Handmade

Preserving your memories Enjoy your favourite photos every day with these three crafty framing projects.

Words and styling Sarah Heeringa. Photography Amanda Reelick Photographs top left, centre and bottom middle by Sarah Heeringa

Opposite : Project #1: Hanging photo wall A simple and cost-effective photo display, ideal for when you cannot make multiple holes in the walls. This page, bottom left: Attach your hanging photo wall strings using a large, flat surface. Clockwise from middle right: Project #3: Photo gallery Use accent colours on selected frames; use templates when hanging photos; seal frames using picture framing tape. Top left, middle and main image: Project #2: Upcycle an old frame Dissasemble old frames to paint and re-assemble.

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PROJECT #1 PROJECT #2 PROJECT #3 Hanging Upcycling Composing a photo wall an old frame photo gallery

You need: You need: You need: · up to 20 square photographs (all 10cm x · a photograph · a second-hand picture frame · coordinated photo frames · dark thread 10cm) · white card, medium thickness, cut that includes an outer frame, firm backing · Blu-Tack · spirit level · roll of newsprint, into squares (8cm x 8cm) · white string · board and a or mounting board · glazier brown paper or · hammer and spray adhesive or glue stick · scissors and points or tiny nails · masking tape · wide nails · picture hanging hooks or adhesive ruler · A branch or length of bamboo brown picture framing tape · small pliers hanging strips · step-ladder or stool (paint white if you wish) · 1 metre of nylon line · hammer · nylon line · D-ring or small screws · small stones (optional) · Blu-Tack · small paintbrush · dropcloth · Resene Step 1: Pick photos Summer is great for Enamacryl enamel for the frame (I used taking photos, but how many of our images Step 1: Prepare and print images Resene Breathless) and Resene SpaceCote from this season or years past lie dormant on Adjust the photographs before to Flat for the mat (I used Resene Black White). our computers? Framing and hanging photos ensure they are of a similar tonal range. Open releases them into your home to be enjoyed each image using a photo editing tool and Step 1: Disassemble frame Lay the by all. Gallery walls are ideal for combining using the saturation function, de-saturate frame front side down and remove the back different images together, so celebrate your each one to strip out any intense shades. tape and any pins. Notice how the frame has heritage by adding in some older family Alternatively, apply the same photo filter to been put together. Remove any brown photos or mix in a few shots of quirky each image or print them in sepia or black framing paper used to cover up the inner moments to remember. and white. Some stores can print photos in workings. Often the stiff backing board is Step 2: Coordinate frames Use all a square format with white borders, so check held in place with staples, tiny nails or glazier white or all black frames, or for a less formal for this option. Alternatively, trim regular points. Use pliers to gently remove or bend effect, mix black and white frames together rectangular prints down to size and mount these out of the way. with frames in an accent colour. See project them on slightly larger white card for a Step 2: Clean glass Carefully take out #2 for painting old frames in selected shades. similar effect. the glass, wash it using warm soapy water Step 3: Paper templates As you cut a Step 2: Arrange in order Lay photos and lay it on a tea towel to dry. Polish dry. template of each frame, write on each one the out on a large flat surface in vertical columns Step 3: Paint frame and mount frame colour and a brief description to help to a grid, allowing a 2cm space between Wipe the frame free of dust. Lay the frame on you visualise each photo and its orientation each photo vertically. Arrange images into a the dropcloth and coat with paint, making as you hang it. Sort the templates by size. pleasing composition, checking for a balance sure you cover all edges that will be visible Cutting templates takes time but makes of subjects, shapes and colours. Turn each when hung. Many old frames have mats that composing and hanging the gallery far easier. photo over, maintaining the grid arrangement. are good enough to reuse. Give it a fresh look Step 4: Compose your wall Photo Step 3: Attach strings Cut strings the with a coat of matt white Resene SpaceCote galleries can be arranged as a simple grid or length of each vertical column plus an extra Flat paint. Allow to fully dry. symmetrically around a large central image. 50cm. Lay the strings along the middle of Step 4: Reassemble frame Lay the In the stairwell (right), I used a triangular each vertical column, with 30cm of the extra frame face down on a clean, flat surface. shape to complement the rising stairs. Before string at the top and 20cm at the bottom. Carefully place glass back into the frame and starting, look carefully at your wall to consider One at a time, lay each white card on clean check the surface facing you is lint-free. Place the most pleasing shape. Your gallery needs scrap paper and lightly coat one side with the photo behind the mat and secure using a either some vertical or horizontal lines to look glue. Starting at the top left corner of your strip of masking tape along the top. Lay the ordered, so decide where you want these and grid, place each card, sticky side down, onto mount face down on the glass. Before taping mark them out using the thread and spirit the back of each photograph, sandwiching everything up, turn the frame over and check level. For example, I started by marking out the string in between. Use a ruler to ensure the photo is positioned correctly and that no the top and side of the triangle. Decide on the the photos are evenly spaced on the string lint is trapped behind the glass. Return any placement of any larger frames and rearrange and line up with the corresponding photo on glazier points or tiny nails back into the frame the smaller shapes around these until the either side. Leave to dry. to hold the backing board and glass in place, configuration looks balanced. Cluster similar Step 4: Assembling photo wall using new ones if neccessary. Tape all around sized frames together in rows or colums. Attach the nylon line to the stick ends and the edge using wide brown picture tape. Ensure any accent frames are evenly spread. Project #3: Composing a gallery hang it horizontally on the wall. Attach each On the back of the frame, screw in two When Photo gallery walls are perfect for Step 5: Hang your pictures clustering a number of picture frames photo string to the stick, ensuring the images small screws or D-ring hangers on either side, you are happy with the arrangement, use of different sizes and styles. Use paper line up by first attaching each top photo to an equal distance from the top. Firmly tie the each template to help you work out exactly templates so you can rearrange the the wall using Blu-Tack and then tying the nylon line between rings. Clean any stray where to attach each picture hook on the shapes until you are happy with the configuration. If you are unsure about string to the stick above. If you like, tie a small fingerprints off the front glass and your wall. Once each photo is hung in place, pull your arrangement, leave it for a day stone to the bottom of each string. picture is ready to hang. away the paper from behind the frame. and return to look at it with fresh eyes.

