Paint Sample Wall Hanging

One of my (many) house projects is to decorate our guest room. This may sound somewhat simple, but I have a slight complication. You see, the guest that's here most often is Mr. 31's 10 year old brother, but the room also has to be suitable for grown ups. So, I've decided to decorate the room in shades of blue, using metal washers as accents. That way, it can look polished enough for adults, but in a fun, funky way suitable for a 10 year old Star Wars fan.

One of the first projects was a wall hanging. Inspired by the Iron Crafters challenge from Fireflies and Jellybeans, I decided to make it out of paint samples and washers.

I started by gathering paint samples in the shades I wanted: Ink Drop, Blue Corn Chips, Lazy Day, City Gray, and White (in Kilz brand).

Then I purchased 1 inch wide washers, navy blue satin ribbon, and fishing line.

I started the process by punching circles out of the paint samples using a 1 inch punch. I got 4 circles out of each sample. Then I punched 2 holes in each circle using a safety pin, unless the circles were going to be on the top or bottom line, in which case it got 3 holes.

Next I laid out the pattern I wanted (the hanging measures roughly 24 inches by 18 inches).

I then strung the top and bottom lines of the design using the fishing line and secured the line using hot glue.

I assembled the rest of the hanging upside down. I found out it much easier to assemble that way so I could glue without having to flip each piece over.

Once all the paint sample circles and washers were strung together (and my back was sufficiently sore from bending over it!), I decided to glue some smaller circles from the paint samples onto some of the circles to make it a little more interesting. Then I strung the navy ribbon through the 4 washers on the top line. The hanging will hang from those ribbons when I actually hang it.

I'm happy with the results. It's fun and different, and will add a nice touch to the guest room. Also nice: the cost. The total was roughly $8.00, though that's the total cost with the fishing line and ribbon, both of which I have lots left over.

I'll be linking with Fireflies and Jellybeans' Iron Crafters contest and also the usual suspects on my link party page.