My Completed Family Tree Wall (well, kinda)

Let me just start by saying that there are tons of pictures in this post because its about my family tree wall.  That, hopefully, will include pictures of everyone on the family tree or at least all the ones I can muster up.  That is also why I say it is kinda completed.  I'm hoping to find more pictures as time goes on so it will always be a work in progress.

So here is the before picture from my family tree wall.

I knew I wanted a gray wall with some texture to it.  After lots of looking and hem hawin' around (that's a word, right?), I finally decided on this.

Ralph Lauren Metallic Paint in Iron Gate

I was looking around in Home Depot waiting for some great paint to jump out at me and then I saw the Ralph Lauren Suede paint.  It was exactly what I was looking for with just a touch a grainy texture to it to give it that suede look.  But then I thought about my sweet little dog that sheds entirely too much.  You can vacuum like a mad woman and then about 20 minutes later, you will still see a little dog hair tumbleweed rolling across the floor.  I was picturing one of those tumbleweeds stuck to the beautifully textured Ralph Lauren Suede paint so I put that swatch down.  Then right next to it was the Ralph Lauren Metallic paint.  I loved it so much that I couldn't stop staring at it.  I decided to go with the Iron Gate Color.


Do you want to see what it looks like?!?!?

We used a 3/8" nap roller cover for the first coat and a 9" sponge roller cover that also comes with the small sea sponge to make it easier to  get in those tight areas.  Home Depot makes it easy for you by having all those supplies right there next to the Ralph Lauren paint.  You really can't see the cool hammered metallic effect with all the frames on it so here are some pictures along the way.

My handsome husband likes to pretend that I rope him into doing all these projects but then he jumps in and takes over!  However it works out, I'm just glad he goes along with my craziness, no use fighting it anyway!

After the first coat

And a couple of closeups...

That's a neat trick I learned from my wonderful mom who will paint, wallpaper or reupholster anything that sits still long enough!  For this textured paint, we used a regular paint brush for the first two coats.  Then we used the small sea sponge on the last coast so the texture would be the same as the wall.  Having all the light switches and plates the same color as the wall helps your eye go straight to the focal point...the family tree.

I had my family tree fan chart printed for just a couple of dollars at a local print shop.   Here's a link to where I got mine.  Any time I get new information I pull it down off the wall and pencil it in.  I'm slowly but surely framing all the photos of ancestors.  Recently, I found (okay, Jamie found it) a box in his mom's attic with tons of family history information.  It's quite the treasure chest that certainly gave me a huge amount of information but also brought up more questions.  I definitely see post in the future about that box.  Even the writing on the box is a mystery.  Maybe someone could help me solve it!

Andrew Halvor Johnson and Martha Marie Husebye

Olga Marie Rydland and Donald Edward Lommen

I'm so happy with how this wall turned out.  I love how the old wood credenza and copper frames look against the gray wall.  Now I can't wait to get started on my next project for this wall.  Subway art with old family sayings...coming soon.  I think I can almost hear my husband's exasperated sigh as he reads this!