I’m always searching for new ways to display photos on dorm room walls: push pins and nails are obviously discouraged, command strips are pretty intense for small photos and thin posters, and a small strip of tape in the center back causes the photo to curl at the edges. Crazy concept here, but what if the tape to hold up the photo actually added to the aesthetic appeal of your mini photo gallery? I decided to test it out on my own wall, and the result is great! My photos transformed from a simple display to wall art full of dimension and life.
1. My Inspiration:
I did a lot of Pinterest-ing to find these images. I looked for different frame shapes, colors, and styles.
2. My Wall:
A bit average and bland. The pictures were all held up by push pins and tape before this.
3. Supplies:
Washi Tape, obviously! This can be purchased at craft stores or art stores. Look for different colors, patterns, and thicknesses. I bought mine at a store in Portland on Alberta Street called Collage. They had hundreds of choices, so I went with some nice basic colors:
You’ll also need scissors and PATIENCE, LOTS OF PATIENCE.
4. The Process:
I didn’t take any photos while I put my photos up because my hands were rather occupied with cutting lengths of tape and keeping them untangled. I recommend allowing plenty of room for spacing between the photos, because the tape framing takes up much more area around the photo than you might expect. I put up my pictures by tacking them up while I attached the end of the tape to its correct position, then stretched out the roll of tape onto the edge of the photo and partly on the wall and left it hanging before I cut the tape and removed the tack. For the fancier designs, I cut several strips of tape to the same length before I attached them to the wall. Thankfully, the tape peels off easily, so it’s easy to fix your mistakes and straighten your lines! It gets easier the more you do, but the whole thing took me at least an hour.
5. The Final Result:
I’m very happy with how this turned out! Unfortunately some of my photos are rather.. crooked. I was too distracted by colors and patterns that I paid less attention to lining them up with the ceiling, and I definitely could have used a level. However, I love the effect and the graphic, dimensional quality. Thanks for reading through this blog and my attempt at DIY! I definitely recommend trying the washi tape frame idea to add some oomph to your photo wall.