.

I have been collecting items for a while to add create my own interpretation of a gallery wall, adding a little bit of a comfortable homey feel to our NYC apartment.  It is a bit of a struggle when living in NYC to allow yourself to be settled enough in one place to actually make your space "homey."  

Over the last couple of years we've moved three times, so I've been somewhat reserved to put in the time and energy to decorate and get comfortable.  But, alas, I've begun my gallery wall which I'm happy to be sharing with you here today!

 I've literally been throwing miscellaneous items into a box since before Christmas in anticipation of getting my wall started.  I've done a couple of Michael's runs, plus had miscellaneous craft leftovers from various projects I've attempted previously.

 I took all of my "frames" which were simply shoebox lids of varying shapes and sizes and covered them with scrapbooking paper.  I tried to pick a variety of colors, designs and textures that would still correspond with each other in some way.

 Next I added photographs using double sided tape, and dressed up each frame with scrapbooking stickers, and other fun things.  

Here are a few more examples:

 For the backing I used yarn and felt squares with hot glue.  

Make sure you measure your nails or picture mounts to help determine where you should place the yarn so that the actual mounts are hidden behind the pictures.

 Once you have a good collection of different items to hang, go ahead and put them up, you can always experiment with hanging them in different places until you find something you like.

 Here is my before:

 And after:

I still plan on adding a few items to my wall later on, including a few decals, 

and possibly some painted toilet paper roll flowers.

And of course more pictures over time.

What do you think of it?

I love it! I would never have thought to use a shoebox lid to create a 3D photo display, so cool! I love how photos make a house feel like a home...memories that you can see everyday! Thanks for sharing Courtney!