As a refresher, this was a budget friendly project because I used the pages from a botanical book for the artwork, inexpensive plastic frames, and poster board to mimic photo mats (refer to the original post for assembly how-to details). Even though I didn't spend a lot considering the wall coverage I achieved for the money spent on supplies and time invested, all together the finished product truly gives a bang for the buck to achieve such a classic art display. However, after hanging for well over a decade I noticed it needed to be freshened up. Specifically, the poster board that I used as a mat had yellowed over the years and was making the prints look a bit tired. Here's how it was looking in the frame on the left- even more noticeable in real life.
This was an easy fix, but with 20 frames just took a little bit of time. I made a video to share on social media but didn't think I'd be sharing that here. I've since changed my mind so I just grabbed some screen shots from the video and compiled them to give you the gist- I got some fresh white poster board and got to work!
The time saving game changer from the first time I put these together was that I took a minuted to make a template for centering the botanical print on the poster board backing. In the past I had measured and marked each one which was quite time consuming. Yay for working smarter, not harder- ha! I think you get the idea from the photos and procedure notes, but feel free to leave a question if anything needs to be clarified.
One tip to note again as I did in the original post, the lip of the frames I used works well for this trick. I find it super helpful to use 2 nails to hang each frame for a couple of reasons- each frame hangs straight and doesn't get crooked, and it's easier to adjust them as needed to make sure the grid is perfectly lined up. All I had to do is make sure each row was level horizontally when hanging them, then I had some wiggle room to move each frame to the left of right if needed to line them up vertically. Just make sure to leave some room to the left and right of each set of nails so you can move them back and forth if needed (don't put each nail right where the corner of the frame would be so you can't move it sideways).
For the past several years I've switched out the artwork to these Christmas prints for the holidays, such a fun way to multiply the holiday cheer around here. I have 20 prints in my grid and there are only 12 Days of Christmas prints, so I filled in the others with lettered advent scripture cards.
As an afterthought many years later, I finally got smart and labeled my own little code of what position each frame hangs on the wall. Before I did that, I would have to pull up photos to remember exactly which picture went where (I laid both sets out strategically when I first arranged them) so this has been a big time saver when switching the prints out seasonally. So as shown below, this frame is #2 in the grid and at Christmas it's #18. If I had thought of this earlier I would have put the botanical print and Christmas print that go in the same position in the same frame, but... this works too!
And one more tip about switching the prints out seasonally... I keep both prints stored in the frame and just pop the backs open and switch whichever one I want to the front, then close them back up and rehang. That keeps me from having to store them elsewhere and makes it quick and easy to make the transition. I shared a video on Instagram here demonstrating my process if you'd like to view.
OK, so let's talk botanical artwork! This is the botanical book I used. These days it can be hard to find or really fluctuate in price, so I've rounded up some other great book possibilities below for botanical art on a budget. Etsy also has some beautiful prints available to purchase and inexpensive digital botanical prints that you can purchase then print yourself, so there are lots of options for artwork depending on the level of DIY you want to do. 😁 I linked a few of my picks below that I think would make a beautiful botanical gallery wall!
SOURCES:
Click the right and left arrows to see more options.
Botanical Books for Artwork
Print Sets Available to Purchase (Unframed)
Digital Download Prints
Christmas Artwork and Scripture
Bulk Gallery Wall Frame Options
Other Supplies Used for this Project
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I am so excited to see this! I’ve been following your blog for years and now that I have my own house I’ve been thinking about it more often. Thrilled to see that you keep your decor so fun!
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