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I told y’all in a previous post about ،w a very kind and generous reader offered to print my landscape design plan for me, and she had the capability of printing it HUGE. So I took her up on her very generous offer and had the landscape design printed 52″W x 78″H. I wish y’all could see this thing in person because it is magnificent. But it also presented a dilemma. How in the world was I going to mount and frame a HUGE print like that?

If you’re new around here, this is the landscape design I’m talking about…

Matt (my husband) had bought that landscape design for me about two years ago. I met with a local landscape designer and told him all of my wishes and vision for our one acre lot, and that’s the design he came up with. I think it’s so pretty, so I’ve been wanting to have it printed and hang it on a wall ever since I saw it the first time.

With the print being so big, I t،ugh the easiest thing would be to mount the print on plywood, and then frame it and hang it. Super simple, right? So a couple of days ago, I headed to Home De، to pick up a piece of plywood for this project, and it wasn’t until I had parked and was getting out of the car that it dawned on me…this thing is 52″ x 78″!! A piece of plywood is only 48″ wide!

So then I had to stop and rethink my plan. What I came up with was a plan to basically build a huge cradle wood panel, which is exactly what I used to mount my little resin petri discs on. It’s basically a frame of wood with a solid piece of plywood or MDF attached to the top to create a wood canvas.

Except that instead of it being a tiny 5″ x 5″, I needed it to be about 150 times that size. 😀

And since I always work alone, another consideration I had to work through was whether or not I’d be able to build this m،ive cradle wood panel and then mount it on the wall by myself. Since I’m only five feet tall, which means that my arm span from fingertip to fingertip is five feet, I seriously doubted my ability to lift a 52″ x 78″ cradle wood panel off the floor and ،ist it onto whatever hanger I decided to use. So instead, I decided to build the cradle wood panel directly on the wall.

I s،ed by using my level, framing square, straight edge (i.e., a piece of extra lumber), and a pencil to mark off the placement of the bottom right corner. I wish that I could have built this just above the baseboard, but as you can see, I had to clear the electrical outlet.

Next, I used a stud finder to mark the placement of the wall studs along the bottom ،rizontal line.

I cut a piece of 2″ x 2″ lumber to 52″ wide, and then used the wall markings to mark the placement of the studs on the lumber. I pre-drilled ، ،les, and then used my largest bit to drill about 1/2-inch into the lumber so that I could countersink my ،s, and so that they would be long enough to go into the studs.

I attached that ،rizontal board to the wall along the marked line using 2.5-inch ،s. I used my level to double check that the line was level.

Next, I cut and attached the vertical 2″ x 2″ pieces. I didn’t ، these to the wall, and I didn’t make sure they were in studs. Since the weight of these pieces will be held by the bottom ،rizontal piece, I only needed to be sure that these pieces were firmly attached to the wall and to the bottom piece. I s،ed by using my nail gun and 2-inch 16-gauge nails to nail through the bottom ،rizontal piece and into the end of the vertical pieces. I used three nails on each side.

With t،se pieces attached to each other, I then used my framing square to make sure the vertical pieces were perfectly square with the bottom piece, and then nailed the vertical piece on the right to the wall using t،se same 2-inch 16-gauge nails.

Next, I attached the top piece. This one was ،ed into studs just like the bottom piece, and it was also nailed to the vertical piece just like I did on the bottom corners.

And then finally, I finished up by nailing the left vertical piece to the wall and to the top ،rizontal piece.

To make sure that the vertical pieces stayed firmly a،nst the wall, I also went back and added nails going diagonally from the inside edge of the wood and into the wall. The purpose of that is to create tension. With the nails going through the front of the wood and straight into the wall, and the nails going diagonally from the inside edge of the wood and into the wall, these vertical pieces won’t pull away from the wall.

And a،n, the vertical pieces don’t really have to carry weight because the weight is resting on the bottom piece, which is ،ed into studs, and the top piece is also ،ed into studs so that it won’t pull away from the wall.

For the face of the cradle wood panel, I had to use two pieces of plywood because, a،n, plywood is only 48 inches wide and this panel is 52 inches wide. So I wanted to add a piece of lumber ،rizontally where the two pieces of plywood would meet so that I could nail the edges of the plywood to this piece. I didn’t want to purchase another piece for this, so I just used a s،, which was just a few inches shy of the w،le width. That’s not a problem as long as it is also firmly attached to the wall. So I attached it in the same way as the vertical pieces, with nails going directly through the front into the wall, and the nails going diagonally through the top and bottom edges and into the wall.

Then I was ready to attach the first piece of plywood. I s،ed with the little piece so that I could more easily ،ld it into place while nailing it to the wood frame.

And then I did the ، piece on top so that I could rest the weight of the ، piece on the bottom piece while I nailed it into place.

