Thursday, September 6, 2012

Gallery Wall FAIL!!!

I've been talking about doing it for a year or so now.
Well, I gave myself this week to get it done since I have had a little more time on my hands.

I bought the kit from Michael's about a year ago and decided it was time.
I hit up Hobby Lobby last week when their frames were 50% off.
 Last night, I spent 2-hours driving around Charlotte trying to find a place to print my pictures out. Redic or what??
Wal-Mart's photo lab was down, Rite Aid couldn't help me with what I wanted, Wolf Camera has shut down, and finally I ended up at Sam's.
When I got home I was DETERMINED to make this finally happen.
On the advice of many I decided to use Command Strips to hang them.
 It was going pretty well.
Here's the only real picture I got in the process of things being on the wall.
 We got them all up when I heard a crash.
Yep, frames started falling off the walls thanks to the Command Strips!
 $50 frame I got for $25.
BROKEN!!
Granted, the glass isn't broken but I'm still BEYOND PISSED!!!!!
We started looking at the other frames and several of them were on the verge of crashing down too.
We decided to take them all down.
 And, I'm back to square one with my gallery wall.
I'm so OVER it.
I have spent hours trying to get this done and I'm sorta leaning on the fact that it's not meant to be.
I don't want to spend any more money replacing frames, etc.
I have a smaller hallway on the first floor of my house and I'm pretty sure that's where I'm going to hang what I have left.
 I know.. I know.
We should have just used nails.
But, I was trying to give these little strips a try and let me tell you.
DON'T do IT!
I used them for a few things last Christmas and they were okay for the most part but I did find a few stockings coming loose from the mantle.
 Not to mention, I spent about $20 on all these little strips.
Money.DOWN.the.drain.

I've decided my pipe dream is over.
If it's ever meant for me to have this giant, pretty gallery wall in our home I'm going to have to hire a professional designer to pull it together.
And, THAT, my friends will probably NEVER happen.
That's my rant for today.
DON'T USE 3M COMMAND STRIPS!

14 comments:

eas said...

Oh your poor thing. I don't have one but I see a ton of them in friends houses and have no clue how they make them look so good, get all those pictures straight. Good luck with whatever you decide to put up there.

mrs.mfc said...

Aww that is so annoying!!! I'm sorry you're having so much trouble. The pictures/frames you have left look great though, so I'm sure they will look fantastic wherever they end up.

Coco said...

Those command strips are terrible. And my dad worked for 3M for 35 years so we had 3M stuff all over our house. But those strips were always a big FAIL. You're going to have to bite the bullet and go old school with nails.

Anonymous said...

Oh no! That sucks!

I would have definitely used nails, but I guess it's too late to tell you that. Those command strips never work for anything remotely heavy. Sorry you didn't have good luck with it! If you ever decide to change your mind, I definitely think you should try again! I bet it would look beautiful :)

Lauren
http://laurensweetnothings.blogspot.com/

I Do Declare said...

Oh no, I'm sorry!

Easton wife said...

BOO! I really want one also but don't want all the holes. I may never have one either. Sorry it didn't work out girl!

donna said...

Uuughh. I hate that! I was looking forward to seeing ur end product.

Tisha said...

Oh that's too bad.:( We use Command Strips and they seem to work for us. Hmmm.

Leigh Powell Hines said...

Oh no! I"m sorry to hear that. What a pain.

starnes family said...

I think people try too hard with gallery walls. I literally threw mine up in 20 minutes. No planning, no spacing. Just nailed in the wall and added one after another. I was careful to separate canvas from wood frames from metal frames, but that's it!

I would try again with nails, of course. You can do it, Dee!

lesleyrae0814 said...

Oh no! I have had the BEST luck with the 3M Command Strips (and hooks too). I followed the directions to a t - making sure to press each strip for 30 seconds, wait at least an hour to hang anything (sometimes I wait overnight to be sure they bond), etc. I couldn't put holes in my office cinderblock wall, so they were a lifesaver! Your pictures and frames were so cute - I hope you have better luck with nails :)

The Soladay Family said...

I have to agree with what Casey said. Don't over think it. You can do it. I always start with one pic up centered and go from there. The biggest mistake you can make though is putting too much space between pics. Keep them fairly close so they actually look like a group. Just my .02. Oh, and I hate Command Strips as well. My MIL, however, swears by them, but she has the patience to put them up and wait the ridiculous amount of time before she uses them. Not me. I want it done and over. =)

GeorgiaDixieDoll said...

I did my wall literally in half a day. I printed my photos at home then used nails and it turned out FANTASTIC! But I agree with the comments from others about people trying too hard and over-thinking it. It's pretty simple.

And I definitely wouldn't have used Command Strips after seeing a problem with them at X-mas.

Unknown said...

Oh no, I feel terrible because I recommended them to you. I have two gallery walls completely done in them and havent had a problem. We even have the baby monitor camera mounted with one. I'm so sorry they didn't work.