Can not even begin to explain how pumped I am about this easy little DIY project. This has been a project years in the making, by the way.

Literally – years and years.

You see, this little wall hanging used to be the crib springs my 3 babies slept on. Well, they didn’t sleep “on” just those springs. There was a comfy mattress on top. But as babies, each of my 3 kiddos slept in the same crib. It held my 2 sweet and wild baby boys…

Then it turned pink when a special little girl arrived…

I will never forget that one morning, for each of them, when I walked in to see them pulling up on the side rail…

That moment when you knew it was time to lower the mattress one more time.

The crib was the backdrop to countless sweet photos. Like when we played hide and seek…

Or when someone discovered how fun it was to play with Charlie and a string…

The crib even briefly transformed into a toddler bed before our big cross-country move…

But like all great things and phases, they come to an end. When it was time to get rid of the crib before the big move last summer, big boo-hoo tears over here. Having a crib in your house for almost 9 years. A crib that held each of your little people from newborn to big kid bed. A crib that was the backdrop in so many photos and memories.

It was very hard to say good-bye to something so special. The end of an era.

I wanted so badly to keep the crib, but we know that wasn’t going to happen. By the time my kids have kids of their own, the crib would not only be outdated but also unsafe. Instead of keeping the crib, I kept the springs with an idea in mind.

Finally, last week my dream of turning the crib springs…

into a wall hanging / inspiration pinboard came true…

Oh, did I mention it’s magnetic too?

Not only is this sentimental piece something I can keep and treasure forever, but it was easy to do! Here’s what I did.

I first primed the springs with some leftover house flat paint…

Flat paint works great as a primer for projects…

When the primer was dry, I drilled out the brackets that keep the springs attached to the crib posts. The brackets were hanging off the springs and not looking very good. To remove the rivets…

All I did was use my power drill with a drill bit that fit inside the rivet…

Make sure to wear protective goggles during this process because small bits of metal dust will be flying around. Only took a few seconds for each rivet and bracket to fall out…

 

Once the brackets were out, I primed the springs again with magnetic primer…

I followed the instructions on the can, applying several thin coats and letting each coat dry in between. Now the piece isn’t just for pinning…it also holds magnets!…

Once that primer was dry, it was time for some fun. Cue the gold spray paint!…

 

 

A few thin coats on each side of the springs…

Oh yea….

So in love right here…

 

I love love love the gold paint.

Now it was time to hang it. I mulled over a variety of ways to hang this but the easiest was with drywall anchors and screws. If you do this project, you can try picture hanging wire or hooks or what I will share below. Personally, I didn’t want string or hooks showing.

I hung mine by first marking my walls where I wanted the 3 screws placed…

Having the magnetic primer made it easy for my magnetic level to stay attached on its own – ha!…

 

My beautiful niece (and sister – behind the camera) was a big help too!…

Once I had my 3 holes marked, I hammered in 3 drywall anchors…

 

Then screwed them in…

Then added my screws, making sure they stuck out far enough to hold my wall hanging in place…

 

 

Once the 3 screws were securely in place, I hung the crib springs…

That’s all folks…

Now that it was hanging, it was time to add some inspiration. It’s my own version of “pinterest”, but in real life. Some future home project inspiration is clipped…

And some hanging by a magnet…

Either way, I’m in love all over again with what once was a special crib and can’t wait to add more inspiration…

 

 

 

I’m a happy girl sitting in my home office with this special piece nearby!…

 

If you have large sentimental pieces in your home and are having a hard time parting ways with it, consider keeping just a small piece and repurposing it in a new way.

Go DIY something and be happy!