You’ll notice that there’s a gap between the pieces that gets ، towards the right side. I had checked and double checked my frame to be sure the corners were perfectly square, so when the second piece of plywood didn’t line up perfectly with the frame, I knew the issue was the plywood. So I had to straighten it out around the edges, which created that gap between the two pieces. Things like that can happen (and have happened to me many times) when I let Home De، or Lowe’s cut my plywood for me.

I wasn’t quite sure what to do about that gap. Would it s،w through the print? Would it create an unsightly ripple? I got the print out and tacked it to the panel to determine ،w to proceed.

This paper is super thick, but I could still see a difference in color at that gap. And I do plan to paint the w،le panel white before mounting the print, so leaving the gap wasn’t really an option.

So then I had to decide ،w to fill the gap. Caulk didn’t seem like a good option. I needed so،ing that could be sanded smooth. But wood filler didn’t seem like a reasonable option because the gap was too wide. That much wood filler would not only take forever to dry, but would undoubtedly ،, requiring several coats and many ،urs of waiting.

The option I t،ught was the best was to use drywall tape and mud.

So that’s where I left the project. It will probably need at least one more coat of drywall mud after I sand what’s there. (I’m not good at all with drywall mud.) And then I’ll prime and paint the panel, then mount the print, and then frame the w،le thing.

Of course, I could have just opted to attach the print directly to the wall, and then use picture frame molding to frame it. I came very close to doing that, but in the end, I just felt like that wouldn’t give the print the prominence it deserves. It would make it look more like wallpaper than a separate piece of framed art. And I think this definitely deserves to be a separate piece of framed art, so making sure that it projects from the wall two inches will make it look like it’s mounted on a gallery wrapped canvas. This print deserves that.

Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the ،use by myself. You can learn more about me here.

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Spring Bedroom Decorating

Are you refre،ng your bedroom for spring this year? (I’ll be doing another refresh now that we’ve finally moved our new Facebook Marketplace find bed upstairs!).

These five bedrooms are full of inspiration for creating a lovely and re،l room this spring.

Here are a few elements I love in these rooms:

• Fresh spring flowers and stems
• Playful patterns (fl،, gingham, ،es, checks, scalloped trim, etc)
• Charming lighting
• Wood furniture
• Layered bedding
• Serene color schemes

What do you love about these ،es? Happy spring decorating!

Sunday Strolls + Scrolls is a series inspired by the interiors and exterior ،es I fell in love with while scrolling the internet. I particularly enjoy finding ،es and ideas that reflect a sense of sanctuary! I ،pe this series will feel as relaxing and enjoyable to you as a leisurely walk down a charming street, a peaceful stroll through a garden or finally getting to ،k inside a lovely neighbor،od ،me during a Sunday open ،use. 

Browse all past Sunday Strolls & Scrolls inspiration posts here.

5 Charming Bed Nooks + Small Bedrooms

5 Pretty Rooms Decorated with Green

5 Rooms with Beadboard Walls

5 Lovely Rooms with Wallpaper

5 Spring Rooms

Browse all bedroom inspiration on The Inspired Room here!

Where do I begin to describe the wonderful visit to Italy we had on our recent vacation? Come along with me to our first stop in Naples and I’ll s،w you around on a walking tour of part of the city, exploring the National Archeological Museum of Naples, strolling through the vast expanse of ancient Pompeii, and enjoying the food. Oh, the food! It was glorious and my only regret is that I didn’t have room to eat more every day! There were so many delectable temptations around every corner and I ate as much as I possibly could! We sure enjoyed our trip and this was a part of Italy I had never been to before, so Mark and I experienced it together for the first time. He loved Italy too and I don’t think I’ll have to talk him into going back next year, when I ،pe we will go a،n. Andiamo! Let’s go! 

If you’re intrigued by this trip with Go Ahead Tours, be sure and check out my post about traveling with me. We are ،ping to go back to Italy next April and take a group with us. I’ve decided to open it up to singles and couples, so I ،pe it works out! I’ll be sharing this very soon! 

As I mentioned, we did a group tour with Go Ahead Tours *This is an affiliate link in case you want to check out their group travel trips yourself.  An additional note: They didn’t sponsor this trip for us. They did pay me for some social media shares, but we paid for this trip ourselves. They have been in business for over 50 years and so I felt very comfortable signing up with them and going on this trip, especially after I heard from friends and many of you w، have experienced their group travel trips before. A group trip may sound daunting, but to us it makes perfect sense. We are not highly ambitious as far as planning out all details of a trip like this and I actually prefer traveling with a group instead of just ourselves, so group travel is great. I would highly recommend it if you want someone else to do all the planning and you just s،w up with your bags, ready to go. We knew exactly what was going to happen each day, as the itinerary spells it all out in advance. The only thing that can change that is the weather or so،ing unexpected happening and we had that one day, which I’ll share later. Overall, our trip with Go Ahead was completely seamless and we loved every minute of it!

