Cool Ideas: Pix Stick

Do you have problems hanging your pictures where you want them? Do your wall groupings look like they were hung by a blind man? Do your walls look like this?

(Kay, I'm sounding like an infomercial now! lol!) I had this same problem forever and I hated it! There is nothing more upsetting than trying to hang pictures up on a wall and having them look crooked and ill spaced!!

Here's a really simple solution that I've been using for several years now. I call it my "Pix Stick".

All you need is a paint stick and a screw  or nail (like my artwork?).

 Now I know you're wondering "How the heck is a paint stick and a screw gonna help me hang my pictures?" When you find out, you'll be thinking "Brilliant!".

As you can see, there's a screw "screwed" into one end of the stick.

You'll want as short a screw or nail as you can get and insert it about half way into the stick. Instead of putting the screw in so far down like mine (my stick split at the top cuz someone stepped on it so I had to lower the screw), you might wanna screw it in closer to the edge but not too close cuz the stick might split or break. I'd say screw it in about an inch from the end of the stick.

K, here's the back of a picture frame. Locate the picture "hanger". 

Another common hanger is a sawtooth hanger. (not all hangers look the same but the pix stick will work with all types of hangers)

Place the picture frame hanger over the head of the screw like you're hanging it.

It should look like this.

Pic 1                                                     Pic 2

While firmly holding the handle of the stick, put the picture against the wall. As you can see, you can either hold from the bottom (pic 1) or from the side (pic 2). Yes, I had a hard time holding the stick and taking pictures at the same time so I had my baby help me. See his chubby arms!

The "flatness" of the paint stick is ideal for getting the frame against the wall as close as possible to the way it would really look as if it were hanging on the wall itself.
 

Place your picture (on the stick) against the wall where you would like it to hang until you are satisfied with the placement. Press lightly but firmly against the frame (over the screw) to make a little mark on the wall. If you are hanging more than one picture, while the 2nd picture is on the stick against the wall, pay attention to placement by looking at 2 things. 1, you're going to see if pictures are horizontally level and 2, you're going to see if pictures are equally spaced.

Here I am pressing firmly against the frame at about the area of the screw to make a small mark on the wall.

The mark made by the screw is exactly where you will be putting your nail in the wall to hang your picture.

Your frame should hang nicely in the exact spot you "chose".

Here's a peek at some of the groupings in my home.

my kitchen entryway

My foyer

My livingroom

downstairs hall

my room

The loft

 

Soon, you will have all your plaques, clocks, picture frames and wall decor hanging so perfectly on the wall that they'll look like they got hung by a professional! The pix stick will be a wonderful, handy addition to your arsenal. It is one of the most utilized tool in my own arsenal. I really don't know what I would do without it! (I'd probably have way more holes in my walls than I'd like)

Happy Hanging!

Brandi-Lee

My Arsenal! Dum-duh-dum-dum!

I thought you all might wanna know what my "arsenal" consisted of. In the dictionary, one definition of arsenal is: "A store or collection of weapons". I will introduce you to my "store" or "collection" of weapons "Muahahahaha!" <==my evil laugh! Before I begin, I just wanted to point out that everything I have in my arsenal, has either been given to me, been found, been recycled, been bartered, or has been bought. . .for as little as possible.  Also, all my "stuff" didn't just appear in my house overnight, they were acquired over time, a little here and a little there until one day, WHAM! I have enough stuff to finish a project without actually having to go to the store or borrowing from someone. I am still not done acquiring. . .that will probably take a lifetime.

OK, here I go. . .first up, power tools!

Oooh! Imagine having a buttload of power in the palms of your hands! That's what it feels like using one of these babies. Yes, the power tool section of my arsenal is tiny but remember, I'm not yet done acquiring. On my list to Santa are things like: Table saw, miter saw, belt sander, and an air compressor with a pneumatic nailer. Now that's one expensive list!

If using a circular saw seems a little scary to you, let me tell you something that scares the living daylights out of me! "Waiting until your husband actually has the time or the desire to do it for you!" Now THAT'S scary!

Next up. . . .regular hand tools & other stuff

Yes, there are lots of tools & odds and ends in this section. Although the tools I use depend on the job I am doing, I'd have to say that the ones I use the most here would have to be the screwdriver, screws, measuring tape and pliers. (missing: my staple gun-a "friend" was borrowing it)


OK, now on to one of the most important tools in my arsenal, PAINT!

Once again, pretty small. I love the "inexpensiveness" of the Walmart spraypaint. Just 98 beautiful cents each! My other paints are either leftover from housepainting or given to me from friends or bought for pennies from random garage sales. Does the paint you use matter? Hmmm, good question. I'd say "yes" and "no". It probably does matter when you're thinking about using a piece like, say a "table". You'd probably want to seal it with a topcoat paint because of the amount of wear it will be getting and also the amount of moisture that will come into contact with the surface. It also probably matters on whether or not a certain paint "covers" well or if you need to "prime" something first. Remember that a primer (first coat) is a sealant and will help "seal" new surfaces and will also help paint adhere to the surface better.

As for the "no" part, I think it wouldn't matter If you were decorating YOUR house and you wanted to do it inxepensively and quick (I'm not talking about using spray paint for your walls even though I've seen it done before). I did my living room dresser with spray paint and It came out ok. That was almost a year ago and it still looks great. The best thing about it though is that my kids chipped off so many pieces on the bottom of it. . .and not little chips, gigantic hand-sized chips. Holy Cow! Did I sit there and cry about how much $ and how many hours  I spent on refinishing it? Nope. I just got the spray paint out again and sprayed it, a 5 minute fix. That's the beauty of decorating for little to no $.

I do want to point out though that if you want to paint a surface, you need to either test it out for adherance (or in other words, to see if the paint will stick to the surface) or sand the surface like heck!

OK, last but certainly not the least in my arsenal are my CRAFT supplies!

(missing: my glue gun and staple gun-a "friend" was borrowing it)

Well, what do I have to say about this one. . . . .I guess nothing except that acquiring and having the right tools on-hand will make decorating your home "funner" (like my word?) and easier.

Happy Decorating!  Brandi-Lee