Can't wait for Part 2? The full tutorial is right here. But we'd love for you to stay and hear the whole story first. 💕

Every great gallery wall starts somewhere. For Jonathon, it started at the thrift store, with an eye for potential that most might walk right past.

Here's what he came home with:

✨ Dutch wooden clogs

✨ Square scalloped aluminum kitchenware trays

✨ Enamel cookware bowls

✨ Small basket trays and woven baskets

✨ Hardback books

✨ A small battery-operated alarm clock

✨ Shadow boxes

✨ A wooden rolling pin

✨ Scrap timber board

This project is a masterclass in how IOD products work together across collections. We'll see old favorites alongside new releases and see how they become layered and combined in ways that feel unique and unexpected.

Here's everything Jonathon reached for:

IOD Moulds

🎨 Cornucopias Mould NEW!

🎨 Oak Leaves and Acorns Mould

🎨 Autumn Cottage Mould (Retired)

🎨 Olive Crest ould

IOD Stamps

🎨 Apothecary Labels Mini Stamp Set

IOD Transfers

🎨 Winter's Calling Transfer NEW!

🎨 Brocante Transfer

🎨 Lover of Flowers Transfer

🎨 Winter Botanist Transfer (Retired)

🎨 Clementine Transfer

IOD Other

🎨 IOD Air Dry Clay

Rather than approaching the gallery wall as one big project, Jonathon built it piece by piece, with each thrifted find getting its own moment, its own transformation, its own IOD treatment. Here's a look at what he made and a few of the techniques worth knowing before you try this yourself.

We love how Jonathon looks at a pair of Dutch wooden clogs and sees gallery wall potential. 🤭

He uses the Olive Crest Mould along the edges of the clogs. The continuous, fine-detail leaf pattern is the perfect choice for a small curved surface like this.

A tip worth filing away:  scale really matters when pairing IOD castings to objects. Fine, continuous patterns work beautifully on smaller surfaces and curved edges, while larger, heavier motifs like the Oak Leaf and Acorn are better suited to flat statement pieces.

Jonathon applies wood glue sparingly along the mould edges to secure the air dry clay castings. Clean away any visible residue immediately before it dries and touches the natural wood finish.

We love this one. Smooth, non-greasy surfaces like aluminum trays and enamel cookware will take IOD transfers directly. No painting required. 😍

Jonathon applies transfers straight onto the clean metal surfaces for crisp, beautiful results. If you have been hoarding thrifted kitchenware and wondering what to do with it, this is your sign.

Basket trays with warm orange tones get toned down with chalk-style paint in cool neutrals to give balance. Jonathon dries each painted layer quickly with a hair dryer, which generates the most subtle, gorgeous crackling effect in the paint. A blend of clear and dark wax over the top highlights those crackles and softens the weave texture beautifully. 🙌

An old battery-operated alarm clock gets gutted, repainted to look aged and worn, and the backboard is replaced. With the inside painted white, Jonathon applies transfers onto the clock face, inside sides, and front glass. The layering of transfers on two different surfaces gives depth and truly engages your eye. You'd never know this was the same clock. 😍

We'll never overlook a hardback book at a thrift store again. 😅

Jonathon applies paper transfers directly onto open book pages, then uses vintage curtain clips and serrated bulldog clips attached to the top center pages to hold the pages open while providing a sturdy loop to hang the book from a nail. We love how charming this literary wall art piece is; it costs almost nothing and looks completely curated.

How fun to see a rolling pin as part of a gallery wall!

Jonathon uses a craft heat gun to remove the existing label cleanly before anything else touches the surface. From there, beautiful green and red berries from the Winter Botanist Transfer are applied to the barrel of the rolling pin. Now, with a touch of dark wax, Jonathon finishes the transfer by adding just enough to age and patina. The handles get a coat of paint to complete the piece. Simple, clever, and completely charming. 💕

Starting with a simple piece of timber, Jonathon builds a gorgeous base using a color wash, a thin coat of cream chalk-style paint mixed with water, and then removes any excess paint with a shop towel to leave a soft, translucent finish. One important note before you try this: make sure your timber is thoroughly dry before the transfer goes anywhere near it.

The clock face element from the Brocante Transfer goes on next. Jonathon deliberately overlaps it at the edges and places it off-center for a composition that feels artistic rather than literal. Reclaimed clock hands are added, and the birds from the Brocante Transfer are also added on top. He finishes it off with a gold treatment using gilding wax. Might be one of our favorite pieces on the wall.

The shadow boxes are where Jonathon's moulded castings really get to shine, and there's a color decision here that is worth paying attention to.

With so many warm autumn tones across the wall - the deep reds, burnt oranges, rich woods - Jonathon introduces duck egg blue as a cool accent color on the shadow box backdrops. It creates just enough visual contrast to keep the warm tones from becoming overwhelming and makes the castings pop most beautifully. He also brings it back again to paint the inside of those Dutch clogs! 🙌

Before a single casting gets glued down, Jonathon dry-fits everything, arranging all the painted and cured moulds on the backing first to find the perfect composition. One by one, each piece gets secured into place from that arrangement.

Ten plus pieces. One wall. And a beautiful gallery wall display we can't get enough of.

Part 2 is coming next week. Every piece in its place. The complete wall in all its gorgeous, layered, handmade glory.

We'll see you there. 💕

Find all the IOD products featured in this project at your nearest IOD Stockist, hit the big red Where to Buy  button on our website to find one near you. 🙌

New to IOD? Our Product 101 pages are packed with beginner-friendly techniques to help you get the most out of every product.

Already inspired? Share what you're making with the IOD Creative Tribe on Facebook. It is truly the most supportive community of makers on the internet.