Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Cheap Art is Better Than Cheap Wine

Believe me, I've tried them both...many times!

When trying to fill my house with art, I have had to think outside the frame box.  As much as John and I love art, our wallets don't permit us from buying every original piece we fall in love with. If we did that, we'd have to trade yummy wine for cheap wine and then we would be too sad to notice the art-filled walls. Instead, I've gotten creative as I've worked to keep our walls and apartment from feeling bare.


Top 10 Way to Fill Your Home with Art:


1.  Local artist shows are a great place to find some beautiful but cheap art. This cost $20 and I love it.

2. Original art.is a wonderful way to showcase your creativity and create something you're proud of for free.  The round mirror was a Goodwill find that I painted and then sketched this cute guy.  The silhouette is one I drew of our family to place in the cardboard frame I made.

3. Use a sheet of pretty paper (you can get this at Michaels for $.13), frame it, and voila!

4. We have lots of beautiful post cards and greeting cards framed in our gallery wall.  The yellow one was sent to me by my great grandmother and the purple one is something I picked up in a bookstore.

5. Get creative - we collect fortunes and decided to take some and display them by gluing them onto a photo mat. You could also frame magazine or book pages.

6. Old calendars are a great place to find cheap art! This was in a 2001 Monet calendar from college.

7. Nature is a perfect place to look for beautiful decorations and art. I have a framed four-leaf clover I found as a kid and sea shells and rocks from the project I wrote about here.

8. Displaying photos is a wonderful way to fill frames and remember great experiences.

9. Love notes. Enough said.

10. Wedding memorabilia is found here and there throughout our home. We paid an arm and a leg for the photographer and the special day so I want to ensure we display our photos!


Does your budget not allow for a gabillion frames? Simple! I've also used cardboard to make a frame (and then you can simply mod podge pretty paper over it) and used cardstock to make my own mats.

Creating and collecting art doesn't have to break the bank. You simply need to look around and get creative. After all, the silhouette of our family is the one of the pieces of art that makes John the most happy...and it was completely handmade, frame included.


13 comments:

  1. Love the different ideas! I'm a DIYer myself, and I love the idea of using things you already have. I'm your newest follower! Great site.

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  2. Framing all kind of things not only will it save you bucks but also will look more personal. From framing jewelry, to patterned fabric, to movie tickets, they all look fabulous and easy to DIY. Oh and btw, I just discovered your blog and I love it! I am now following you thanks to The Middle Matters blog hop and it would be so nice if you could share the love back on my blog:)
    And don't forget to check our new Blog Tutorial going on today. It's really easy and it would look amazing on your blog, so make sure you don't miss it. See you there!
    Happy Wednesday

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  3. I love your art ideas! I have also framed kid's paintings. I also like to take nature photos then print them out at Walmart. And, am a big fan of dollar store frames. Lol and I love two buck chuck wine!!! Cheap art and cheap wine :-) Following you from Wandering Wednesdays.

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  4. Thanks for following Just Wedeminute and the Middle Matters Blog hop. I was already a follower on your delightful blog!

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  5. Love your ideas!! The fortune frame is precious...and wise, I'm sure! ; P

    Thank you for the follow...I'm following you as well!
    {HUGS}

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  6. I just found your blog and am your newest follower. Your art tips are amazing. You are one talented woman who has definitely got a creative flair that I envy! Thanks for creating such a fab blog full of inspiration.

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  7. hiya , some great ideas here for using old frames and filling wall space which can be daunting x tfs i am visiting from thrilling thursdays and am your newest follower too , hope you can stop by mine and follow me too ,tfs
    xmaggiex

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  8. I love your choices for artwork. And congrats on your new blog. Following . . .

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  9. You have so many great ideas. I love everything. You have a beautiful blog. I am your latest follower. I would love for you to come and check out my blog and follow me back at www.diybydesign.blogspot.com. Thanks so much.

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  10. What a great idea, I love Cheap Art!

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  11. found you via young house love. thanks so much for this post! my family and i are getting ready to make a gallery wall (or two, or three, etc) in our house, and i'd flat run out of ideas of things to include. this post was very helpful and gave me plenty of insight.

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  12. thanks for the awesome idea we are not allowed to put things on the wall as far as nails, so with these ideas i can tape them on the wall

    Thanks so much

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