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.