Empty Frame Gallery Wall

A couple weeks ago on one of my days off I was straightening up my craft room when I realized I had collected quite a few Goodwill frames.  I'd been buying them whenever I found one I liked, for this idea I'd had brewing around in my head.  I didn't think I had enough yet, but I took out the ugliness that was in each one of them and started laying them out (on my guest room floor - probably the smallest space I could have chosen).  And whadya know, but I think I had just enough to make an empty frame gallery wall!  Okay, okay, I know this isn't a new idea or anything, but what a cheap way to make a statement!

I measured the wall I wanted them on and started playing with different configurations.

Hmm, I liked starting with the two white ones in the middle and working out from there, but this arrangement left something to be desired.

I found the one on the bottom left in our under-the-stairs storage closet and added it.  A little better.

Hmm, the right side needs something else.

Almost there...

This is it!  Except I ended up hanging the brown one on the right horizontally.

Now for a couple coats of black spray paint on the ones that aren't already black.

I traced all of the frames onto kraft paper, cut them out and taped them up on the wall in the arrangement I decided on.  (An easier way would be to roll out a huge sheet of kraft paper, lay your frames on it and trace them in the design you want.  That way instead of having individual rectangles of paper to hang up on the wall, which always want to curl up and come off, you'd only have one sheet and wouldn't have to make sure they were all level and the spacing was correct, because you could do all that while you're tracing.)

I got out my hammer and pounded nails in where I had marked on the kraft paper, put the frames up, then stuck some poster putty in the bottom corners so they would stay straight, and voila!

I like the dimension the different frames give to the wall.  I stayed safe with black, but I think a turquoise or red would be fun too!

Total cost for this wall art:  $6 for the keys, and probably another $6 for all the frames.  Already had the spray paint.  $12 for a wall full of art - I'll take it!

Linking up with Sarah's Spray Paint Party!