How to Turn Your Vacation Photos into a Gallery Wall That Even the Property Brothers Will Love (in 5 Kind of Easy Steps)

Have you been wondering what to do with all of your vacation photos? I’ve made scrapbooks and photo books, which were great, but they sit on the shelf, just like they had been sitting in my phone. When we moved into our new house, the huge staircase wall was so empty and I wanted to do a gallery wall, but of what? Then I remembered all of our travel photos! We happen to be a tad Disney crazy, so ours is a Disney Travel Wall, but the “how to” applies to any gallery wall. So how do you do it? Here are 5 “kind of easy” steps!

1. Decide on photos and have them printed

I like to use Walmart for my photo printing when I have a large amount to print. They’re 12 cents a photo and the quality is just fine for most projects. You’ll want to print them in different sizes and orientations to create visual interest.

2. Begin collecting frames, signs, memorabilia, vinyl sayings and/or floating shelves

Because our wall was so huge, I needed a LOT of frames! So I shopped at thrift stores, the Dollar Tree, Walmart, and Facebook Marketplace. You can use the same color of frame for all the photos, or use varying colors. I chose to do white, black, and woodgrain. The orientation doesn’t matter because we’re not going to use nails (more on that later.)

For signs and memorabilia, I searched Hobby Lobby, Etsy, and vintage stores, and of course, I used things that I had accumulated from all of our trips.

I was able to find an awesome vinyl saying on Etsy that I used directly in the center. I wish I had chosen a larger size, so it’s good to measure out how large of a space you want to cover (approximately.) Don’t limit yourself to just wooden signs, metal signs are great too! I chose ones that were Disney themed as well as general travel themes. I also found the most adorable personalized directional signs on Etsy. Here is a link to an example or you can search “customized directional signs with miles.” Then go to google maps and calculate the distance from your home to the destination and enter that info under “personalization.”

I considered using longer floating shelves, but ultimately decided on three smaller ones. Be creative with what you put on your shelves! I used everything from the Kleenex holder below to salt and pepper shakers shaped like a Disney Cruise ship!

3. Trace EVERYTHING onto brown craft paper and start placing on the wall

This is the most time consuming part (and the reason I make a “kind of easy” disclaimer. You’ll want to trace every single item onto brown craft paper and cut each one out. Be sure to write on the paper what photo or item it represents. And if it’s a photo, you’ll want to write if it’s portrait or horizontal and what color the frame is (THIS IS IMPORTANT!) Once you have everything traced and cut out, you can start hanging them on your wall with blue painters tape, washi tape, or Frog Tape… anything that won’t peel your paint. Don’t worry about hanging the pieces of paper perfectly straight. They’re just place holders.

Begin in the MIDDLE (THIS IS ALSO IMPORTANT!) Start with the biggest items first (or the ones you want to be showcased.) I started with the vinyl sign in the middle, then began placing cut outs of all of the signs, memorabilia, and shelves. Keep in mind what you’re putting on the shelves. If you’re putting something tall on the shelf, you’ll want to take that into consideration. I just used my shelves at the top of the wall.

Then you can start filling in spaces with 8×10’s, then 5×7’s, then the 4×6’s. You’ll want to spread out the horizontal from the portrait. You don’t want a huge section of one orientation. And, if you’re using different colors of frames, you’ll want to pay attention to that as well. This might take awhile, depending on how many photos you have, so be patient. It will be worth it!

4. Put velcro 3M Command Strips on the back of everything

I did NOT want 4,000 small holes in my humongous wall so I decided to use command strips. I used two small ones on the 4×6 and 5×7’s and two larger ones on the 8×10’s and smaller signs. The larger, heavier signs, I did use nails. When using the Command Strips, I attached the pieces of velcro together then removed the side that did NOT say “attach to wall” to the frame.

5. Begin placing everything on the wall

Finally, you can begin placing everything on the wall! It’s helpful to have an assistant for this step. One person should put the item on the wall and the other should use a level to make sure it’s straight. Take down the brown craft paper, one piece at a time. Carefully stick the item to the wall WITHOUT pushing down hard and check with the level to make sure it’s straight. If it’s not straight, just pull it off and adjust it. If you haven’t pressed down too hard, it will easily detach from the wall without damaging the paint. Once you know it’s level, press it down hard and hold for a few seconds.

That’s it! Now you can step back, admire your wall, and pat yourself on the back for your hard work. At the time I did my wall, my husband was a Production Executive at HGTV, working on Brother vs. Brother. He showed Drew Scott, a fellow Disney-o-phile, the completed wall. He LOVED it and said he was going to do one too! Now THAT is a stamp of approval!

Happy hanging! 🙂