Cost: About $118 | Level of difficulty: If you can trace and cut, this is for you. | Materials: Sheets of wrapping or art paper; LP album frames or scrapbook page frames (ours came from Michaels); pencil; scissors; tape measure

HOW TO

1. Pick your paper: Look for a color theme that runs through all papers. And, most important, look for variations in scale. We used small-scale, medium-scale and oversized prints.

2. Open a frame and take out the backing: Place the backing on the back of one sheet of paper and trace around it. Cut along the lines to get a frame-size piece of paper. Repeat until you have enough pieces to fill all of your frames. Place one piece of paper into each frame.

3. To hang, lay your framed paper on the floor, arranging the patterns to your liking: Once you've settled on a design, start hanging each frame, starting with one of the lower corners. Hang the bottom row of frames first, then keeping consistent spacing of your choosing, work your way up. (Our grid is hung with 1 inch of space between frames.)

TIPS

• Hanging is the hardest part.

• Measure carefully, to center your piece on the wall and to maintain the right spacing between frames.

Star Tribune, Star Tribune
Samples of wall decor. Art by Kim Yeager.

• Try a laser level to mark a line on the wall for each row.

ALTERNATIVES

Instead of paper, try using fabric or pieces of maps. Or print letters in enormous sizes in any typeface for framing.