GF Food on the Wall

I'm a picky pinner. When I see things on Pinterest, I only pin it if I think it is something I will really do. When I saw this idea, I knew the perfect place for it and instantly pinned it for home decorating inspiration.

I ordered the 12 x 16 colored mats for $16, however the shipping cost practically just as much! I figured it would be easier and save me time by ordering them from the place that was suggested. I'm glad I did too because I love the colors! I bought eight 12 x 16 in frames from Michael's when they were running a buy one get one free sale on frames. They're poster frames so they are probably not as nice as the Pottery Barn ones that were suggested to use. However, I saved some money buying ones that were cheaper; each frame was about $6 for me. 

Justin offered the suggestion to use food themed pictures since this project was going in the eat-in kitchen area. I loved the idea since I'm constantly taking pictures of our gluten free foods. I picked several different food pictures and decided which ones looked best in black and white. Getting the photos printed, buying the frames, and ordering the colored mats was easy. My biggest nemesis became hanging the frames. Justin's not here to do it for me either so it was either let the frames sit for six months or try to figure out how to hang them evenly on my own. Before I began to hang them, I measured the space I had to work with and realized the configuration I saw on Pinterest would not work in the space I had. If I hung them in 3 rows, they would be too high or go below the table, so I decided to hang them in two rows of four.

I laid the colors out on the table and started to hang. But then I was quickly stalled...it looked like this for a few days. I wasn't sure how to make sure they would be evenly spaced and level.

I made a trip to Lowe's to purchase a laser level. I took this picture with the directions, because despite being a teacher I hate reading directions. Ugh, I had to figure out how to use the laser level. (Also in the background you see a paint stick, I tried to make a picture hanging contraption that I also saw on Pinterest. It didn't work though because the one paint stirrer wasn't strong enough to hold the picture.)

I was happy to invest about 20 bucks in the laser level. It made the process so much easier. The red laser made a level line that I could follow. Then I measured with a ruler to make the spacing between each.

My first row looked even and pretty darn good, if I do say!

I moved the level down and left 2 inches between each picture.

Even with a glare, the pictures look amazing! (My photo taking abilities make it appear a little crooked.) Can you place each picture with a blog entry? They all have made an appearance before.

Viola, the only bad part is the glare in every picture. I'm not a master photographer and the sun shines through the doors near this area.

After hanging the pictures I was inspired to do a little more decorating in the room. I ordered a black and white rug. I'm trying to do black and white with the pops of color. Currently I'm working on some curtains to add too. Hopefully those will be done soon. I also want to add a bright colored buffet, but will need to wait until Justin returns because I want to buy a cheap one on Craig's list or from a flea market to redo.