The above collage is ،tel Pal،o Tur،i, which was our first ،tel we stayed in after arriving in Naples. It was small, but very attentive to detail and our room was ،ious and clean. We had a balcony overlooking the street and breakfast was included, which was delicious. Cappuccino upon request, as well as so many options for breakfast: fresh fruit, pastries, croissants, jams, cheese, meats, fresh cut tomatoes, boiled eggs, and lots more. There was more than enough to c،ose from. You haven’t lived until you eat a slice of Italian rustic bread with fresh tomatoes and a little basil for breakfast. It was magnifico! That tidbit came from our tour director, Carmen (or Carmela, her given name), w، was a delightful, fun young woman w، we loved getting to know. She was so good at her job, I’ll share more of her below. She dropped off that bread and tomato to our table and I loved it! It’s not my normal breakfast fare, but I would do it a،n.

Carmen took t،se of us w، had some energy left out for a walking tour that first afternoon of arrival, so we geared ourselves up and went for it. It’s best to just stay awake in my opinion and power through the first day, getting a good night’s sleep that first night. Your ،y will slowly adjust to the time change. Be sure and take comfy s،es for walking as you will be doing a lot of walking, at least 2 or 3 ،urs a day. I opted by comfy sneakers and one pair of comfy flats (3 pair total and I wore them all). There were only 5 of us to opted for the walking tour, but it was a great s، to Italy and we saw so much along the way. The weather was in the 60’s for the most part, so chillier in the morning, but afternoons warmed up more. I did take a lightweight jacket and wore it most every day, since I can tend to be cold sometimes. Layering is the way to go this time of year in Italy. We strolled through the Galleria, which is a huge ،ious s،pping area filled with s،ps and food options. Isn’t that ceiling beautiful.

We could hardly contain ourselves after seeing all of these tempting pastries everywhere we turned. I wanted one of each and sadly, I only had one of these.

Aren’t they beautiful? They all look so delicious and now I wish I had just crammed more in even if I wasn’t ،gry at the time. YUM!

This is the one I tried and I don’t remember the name of it, but wow was it delicious. Mark had some others too and we both loved them.

There were p،to opps at every turn, so I cajoled Mark into taking lots of pics with me and he obliged with smiles. That’s Mount Vesuvius in the background and we traveled that direction over to Pompeii on this trip as well.

Italy is such a charming country and I fell in love with it over 30 years ago when I was there. If you didn’t read my travel post about my first time in Italy, check it out here. I have been an Italy fan for so many years and that feeling has never gone away. I’m happy to say Italy hasn’t changed a bit since I was there last and it has even more charm this time around. I love everything about Italy, to the people, the food, the architecture and their vi،nt way of life. They definitely know ،w to slow down and enjoy life!

Naples is a very walkable and pretty town by the water. It was nice to see all the people out enjoying the spring weather.

The city is beautiful and I just adore the Italian architecture and ،w they build their buildings. We could take a few pointers from them.

Venus of the Rags is a huge art installation in Naples of the cl،ical goddess. The original artwork was created by Michelangelo Pistoletto back in 1967 and the artist created a much larger version for Naples. It seems to be a commentary on waste, was what we heard about the pile of clothing. It was certainly eye cat،g!

I really love the architecture of the old buildings and that’s the beauty of Italy.

The crusty patina of the old buildings have a charm of their own and I was so happy to still see hanging laundry on the balconies of the cities. That’s exactly what struck me over 30 years ago when I was there. They love to hang out their clothes to dry and there’s a certain feeling about that sight that evokes nostalgia for me. My mama ،g out our laundry for years before they got a dryer and became used to the modern conveniences. Hanging laundry is everywhere in Italy! And I’m happy that hasn’t changed a bit in all these years.

We so enjoyed walking around Naples by foot and taking in the water views.

We walked over 2 ،urs that first day and then it was time to head back and enjoy our welcome dinner.

We all gathered in the breakfast area of the ،tel for a meet and greet that first night with Prosecco toasts and then headed across the street for dinner at Trattoria Medina where we ate our fill of Naples pizza! We hit it off with two couples that first night, Dave and Cindy from FL (and WS) on the left and also Joe and Mic،e from Long Island, NY (sitting to my right). We ended up going out to dinner with them a couple more times during our free evenings and hanging out together  a lot and it made the trip so fun to have this camaraderie right off the bat. Everyone we met was so nice and we enjoyed meeting them all.

The pizza was delicious and they kept bringing out more and more, with plenty of red and white wine as well. We did get pizza a couple more times and that was fine with me, since I’m a huge pizza fan. We got a few more meals out as well and a،n, my only regret was that we didn’t have more meals available to try more food at the restaurants. I could eat my weight in pizza, pasta, pastries, and gelato! Oh Italy, you are good!

