Neither Here Nor There, but Often Asked About

 [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="yes" overflow="visible"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"]Our office is a smidge on the eclectic side.  We have to make the most out of our space for storage reasons, I love the idea of upcycling, and it just fits my personality.  People seem to love the space.  I get random comments about various things, but I get a ton of questions about the plates on the wall.  One husband even exclaimed once, “That’s where she got that damn idea!”

For the record, I stole the idea from a boutique in the French Quarter in New Orleans.  I can’t remember the name of the place, but they had plates layered in big giant circles all throughout the store.  That’s a little too symmetrical for my style, but that’s where the idea was born.  Bonus points if you know the name of the store, it was near Café Du Monde.First, I collected a variety of plates.  I chose the blue and green palette to go with the office with bits of orange as an accent.  I like the idea of various sizes and shapes, mostly I just chose plates that I liked.  There wasn’t a real science to it at all.  No rhyme or reason, I simply had fun with it!Hanging them on the wall.[/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"]There are two options there.  I have done both and have a preference for one.  One option is to purchase the wire plate hangers from a store such as Michael’s or Hobby Lobby.  I quickly realized that with a number of plates, this quickly adds up.  In some cases, the hangers were more expensive than the price of plate!  I did it for the first plate setting I did, but I wanted a better option for the next ones.  I also did not like that you could see the wires on the hangers, and in some situations it made the plates sit in awkward ways.  I chose to make the artwork three dimensional, so if you don’t do it that way, you may not have an issue.After I collected some additional plates and made the decision to make a couple more placements, I wanted a better option and one that wasn’t going to break the bank.  I scoured Pinterest, and there are several options for sale, but I was looking at 40+ plates, so at a couple of bucks a pop, that would add up quickly.  There were people that made their own versions with felt, paperclips, and various other things.  This seemed like entirely too much work in the effort of saving a couple of dollars.[/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"]What I finally discovered was simply gluing d-hooks onto the back of the plates.  While there was a cost in purchasing the d-hooks, they are not as cheap as paperclips, it was minimal.  I found nifty little variety packs at Lowe’s that made purchasing them actually more economical.  From my research, I found that the E6000 glue was going to be the best option to use. 

Placing the hook below the edge, will allow the plate to hang flat against the wall.

     [/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"]I then played around with the plate placement on the ground.  I found for me that placing the center, then 2 corners helped me find a placement that I liked.  Of course, do what works for you!  I took a picture of my layout and then began hanging the plates on the wall.  I started with the ones that would be against the wall.  I then would place the filler plates around those.  This is where the picture really helped.   If a plate needed some help to “float” I would simply put a smaller nail behind it to help balance it off a plate that was behind it.#29 in the 31 in August Blogging Challenge

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