Easy and Affordable Gallery Wall from Canadian House and Home

We have an incredibly loooong wall in our living/dining room that is begging for something fabulous and statement-making.  Definitely requires art that can fill the space and warm up our dining room without being too visually cluttered.  It is such a wide wall that the idea of hanging a painting (even an enormous one) seems kind of futile because it would appear to be a teeny dot in a sea of neutral plaster. 

I have thought about framed wallpaper panels, which could still be an option...

Canadian House and Home.

Southern Living.

Barrie Benson.

However, I truly believe that the perfect solution would be a gallery wall of black and white family photos, nifty art work and sketches, and maybe a small mirror or objet d'art. That being said, gallery walls require some serious planning as well as lots of frames.  I am all about the serious planning (and use of kraft paper templates), but, with no access to Ikea, that could be a $2K project for us (it is an enormous wall, I'm telling you!)  It will happen, but just not right. this. second. 

Love this art work gallery wall. 

Please advise me of the source if you know. 

This is a favorite gallery wall, too.  Courtesy of hgtv.com

Cottage Living.  Of course. 

hgtv.com

All of this being said, I recently came across this article and image on Canadian House and Home's website.

I loved this "grand yet affordable display using snapshots"

The accompanying article is so simple and easy, I included the text below:

House & Home Style Editor Stacey Smithers created this low-cost answer to a large-scale art investment by tacking black-and-white snapshots to a white-painted corkboard. Quirky and oh so personal, the two-tone collage presents a variety of photos as a single work of art and the images can be easily switched up on a whim.

Step 1

Choose a wood-framed oversize corkboard from an office supply store.


Step 2


Prime and paint the board and frame the same colour as the walls for a floating effect.


Step 3


Collect photos. Stacey re-sized her pics slightly smaller than the standard 4x6 for a more distinct look before transferring them to black and white, cropping and printing them with white borders.


Step 4


Tack on photos with clear pushpins. We arranged them in a quasi-pyramid, but feel free to get creative.

I think this project is stellar, especially for an office, kitchen or more casual photo display.  I have decided to tackle it for our den instead of previously mentioned gallery wall.  I am THINKING that I will do the small black and white photos on a canvas (painted white), though, and modge podge them to it for a more "finished" and permanent look.  Of course, I will show you the results! 

Thanks to Canadian House and Home for this inspirational idea.  If you try it, show me your efforts!

Cheers,

JSH

P.S.  I just had a panic attack.  I heard that The Real Housewives New Orleans is currently filming.  I really have nothing else to say except "Holy cat fight!"  I am DYING for any dets.  If you know any, I hope you are not witholding on me!