Hanging around....

this is a repost from my old blog. I am on a bit of a vaca... Where's a stud when you need one? When I want to hang a larger mirror or picture, I always seem to be by myself.. This mirror was an awesome deal at the Hob Lob. Now, I am no professional at all, but I wanted to share the method that I use with you for marking out to hang larger objects, especially when they have those two inset hanging holes (Which I hate) instead of one wire or a saw tooth bar (which I love...) and have to do it by yourself with out some one else to spot for you. This avoids all of the extra measuring and guess work and re- drilling in case your measurements are just a little off...I hope I explain this clearly! And if you have any doubt, please err on the side of safety... I would hate to hear that one of my blog reader's perished while decorating. First, use a stud finder to see if there are any studs underneath and to make sure there's no electrical or plumbing running under where you are going to drill. That would be very bad. My brother once drilled through a plumbing line, thank goodness it wasn't electrical! Not a good thing. If you have a stud, that's great,use it! But my studs never seem to run under where I want to hang the heavy stuff or are around when I need them. So, I used wall anchors ( we also call them Molly bolts, I'm not sure why..) and very long screws because it was so heavy. These are the hangers I had to work with that were already on the mirror. First,mark on the wall at top of the mirror or picture in the center where you want it to hang. If there isn't some one to help you, you can cut the silhouette of the object out of a piece of newspaper and position that on the wall too (then just use that piece as your "map"..you'll see...) Then, You're going to make a "hanging map". Take a piece of paper with a straight edge. Any piece as long as it will run the entire length of the the back of the picture or mirror.. The biggest one I had was from a shirt box, which is why it's a bit crumply, but it's going to be thrown out any way... Er... I mean recycled...anyway. Tape it to the top and the sides so that it's well fitted and the straight line runs along the top of the mirror. Mark the center spot on the paper, and use a tape measure if needed. Once the paper is well fitted, Push a marker or pen into the very top of the hanger holes. Once you have both holes marked, take the paper off of the back of the mirror and re-tape it to the wall, lining up the two top center marks and the line and(very important) use a level to make sure the two holes are level with each other. Remember the top of your paper is the top of the mirror so don't place it any higher or lower. Once you are sure the marks are level, and your paper is taped and isn't going to move; Don full safety protection and drill right through the paper into the wall. Make sure the drill bit is big enough for the wall anchor to just go in. You wall anchor should have to be slightly hammered in; not just slip in. If you drill too big of a hole you'll need a bigger anchor and too small of a hole, a bigger drill bit and you'll break the anchor when you try to hammer it in. It's better to always start with a smaller bit and gradually go larger. Rip your paper down and hammer your wall anchors in. Do the same on the other side, learning from your mistakes from the first wall anchor ;) Once your wall anchors are in, you can screw your screws in. Look at the wall hangers on the back of the picture for guidance on how much screw to leave sticking out. Normally, it's really not a lot. Then you are ready to hang! ~Jen