The hall in my stairs looks like this:
I mean, it's not horrible, but it certainly doesn't rise up to meet you.
How I transformed my stair hallway.
Alternate title: How I refused to pay gallery frame prices and still get the look.
First I should notify you that I adore gallery frames.
I love the look of frames that are wider on the sides than the front.
And I love when they're matted in gallery style, with big, chunky margins.
First, I found gallery frames online.
I'm not going to tell you where I bought mine because I would not recommend them.
But if you Goo*gle "gallery frames" you'll find them.
Here's what mine looked like when I got them in the mail.
They came with a mat, but I was planning on replacing it anyway.
Now I don't know about you, but something about putting GLASSED frames in my STAIR HALLWAY spells disaster. In fact, my sister had a glass disaster in her hallway with one of her four children. I'm not saying WHO it was, but it was the wild one. :)
So I purchased inexpensive plexiglass fills at Hobbylobby.com. They were only about $2 apiece.
Then I took some some compressed air... you know that stuff you use to clean your keyboard from crumbs and such? That's it. Available at office supply stores.
Spray the air on your plexi to get all the little specks off of it.
Now before I go further, here's the type of mat I had made for my frames. It has a very generous bottom margin, just like the way galleries frame. You can try to cut your own mats with a mat cutter or you can order them through your local hobby store. Remember to bring the frame with you so that they can cut exact measurements.
When it's time to tape your photo to your mat, you'll want to only tape the TOP of the photo. This allows the photo to breathe and not buckle during humid months.
It's best to use acid free tape if you can find it.
I had six frames made and I LOVE the look. The entry shows my two girls walking hand in hand.
Here's a closeup:
And then I can enjoy pics of my family as I walk up and down the stairs.
I like to think it makes household chores a little brighter because it reminds me of the reason I'm doing it.
I could be wrong. :)
It's so great to be greeted by this summery picture of Morgan.
Makes it all worth it.
The cost for this project can vary.
I found my gallery frames for about $20-30 (discount the more you buy)
The mats were about $16 apiece to have cut.
The photos were about $2-3 to have printed at Kodakgallery.com. *love*
And the plexi was $2 each.
Each frame probably cost me about $45 which isn't cheap, but now that I've made the initial investment, I can switch out the photos in the future and keep the custom look.
Plus, it hides the fact that my walls needs to be painted. Hehe
I'd love to hear how others decorate their halls.