Hanging art on a brick wall

This is a total closing-the-loop post, since I know I'm guilty of posting inspiration and then not following up for months. Such is the pace of real life, I guess. Don't even ask me about the "upholstery project" in the garage (OK, it still looks like this).

Anyway, I starting thinking about art for this wall last November, ordered this gorgeous Fines herbes print from Etsy about a month ago, and finally got around to framing and hanging it this week. The print is so much more detailed and beautiful than my poor photography skills can convey, so please head over to Evajuliet's shop to check it out.

I bought an 18x24-inch frame for the 13x19-inch print and a large sheet of art paper to use as backing (the mat board that could be cut down to fit this frame was HUGE and I couldn't figure out how to realistically carry it the two blocks from the store to my car). The chunky frame wasn't my favourite, but it was on sale for less than $20 (less than half the price of similarly-sized frames), so I went for it. Funnily enough, now that it's up, I really like the heavier frame, though I wish these photos did a better job of capturing the sheer size of the piece - it really makes an impact.

Since I decided to hang it on the brick chimney at the bottom of our stairs (it leads into the kitchen so I think the herb theme still makes sense) and we don't own a hammer drill, I decided to give Command strips a try. I just followed the instructions on the package and so far, so good. It even feels more secure than regular picture hanging hardware (I think I'm a convert). The 'glass' in the frame is actually acrylic, which means it's pretty lightweight, and at least I don't have to worry about broken glass if it falls off the wall at some point.

Despite what I've read about masonry bits, in my experience the only way to drill into brick - that works! - is to use a hammer drill. And since they can be somewhat pricey to rent, the Command strips are a much easier, cheaper alternative. Plus, no holes if you're renting!