Hanging Frames

As I’ve mentioned, we go to Goodwill, and flea markets and I’ve found quite a few frames for my cross stitching. We bought the saw that we can use to cut down the ones that aren’t the right size, though if I know what size frame I want to use, I can often make adjustments to the project so it will fit into the frame I want to use. But, those frames I’ve bought were in Addie’s closet, our closet, the downstairs closet, under Addie’s bed and some are in the garage (on shelves and buried).

Having frames where I can’t see them or they’re buried and too hard to get to is kinda worthless. It’s much easier to order a new frame and be done with it. I needed a way to be able to see what I have.

Initially, I came up with a plan to have Vince put up some 1 x 2 boards along the two long walls in the garage and put nails in those. I was going to use a Sharpie and write a number to the left of each “space”, and then keep a list of the size of the frames. I figured I could get a pole with a hook so I could reach the higher ones without having to get on a ladder and I could have at least 6 levels and I was thinking that should give me a lot of frame storage area. Vince wasn’t real thrilled with that idea.

My next idea was the attic. We have a fairly nice set of pull down stairs to the attic. There’s an area up that that’s probably 25 x 40 that’s completely floored and I can stand up easily and the lighting is decent. Since it’s all studs, I figured I could put nails in as high as I could reach and put at least four frames per stud. I could take pictures of the frames, put the measurements, keep a little “booklet” of what I have and only have to go up there a few times a year to retrieve the needed frames. I figured I would lable the studs with A, B, C, etc. and that way, if I needed frame number 4 off Stud C, then Nicole could even go up and get it for me. Vince said “NO! We do not need to be going up and down those stairs!” I said “I go up and down the stairs to the basement 100 times a day!” Nope, attic stairs are different. Men!

Last night Addie was downstairs playing and when I went to get her, as I was walking through the downstairs family room, I looked at the wall . . it’s probably 25′ long and we have NOTHING on it. I came upstairs and asked Vince . . “Do you care if I hang my frames on that wall?” I told him I’d use the Command hanging hooks so it didn’t make holes in the wall. He said he didn’t care. I got online and googled “Hanging empty frames on walls” and found all kinds of pictures where people had done that and it looked nice.

This morning I started looking at Command hooks to buy and they are darned expensive! Vince said “Just put nails in the wall. I can patch them and touch up the paint for way less than I can buy 50 hooks. I started taking out the pictures to make the frames just empty frames but Addie thought we should leave all the pictures in so . . we did.

I just eyeballed it – didn’t measure anything. I figure as I take down one frame, I’ll put up another one and they likely won’t be the same size. Addie was deciding where each frame should be held, she hammered in a few nails, then she stood back across the room and told me which frames needed to be straightened. We had 8 frames that had no hanging teeth or wires on them so Vince has to add those for me or, I can do it. There are still some frames that are in the garage and some still in the top of Addie’s closet. There are a couple of frames that were heavy enough that Vince wanted to use something besides a nail to hang them so they aren’t up yet. It’s a good collection of frames . . I just need to get more stitching done.

Addie was proud of herself for helping and wanted to be in the picture. Love that girl! 🙂