I like to think of our hallway frame wall as an ongoing project—art in the frames can change whenever the mood strikes. But one small slot always bothered me: a photostrip placeholder that we’d taped up temporarily. It was functional, but far from finished. Could you tell which one I mean?
Instead of leaving a photostrip on office paper taped into place, we decided to make something a little more intentional. Our plan was simple: buy a small piece of craft wood, cut it to size, paint it, and mount the photostrip or a design on it so the opening wouldn’t look like a scrap of paper held up with painter’s tape.
We picked up a narrow craft board at Lowe’s for a couple of dollars and used the paper placeholder as a template to mark where to cut. Then I took the plank to my workshop and trimmed it down on the miter saw. The cut was quick and tidy—just the sort of small woodworking fix that makes a temporary solution into something permanent.
While I had the small board in hand, an idea came to me from an episode of Secrets of a Stylist: she used floral decals as a stencil, painted over them, and peeled them away to reveal a delicate pattern. I liked that technique, but I wanted something personal rather than floral. Since our relationship milestones fall on sevens—dating 7/7/05 and married 7/7/07—I decided to create a stencil of an ornate number seven and let the wood grain show through the numeral.
I found an ornate seven online, scaled it tall and narrow in Photoshop, and printed it on cardstock in a low-ink gray so the outline would be easy to cut. To make a makeshift stencil, I covered the board completely with painter’s tape, pressing it down firmly so the edges were sealed. This prevents paint bleed and keeps the stencil lines crisp.
Next I taped the printed seven loosely on top of the taped board and used an X-Acto knife to cut through both the cardstock and the painter’s tape. I pressed firmly so the cut would score the wood slightly, which actually helped define the edges of the number. When the paper guide came off, I peeled away the tape where the number would show the wood grain.
I took a moment to press down the remaining tape again, especially around the edges, to avoid any paint seeping under the mask. Then I applied two thin coats of white paint—I used leftover Olympic semi-gloss trim paint. Painting in two light coats helps avoid drips and keeps the finish smooth.
Before the second coat fully dried, I carefully peeled up the stencil. Removing the tape while the paint is still slightly wet makes for a sharper edge and a neater reveal. Underneath, the wood grain showed through the cut seven, contrasting subtly with the white-painted surface around it.
After the paint cured for a few hours I attached a small sawtooth hanger to the back and placed the plaque on the frame wall. The finished piece feels like a natural fit: it’s personal, handmade, and ties into the other pale wood tones on the wall. We loved the result far more than the photostrip placeholder it replaced.
The cost was minimal: the wood board was under $2 and everything else—tape, paint, the printed template—was already on hand. If I did it again, I might choose a board with a more pronounced grain, or try staining or waxing the number for more contrast. For now the soft blonde tone works well with nearby items on the wall and feels intentionally understated.
Have you used painter’s tape as a stencil for wood art or glass etching? Or created a simple numeric or typographic piece to mark a meaningful date? We’re fond of small personal touches like this—subtle reminders of anniversaries and milestones that are cheap to make but rich in meaning. In our house, the numbers that have special meaning are 43, 14, and 7, and this little plaque is our way of celebrating the last one.
For more photos and a look at the full hallway wall, see the posts about our frame wall and the surrounding projects on the blog.