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CREATIVE LIVING Stairwell gallery makeover

Transform a mismatched photo display with paint and a fresh eye.

Words and styling Sarah Heeringa

raming and hanging photos over the course of a few years can result in a fairly haphazard photo display. F This stairwell photo gallery was no exception. With new photos from summer to be added it was high time for a gallery do-up.

Step 1: Prepare wall I started by taking down all the photo frames and filling and sanding any holes. I painted the stairwell walls with Resene Cararra, a subtle shade of cream that immediately brightened the space. Step 2: Collate images A freshly You need: painted wall allows for a new arrangement to For walls · Filler to patch small holes or suit the space. Consider which images and dents · dropcloths · · brushes what colour frames you want to display. and rollers Resene SpaceCote Low tips · • Choose the largest Previously I had mixed art and photographs Sheen paint in a colour of your choice images and frames to together, but I now decided to hang the art For templates · newsprint, brown paper anchor the gallery and elsewhere and limit the gallery to photos. or newspaper · dark thread · a spirit level give you a place to start. Trawl through old photo files for forgotten • Sometimes your favourite For frames and mats · old photo frames photographs have been taken treasures, then add in any new photos plus · Resene Enamacryl waterborne enamel on a mobile phone and can’t older ones not previously printed. in colours of your choice · hammer, be printed very large, but Step 3: Revamping frames The using a range of frame nails or adhesive hanging strips sizes means you can add existing photo frames plus more from · scissors · nylon thread a few of these smaller second-hand stores were in a wide range of images to your gallery. colours and styles. For a coordinated result I • Look in second-hand stores disassembled all of the frames and painted the top and down the straight side, Blu-Tack for small vintage frames to use. them either in black (Resene Blackjack), a the templates to the wall. Decide on the soft grey white (Resene Breathless) or an placement of the larger frames, then add in accent colour of bright yellow (Resene Wild the smaller frames. Cluster similar-sized Thing). I also painted a number of the mats in frames together and check for a balanced Resene Black White for a fresh new look. spread of any accent or feature frames. Step 4: Reframing Framing multiple Step 7: Re-hang pictures Once the pictures at once allows you to best match photo arrangement is finalised, hang each each photo to its frame. You can also switch photo over the top of its paper template. Use the size or colour of the mat. (See page 76 for the template to work out exactly where to put more on upcycling old frames and mats.) each nail or picture-hanging hook. Once a Step 5: Make templates Cut a paper picture is hung, pull the paper away from template of each frame. Write on each one behind the frame. g Before the frame colour and a brief description. Use this to remember the frame’s orientation and Sarah is a contributing editor for Good to visualise each one as you decide where to and author of Reclaim That: Upcycling hang it. Sort the templates by size. your Home with Style. Step 6: Compose your gallery wall Use dark cotton thread and a spirit level to Call 0800 RESENE (737 363) mark out the top and one side of the space in @reclaim_that visit www.resene.co.nz which you will hang your photo gallery. reclaimthat.com Photograph top left Amanda Reelick, top right and bottom Sarah Heeringa or email [email protected] Starting in the top corner and working along

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