Picture wall.

This will be a photo tutorial comprised of crummy iPhone pictures! (Yay!!)

So, I wanted to redo the photo wall along our stairs.  Without breaking the bank.  I got all of my photos ready/printed and counted them by size - ex: three 4x6, one 8x10, etc.

Enter Goodwill. I hit three separate Goodwill locations around town, and purchased frames there.  I only bought frames that already had unbroken glass.

I assembled my tools:

Photos, frames, needle nose pliers, super glue (I like this Scotch brand kind)

Sawtooth hangers

sawtooth picture hangers

toothpaste (I promise), thumbtacks or push pins, scratch paper, a writing utensil, scissors, a hammer, small nails, and adhesive foam mounting squares:

I assembled all frames and photos. The needle nose pliers were particularly handy when it came to removing the "easel foot" (no idea what that's really called).

Your basic easel foot.

I then super glued sawtooth hangers to each frame.  These are so much easier to hang than the little metal loop/ hanger that sometimes appears on the back of frames. 

Your useless hanger thing.

While the glue is setting, I traced all frames on paper and cut these out.  I wrote a brief description on the paper of what appears in that photo/frame -example: "babies in pink".

Then I began to arrange the frames on the floor to determine the pseudo-layout.

Next, I tacked my paper cutouts to the wall, in a manner similar to the floor layout:

Next, I interrupted my project to do a bit of tummy time with V2.0:

Then, I began hanging frames.  

Here is where your toothpaste becomes handy.  On each sawtooth hanger, place a teeny dot of toothpaste, dead center.  

Now, hold that frame exactly where you want it and push gently in the vicinity of the hanger to ensure the toothpaste makes contact with the wall.

Pull the frame away from the wall, and voila! You know exactly where to place your nail!! 

I hammered the nails in exactly in the middle of the toothpaste or just below it. 

Hang away!

The foam squares will come in handy if you find the frames shift when the house shakes.

The wall turned out beautifully, with pictures of our minis, our furry love, places we love, us, and special items like our wedding invitation and the minis' birth announcements.  I would be remiss if I didn't also mention that my stairwell smells a bit minty, as well!!