Wednesday, September 8, 2010

My OCD Moment - Organizing Pictures

Costco Frames - Gotta Love em!
For those of you who know me, you know I'm borderline OCD - not diagnosed do you hear me!  If you follow this blog you'll find I have a lot of OCD moments of organization madness.  I actually have an identical twin sister, a clinical psychologist, who says it's a close call.  Listen, just because I straighten all the Caprisun juice pouches in my fridge with labels facing forward doesn't make me obsessive, just organized right?    Anywho, I am a stickler for exactness and it spills over into everything I do.  My recent photo project is clearly an example of my "attention to detail", we'll call it.

I needed to arrange the savvy family photos and after measuring the width of the wall, dividing in half to find the center and measuring each frame moving outward for exact spacing, here's what I got: (FYI - my Macgyver husband hates it when I ask him to hang pictures, because I can spot a 1/4 inch difference and then we have to re-hang everything!) I love that it looks as though the pictures were all hung with ribbon - they aren't.  I would probably lay awake all night worrying if my treasured frames were about to come crashing to the floor if they were only hung with ribbon (again, not diagnosed), but I wanted that same look.  So I decided to fake it and no one can tell the difference!
Rod Works wrought iron picture hanger

Project Requirements:

Level                              
Measuring Tape             
Ribbon
Scissors
Sticky Putty
Nails
Picture Hangers (The kind that screw into the wall.  I found a great selection at Rodworks!)

To hang your photo arrangement, determine the width of your wall.  Find the exact center and determine desired height of the highest frame + 6 inches for 1st hanger placement.  The actual hanging nail will be approximately 7 inches below the hanger.  Using (1) approximately 20" ribbon length per top frame (draped over hanger) and (2) 10" ribbon lengths per lower frames, attach ribbon at ends with sticky putty and hang photos frames on nails.

Organizing your photos is easy and fun too! (Really, I'm just trying to get more of you to join the OCD ranks!)

8 comments:

  1. Wait, there's one picture that is out of alignment with the rest. Just jokin!! It looks wonderful. I've never been good at getting pictures lined up right!!

    PS Thanks for posting the pantry potporri. I was just thinking of typing the tips up this week so I could tape them on the inside of a cupboard in my kitchen where I could easily find them!! :)

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  2. Wait - let me check... :) Actually they move every time someone shuts the big wooden front door. You should see me constantly straightening those things. (Not OCD) I need to add the rubber feet to the corners!

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  3. On closer look, the second ribbon underneath the center picture does look - not so parallel. ;)

    It looks great by the way. :)

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  4. They look great!!! No worries on the OCD thing I think I'm right there with ya:)

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  5. So how much did this savvy project cost? Did you find a bargain or just did it? I see all these great ideas, but don't want to spend a ton of money re-doing my walls.

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  6. I love the picture arrangement. I would love to do something like that. And if organizing Caprisuns in the fridge is borderline OCD I think I may have that too, except with me it is the yogurts according to flavors. :)

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  7. I watched a show on HGTV where the designer laid out a paper as large as all of the picture frames she was hanging. Then, she laid out the frames on the paper, traced them, then taped the paper to the wall and hammered in the nails. Once she removed the paper from the wall, she had every hole ready and hung every frame in exactly the perfect spot. She also put backers on the back of the picture frames (like the putty you use to hang paper pictures on the wall) and that kept the frames in place. I thought that was pretty clever. Your project looks like a lot of work. So pat yourself on the back; it looks awesome!

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  8. Natalie - I already had the frames - and I bought them at Costco - Killer prices especially for the quality and doubled matted! The frames come in a 2 pack at Costco and range from about $7-$8 ea frame per size. You can spend as much as you want on the ribbon - though I bought mine at walmart (with wire edge) for about $1.59 a yard. This project took 5 yards. The hooks also vary in price by style, but mine were just over $2 ea. Total, I spent just over $70 with tax - pretty good for that huge wall I think! (FYI - The "family" wall sticker was a clearance purchase at Walmart for $3.00).

    Bosox96 - I saw that one too! I tried using paper first, but Macgyver husband said it would be faster without & more accurate just using a tape measure and level - since he knew I would be making him do that anyway ;-)

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