There’s a certain minimalist/bauhaus inspired wall hanging photo display showing up in the most stylish home photos. The original is beautifully designed, simple, clean and made of brass. I love it but it’s pricey and I can’t quite justify the purchase, so DIY it is.
My version features a reversible weight with a choice of wood or faux marble. The faux marble bit is made with Sculpey and you can even make a few versions and switch them out, just use double sided tape or thin velcro to attach the Sculpey to wood.
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You’ll need:
- 5″ Round Wooden Plaque
- Sculpey in the color(s) of your choice
- Standoff Screws + hardware for hanging
- 5 feet of Black String
- 3/4 inch Cotter Pins – Pick them up in 3s at Home Depot or grab them in bulk at on Amazon
- Parchment Paper
- Rolling Pin
- Scissors
- Drill
- Hot Glue Gun + Glue
Start by making the disc that will act as the weight that holds the string nice and tight. I wanted a faux marble look so I used 2 20z blocks of white Sculpey and less than one bar of elephant gray from a 2oz block. For black marble, use 2 blocks of black plus a little ball of white.
I found the best method for creating a marbled look in this post by Homey Oh My. Roll your base color into log then add your accent color in little blobs, creating a polka dot effect. Twist to stretch out and blend your accent color into the base color, then roll it all into a ball. Don’t over mix! You’ll ruin it.
Flatten the ball out on parchment paper using a rolling pin. Roll your Sculpey out into a circle with a diameter of about 5 1/2″ and about 1/4″ thick. Carefully peel your circle off the parchment paper and check out both sides. Pick your favorite and place that side face down. Pick up your wooden plaque and place the beveled edge side down on your Sculpey patty and press. Next, carefully run one blade of your scissors around the edge of the plaque, cutting your Sculpey to match the wood circle. Remove the excess.
Carefully smoosh and pinch the edge of your Sculpey disc so it wraps around the slated edge of the wood and forms a flat edge. You want to mimic the disc on the other end while leaving that neat little channel between the two. That’s where the string will go. Trim any excess as you go and finish by smoothing out the surface and sides with your rolling pin.
Bake the Sculpey + wood combo on a parchment paper lined baking sheet in your oven according to the package directions. I baked mine for 15 minutes at 275 degrees. The internet told me it’s safe to bake wood with Sculpey in the oven, it’s a pretty low temperature for a short time. Be safe and open up windows and doors to ventilate the area. Baking the wood may cause some moisture to seep out and add some slightly darker spots to the wood. Didn’t bother me. Let the piece cool completely before touching, moving or messing with it. The Sculpey has to dry and cool attached the wood or it’ll shrink and will fit perfectly no longer.
Once your disc has dried, pop the Scupley off the wood and place glue, double sided tape or velcro on the wood. Reattach and let dry, if using glue.
Whew. The rest is pretty simple!
Find your 3 Standoff Screws. Each piece is actually 3 pieces. Unscrew each and hold onto the metal bits, discarding the plastic spacer. The set I ordered didn’t include mounting hardware, so I searched my miscellaneous IKEA screw collection and found screws that fit inside the metal tube and were the right length to go into my wall. Mark the center of your wall and then mark a spot on either side, 15 inches out for a total width of 30 inches. Guys, make them level. Use a string, a pencil and a level to mark out your 3 spots. If you’re using anchors, drill holes for those where you made your marks and have at it. Put the screw inside the metal tube and screw it into the wall, locking the metal tube in place. Repeat for all 3! Screw on the front metal piece, leaving a small gap. That’s a where your string is gonna go.
Now it’s time to attach your string to your disc. Put a small dab of glue in the channel between the wood piece and the Scupley piece. Place the end of your string there, let it dry a sec, and wrap the string the rest of the way around. Secure the area where the two ends of string meet and let it dry.
Thread your cotter pins onto your string. Let the disc dangle and draw the string over all 3 Standoff Screws and secure the string to the screw farthest from the disc. Nice!
Space out your cotter pins and start adding photos.
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