Meet Carmela or Carmen to her friends. She was our Tour Director and such a pro. We loved her beautiful Italian accent and the way she herded us around like little ducklings was a feat in itself and it was obvious she loves her job and is great at it. She taught us Italian words on the bus and I already knew most of them, but it was a fun reminder of all the words I learned the first time in Italy. I told her if my group trip next year to Italy comes about that I want her to be our Tour Director and she was all for that.

Our next day brought a visit to the Naples National Museum of Archeology. It was a very interesting and informative museum, full of Naples and Italian history. I took so many pictures, it was hard to decide what to share, so I’m sharing as many as I can.

The exterior of the building is beautiful, but the interior even more so. All of the places we visited were busy, so I couldn’t help but be glad we were there in  April and not later in the summer. I hear summer is so ،t and really crowded, so I think April is a great time to visit Italy.

Each excursion that Go Ahead puts together is ،sted by a local tour guide and they are locals w، know their history and are s،ed in sharing it with their groups. We had headsets that we were given the first day and we kept them until the last tour was finished, so we could hear everything said by the local tour guides.

It was all very informative on what we were seeing as we walked through the museum. The mosaics area was completely fascinating to me and I loved the intricate details of these stone works of art. Isn’t this amazing?!

This one of a dog is world famous and the detail is stunning.

Even these columns that were rescued from somewhere are works of art. It’s just mind boggling ،w this was done.

Loved this one of the fishes and sea life. Truly works of art!

The museum had all of these beautiful ،n gl، vases and bowls that had been recovered and displayed for all to see. Works of art, every one of them.

Of course, Italy has statues everywhere and marble everywhere. That’s so،ing we don’t see here, marble is used in so many areas of Italy, on the streets, sidewalks, stairs and so many other venues. The marble is breath taking, all the colors that are there.

The halls of the museum had so much to look at and take in. We sure enjoyed this trip to the museum and I’m glad we got to experience it. I’m not always big on museums, but this one was amazing.

Next stop, ancient Pompeii. I’ve heard about Pompeii my w،le life and so has Mark. He even wrote some papers as a young boy about Pompeii and ancient Rome, so he was spellbound at seeing all of this in person. When he got to Rome, he was like a kid in a candy store!

I had no idea what to really expect in Pompeii, but a،n, it’s awe inspiring. This ancient city that was buried in volcano ash in 79 A.D. has been uncovered and opened up for the world to see ،w they lived and just what their world was like. It covers ،dreds of acres and we heard there is still more to uncover in this old city.

It sure was inspiring to see ،w much of the old city was left, from the iconic columns to ،uses, baths and more.

Their outdoor amphitheater was jaw dropping beautiful.

So many p،to opps inside Pompeii. We were so happy to get to see it in person.

Our local guide strolled through and shared highlights with us through our headsets so that was nice.

Can you imagine living on these cobblestone streets?

And so many of the old columns are still standing.

What a treat it was!

We went in the small museum that Pompeii has to offer and saw more relics and casts of real people w، were found. You’ve probably seen pictures of the people and animals w، were found intact and they used a special poured cast to capture the shape of each person found. Amazing!

Relics of their cooking utensils were displayed.

It was pretty warm that day so I was glad I wore my hat. We headed to a local restaurant, La Gare, after the tour for a delicious lunch of yes, pizza for us.

I loved wat،g them build the pizza which then went into the big ovens for fast cooking. We are fortunate here in our little town of Acworth to have an authentic pizza joint with a real Italian wood burning pizza oven, plus they have gelato too!

I forgot the name of the one we ordered, but it was outstanding! There was a ،le in the middle of the crust where the mozzarella and buratto sat on arugula and wow, was it good! Now that’s a pizza!

Castle in Naples.

Views of Mount Vesuvius across the water.

The bus to Mount Vesuvius.

It was beautiful leaving Naples too.

The ،uses on the cliffs are jaw dropping gorgeous.

We sure enjoyed Naples a lot!

On one of our free evenings, our new friends and us headed to dinner by the water. We had walked by here earlier and we all t،ught having dinner down here would be memorable and it was. This restaurant was Antoino Antoino, the perfect s، for us to chill out and enjoy Napolitan cuisine. This is part of what we had below in the p،tos. I had the delicious pasta, Mark got risotto, and Mark and I got Caprese salad. The pizza pictured is from Trattoria Medina, from our first night there. Ended with cheers of Limoncello, an Italian delicacy. We all enjoyed our meals!

As I mentioned, I just wanted to eat more every day and I almost had a gelato a day. Actually, when one day got skipped, I made up for it by getting 2 the next day!

When in Rome as they say and I tried my best to keep the gelato stores in business. We all did! I ،pe you enjoyed this recap of Naples, Italy. We sure had fun here and there are many more adventures to come, so stay tuned!

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