In partnership with Modern Map Art.
Today I’m sharing something a little different! The toughest part of settling into our house has been decorating – sorting through the artwork that’s been hanging around since college, discovering new pieces that fit our home, and finding the right place for everything. None of it is wall-ready so I’ve been looking for simple ways to hang pieces without spending a fortune – this hanging wall frame costs less than $5 and is done in less than 15 minutes!My favorite pieces around the house highlight our love of adventuring and travel, and so of course I was thrilled when Jennifer from Modern Map Art reached out to see if I would be interested in sharing one of her city prints. Her artwork elaborates on the street grids & waterways of cities all around the world, showing the incredible stories of the city’s history, and I immediately fell in love with her gorgeous print of Berlin.
Understandably, Berlin might seem a bit random, so here’s the story:
The summer after college, my job sent me to Berlin for eight months. It was literally a dream come true – I lived on Burgemeisterstraße near Tempelhof, ate döner kebabs damn near every day, and hopped on the train after work to explore Europe. This was an absolutely golden summer for a girl filled with wanderlust who always dreamed of traveling the world.
Map of the Berlin U-Bahn marking my favorite spots in the city.
I loved Europe, I adored Berlin, I wanted to live there forever… except Kirk wasn’t with me. He visited me for a magical week in Italy from Venice to Sicily, and as soon as he landed he proposed – or really, he held out a ring, and I said “of course” before he could say a word.
After that there was no question about moving back to the States, but I’ve been a little bit homesick for Berlin ever since. It feels silly to say since I didn’t really live there, but my heart truly sings in that city.
The good news is that Berlin is still there, waiting, while we build our lives in Colorado. I absolutely love glancing up from my desk and being reminded of all the places we still get to go!
Back to the simple hanging frame – let’s get started!
First things first, measure your artwork. I chose the Berlin Street Map in white, 24 inches by 36 inches.
We only need four things for this project, three of which you likely already have around the house:
- 1/4 in. x 3/4 in. wooden screen door trim
- twine
- hot glue gun
- measuring tape
Furry assistant not required but highly recommended! Scout loves to be helpful.
To find the length of wood trim you need, take the horizontal width of your art, double it, and add 3 inches. The trim will be cut into two pieces, each 1 1/2 inches longer than the width of the art, so you’ll have 3/4 inch overhang on each side.
For example, my art is 24 inches wide, so I doubled it (48 inches) and added 3 inches (51 inches) which were cut into two 25.5 inch lengths.
Oak trim at Home Depot was just 84¢ per foot so my total was a whopping $3.57. They happily cut it into two 25.5 inch pieces for me so I didn’t even need to pull out the saw at home.
Mark 3/4 inch from each end of the trim on the flat backside. Line the trim up with the edge of your art, then quickly squeeze a thick line of hot glue between the marks.
Immediately flip the trim over onto the artwork so the marks line up with the edges and the rounded side of the trim is up. Carefully press the artwork flat from the center out to the edges. Repeat with the other side of the frame.
Flip the frame over and squeeze a glob of hot glue across the raw edges of the piece. This will keep it from pulling away from the wood and holds it slightly off the wall.
Measure and cut your twine to the final hanging length you want. For my 24 inch piece, I added 4 inches to attach it at each side (32 inches) and then another 8 inches of slack for hanging (40 inches total).
Take about 4 inches on the end of the twine and make a loop.
Slide the loop under the edge of the frame so the loose end is on the same side as the artwork…
…then thread the loose end plus the long strand through the loop and pull it snug.
Gently slide your first loop off the frame, then repeat with the other end of the twine for the opposite side of the frame. Once the second loop is secure, slide the first loop back onto its side.
And that’s it! No drilling, no hardware, done in 15 minutes from start to finish – and that includes warming up the glue gun!
I like the rustic look of leaving the loose ends free, but you can glue them down behind the trim for a cleaner finish.
Loving Jennifer’s map artwork as much as I do? You can find prints of dozens of cities & countries here! Of course I’m completely in love with Jennifer’s ski trail maps too, but I just can’t pick one – too many Colorado mountains to choose from.
Next on the house to-do list… painting that drab green wall a sunnier shade!
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