How to Make a Gallery Wall Using Yard Sale Items

by Shanna Gilbert

After we installed our new carpet in the basement, the first thing I did was build my new gallery wall. One of my favorite things to look at when I go into people's homes, virtually or in real life, are their gallery walls. I think they reveal a lot about the homeowner's personality.
I have been hoarding gathering items for my gallery for a long time, and until recently they were just setting in my storage room.
I started by taking some masking tape and taping off the size of my TV and the top of the wall. I then played around with my items for the wall until I was happy with the placement.

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I laid out a giant piece of butcher paper, the width and height of the area around my TV (like I did with my other gallery wall) which was where my gallery was going to be living. I then used a marker and filled in where my TV would be, so I would have a focal point, and everything else would be based around that.

Once in the right spots, I then traced around all of the art with a marker.

After I was finished, I taped my paper to the wall and used a combination of nails and 3M Command Strips to mark the spots where my pieces were going to go.

Lastly, I hung all of my wall art, and that was that! Using the paper template saved me from having my hubby nail 1,000 holes in the wall because things needed to be moved over an inch or I changed my mind about the placement of an item.

One of my favorite things on this wall is this tiny pet portrait of Kitten. As , my sweet cat of 21 years passed away last year, and I got this portrait from GoodNaturedByDani on Etsy. This uber talented woman makes portraits using individual fibers of wool. I sent her a photo of my cat, and she knocked it out of the park with this exact replica.

I turned a long retro dresser into my entertainment console.

I used a combination of mirrors and frames that I picked up at yard sales and gave them a quick update with some spray paint. The piece with the cherubs on it is a heavy iron ring that was a rust color. I have no idea what it is, but I got it at a yard sale for $1, and I spray painted it with Rust-o-leum's Pure Gold.

I added in some turquoise velvet fabric that I got off of Amazon and added a pretty, pink broach that I got yard saling with my grandma when I was a kid.

The Grow Where You Are Planted sign I got from Rustic Wild Arrow on Etsy.

The vintage silhouette I got from a vintage sale, the pink deer came from Joss & Main last year, and the oval frame around it came from a yard sale for 50 cents last summer, and it got a coat of the Pure Gold spray paint also.

The Pallet Wood Arrow that I made is in the same shade as the tv console.

The little mirror was from a thrift store for $2, and the marquee arrow light came from Michael's. It was a little kit that you had to assemble, and it was originally white, and I sprayed it with Rustoleum's Berry Pink.

The framed G picture was a metallic placemat that I received during my Swap It Like It's Hot Tour. The metallic leopard stripe is a bit washed out in this picture and the thrift store frame was spray painted in Rustoleum's Satin Aqua.

The blue egg nest photo is one from The Handmade Home's Art for the Traditional Home I believe. I have several of their art books, and I believe that's the right one.

My basement gallery wall doesn't have any family photo's in it since the one I have in my living room does. I just updated that one, and I will be unveiling it soon!

If you follow my blog you know, with the rest of my house, I have basic wall colors, but I add in fun pops off color with accessories.

With this gallery wall, I can mix and match and add whatever new fun goodies I pick up at yard sales.

To see how cute the gallery wall turned out click on the link down below!

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1 comment

Hannah V on Jan 20, 2016
LOVE this all! And I am SO getting pictures of my kitties done that is too cool. Sorry to hear about your kitty! :(

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