Frugal
Wall Art for Gifts or Home
by Monica Resinger
There
are some lovely pictures available in retail stores, but they
can be very expensive. I'd like to suggest some less expensive
ways to make your own decorative wall art that will be more charming
and beautiful in your home than any picture that can be purchased.
To
get started, you'll need frames. Frames are also expensive when
purchased retail, so I suggest buying them used. You can find
good picture frames at yard sales and thrift stores for a fraction
of the retail price. If there are minor problems with the frame,
such as chipped paint or nicks and scratches, don't worry, you
can cover that part up with the decorative ideas that follow.
What
to Put in the Frame
Family
pictures are a great, personal way to warm your home. Looking
at them brings back memories for the owner or brings up conversations
with guests. These also make great gifts for family members. If
you're planning on designing family pictures to give as gifts,
it's a good idea to start getting double prints developed from
your films.
Pretty
pictures cut from magazines, calendars or holiday cards are other
items that make great wall art. You can choose pictures that have
to do with the theme or colors in your home or in someone elses
home if you're planning to give the picture as a gift.
Pressed
flowers and leaves are beautiful framed. Outdoors, try to find
flowers or leaves that are naturally flat and will lie between
paper well, then press them between pages in a book. After a week
or more, check to see if they're dry and crisp to the touch.
Frame
crocheted doilies on a contrasting background for a beautiful
picture. Hankies are another item that's easily framed. These
are really special if the
item belonged to a family member.
Save
memorabilia from vacations such as ticket stubs, menus, napkins,
pictures or other flat surface items and frame these for a unique
picture that brings memories and conversation.
For
a garden look, a pretty seed packet could be framed with a complimentary
background. Hot glue small pinecones or other natural material
to the frame to finish it off. If you don't have a pretty seed
packet, you could cut a pretty garden picture from a magazine
or birthday card.
Frame
a recipe. What I like to do is copy and paste a recipe into a
card/calendar or art program on my computer and change the colors
and fonts of the text then add clip art, pretty backgrounds and/or
a border. Print it out and you have a nice item that can be framed
and used in the kitchen. You can also photocopy your own recipes
to be framed and take a picture of the finished recipe to include
with it.
Decorating
the Frames
Decorate
a picture frame by covering the entire frame with shells, buttons,
pebbles, bottle-caps or other small items. Hot-glue would work
best for attaching items. If you'd like, you could finish it off
with a complimentary ribbon bow. You could also use these items
or silk or dried flowers as accents and attach a few to a corner
with a ribbon bow.
Paint
it. Choose a color included in the picture you're framing and
paint the frame that color with acrylic paint. You may need to
apply 2-3 coats to cover the frame completely; be sure to let
each coat dry before applying another. When the frame is completely
covered and dry, you can then sponge paint a darker or lighter
shade over that for a very pretty look. To sponge paint, simply
dip a small area of a sponge in paint, blot on newspaper a few
times to get excess paint off, then blot the sponge onto the frame.
Another idea is to paint polka dots, squiggly lines or another
small design in a contrasting color.
When
decorating a frame to be given to a family member or friend, think
of their favorite color, the color of the room they will most
likely display the picture in, their hobbies, or what they enjoy.
You could design a garden picture for your gardening friend, a
family picture for a family member or a doily picture for your
grandmother or mother. Have fun with it and unleash your creativity,
the possibilities are endless!
©
Monica Resinger
Get
Monica's FREE e-zine for homemakers 3 times per week; just send
a blank
e-mail to: HomemakersJournal-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
Get FREE home and garden e-books at Monica's website, 'Homemaker's
Journal E-publications'; Click here: http://homemakersjournal.com.