More on Making Pictures

This past summer I wrote a post on making pictures for the home.

(It's under the Decorating label on the web version's home page if you'd like to look at it.)

I've made a few more since that post, so I thought I'd take a moment to share them with you.

I very much dislike plain, bare walls.

I feel a strong sense of warmth and well-being when I'm in a home with lovingly selected artwork on the walls.

But even though I feel that way, I've never been one to spend a lot of money on high-end art for my home.

I get a kick out of seeing what I can pull together by just being creative, thinking outside the box, and spending as little money as I can.

Maybe it's a silly hobby?

Maybe I'm too cheap?

Maybe I should get a life?

........

Well, whatever it is, it makes me happy!

And we should all do things in our home that make us happy, right?!

Here's my first example...

I found this still life print in a junky shop downtown just the other day.

It was $2.00

I enjoy looking through junky shops because you get to see antiques out of their element.

It helps me train my eye and test my creativity.

If you are at a nice antique shop, antique fair, or boutique, you can expect everything to look appealing.

Those are fun, too. And I've made purchases at those types of places many times.

But the thrill of the hunt in a thrift store turns satisfying when a treasure is unearthed.

The back of the picture has some information on the artist...

"... delightful to contemplate."

Isn't that lovely?

I cut it to fit this frame, then hung it in my kitchen next to our breakfast table.

Another thrift store print that I found a couple of months ago, is this pretty floral...

It was $4.00.

I took it out of the frame it came in and bought a new one for it.

These frames are from Hobby Lobby.

They always seem to be 50% off, and I think they have a nice antique look to them.

I gave this picture a home on my plate rail in the dining room...

If you like free you can always flip through a magazine or book to look for illustrations that can be torn out and framed.

That is how I made these pictures...

(I have found it helpful to keep extra frames on hand incase a moment of magazine-flipping produces a burst of inspiration, and I simply can't wait to see the page framed and up for my enjoyment!)

This one hangs next to my bed...

The page was too small for the frame, so I just taped it onto a sheet of computer paper.

Now it looks matted.

The quote on it says, "There are no sounds that can stir the sublime emotions like the sighs and whispers of nature." - James Lendall Basford

Of course, if you have children, then you will have an endless supply of their artwork that I'm sure just thrills them to see displayed.

Roman painted this mountain landscape a month or so ago.

I loved it so much that I placed it on our fireplace mantle.

It's wonderful when a friend is over and says, "What a lovely mountain picture. Where did you get it?"

Reminds me of this line I recently read...

"Facts are aligned on shelves as well, necessarily chosen and arranged, assigned value by explanations neatly stuck where prices might have been."

- Leslie Jamison, The Empathy Exams

Yes, the family items that are free hold the deepest meanings, and make the most beautiful decor.

Anybody can drop a ton of money on commercial, cookie-cutter decor. And most people do.

But where is the heart in that?

I hope I have given you a few ideas in this post of how to create unique pictures for your walls and shelves without spending a lot.

Let me know in the comments if you try any of these!

Thanks for reading, friends!

xo,

~ Courtney ~