I’m going out on a limb today and suggesting that you create something.  Yes, you.  Even if you’re not an artist or don’t consider yourself a crafter at heart, you CAN create some great wall art from a few basic supplies.  What better way to have exclusive, one-of-a-kind art pieces?  I’ve culled these projects from around the web over the last several months and decided now’s a good time to share the best of what I found.  While they may not have complete step by step photos or directions, I’ll do my best to explain how I’d go about recreating the look.  And every project is easy, I promise.

EASY WALL ART

The easiest kind of wall art (you don’t have to ‘make’ anything) is framing something you already find pretty or that the colors work with the space you’re decorating.  This could include framing something as simple as pretty pieces of scrapbook paper (have you SEEN some of the gorgeous papers available???), a postcard or greeting card, a wedding invitation, a collection of pretty buttons or ribbons or just about anything flat.

 

 See how charming and abstract an art grouping can be using simple inexpensive white frames (or paint some old ones you already own), using a nice wide mat (already precut) and using coordinating pieces of paper.  Coordinating pieces of paper – hmmmm, how about wrapping paper, handmade paper from an art store, wallpaper samples?  Cheap, easy and pretty – definitely a winning combination!

A variation on a theme.  Instead of framing paper products, how about fabric?  This collection of fabrics all in the same shade of red makes a fun and dynamic statement and makes you want to look a little closer.  Again, inexpensive black frames were used.  As a designer I’d make mood boards to show fabric combinations to a client and I’d use the following fabric wrapping technique all the time. 

I would begin with cutting a piece of foam core to size (to fit the frame).  Next, cut the fabric about 1″ larger than the foam core.  Spray the foam core with a spray adhesive like Super77 to help hold the fabric in place while you’re getting it centered in place.  The adhesive is sticky but it’s easy to reposition the fabric if necessary to get the design straight.  Press the fabric firmly to the foam core and smooth out the wrinkles.  Cut the corners off so when you pull the fabric to the back the corners won’t be too bulky.  Pull the fabric tightly to the back and glue edges down with a glue gun.  Press into your frame and you have quick, coordinated, affordable art!

 

In this project the framed fabric was used as a background with smaller framed greeting cards attached on top.  You could also cover a bulletin board with pretty fabric and while it’s still functional as a bulletin board, it makes more of a coordinated design statement in your space.

 

This graphic art project is a tad more work but look at the great results.  Using scrapbook paper, your computer or anything printed on a fairly heavy paper, find a motif you like that is a fairly simple shape and easy to cut out.  Using really sharp scissors, cut out your shape very precisely (this is the hardest part!).  Then using a decoupage medium, glue/attach the shapes to canvas. 

I used this technique at Christmas to make a couple of holiday themed gifts and it’s really easy.  I cut out the letters J-O-Y from scrapbook paper (using a font template printed from my computer) so if you don’t like the idea of leaves, maybe spelling a word would work with your decor:  LOVE, HOPE, DWELL, SLEEP, etc.  I used the thin canvas boards instead of the wrapped 1″ canvas because it was cheaper; either will give a good look.  Using acrylic craft paint, paint the background if you’d like or leave it white as above.  Using a 1″ paintbrush, spread a generous layer of  your decoupage medium over all the canvas.  Place your cut out element(s).  Let dry.  Put 2-3 topcoats of the medium to seal the picture and give a slight sheen.  Let dry well between each coat.  Hang your art and enjoy it day after day.  Wouldn’t this be a great way to make seasonal art that you can change out but that doesn’t break the bank? 

Here are a couple more versions to get your creative juices flowing.

 

Dimensional Art

Using a shadowbox for your frame opens a whole new world of possibilities.  The art above is created by mounting a skeleton key on a newsprint (or book page) background.  You could make this anything that fits your style or colors – a seashell on wave print fabric, a vintage luggage tag on old world map paper, a silk flower on textural burlap. 

Playing upon the current trend of monograms on anything and everything, this project makes use of a dimensional letter mounted and framed.  The letter could be wood (available cheaply at any craft store), metal (the hardware store) or cut from foam core.  Mount it on burlap, linen or even silk.  Open frames like these go on sale all the time at Joann’s or Michaels so you can really beef up the custom factor but keep the project affordable.

Try Your Hand

Any of these projects can be completed in an afternoon and you’ll enjoy such a feeling of accomplishment.  Most of these will result in relatively small pieces of art.  Cindy and I have written about proportion and hanging art previously so if you missed them, you might take a minute to read here or here about hanging art.  These smaller art pieces would work beautifully in a powder room, hung low over a hall chest, a child’s room, or grouped together like shown for a bigger presence.

Are you a DIY person?  Would you like us to continue to provide occassional projects that you can tackle on your own?  Cindy and I are both pretty crafty and like to stretch our creativity from time to time with projects like these.  It’s show-and-tell time – we want to see YOUR efforts!  As always, you can send photos via email at solutions@yourdecoratinghotline.com or comment below.  Thanks so much for continuing to read us.