April 4, 2013

DIY Easy Affordable Art for your Home


Happy Thursday friends! I'm starting my day with an appearance on Knoxville's WTNZ Fox43 for a fun segment about one of my favorite things: art! Knoxville has a thriving art scene, what with all the talented folks in our area plus the Dogwood Arts Festival, First Fridays, etc. I'm a huge advocate for supporting local artists, but when budgets don't allow for art buying, we can do the next best thing and make our own.

For today's television segment, I'm sharing some easy, affordable and creative ways to add art to your home. I hope you get a little inspiration.

a page from a calendar I framed...cheery! 
My first idea is called "Finding Art in Ordinary Places." Art is all around us if we simply take the time to look. From a greeting card sent by a special friend to a vintage postcard collected on a memorable trip, if you like it, there's no reason it can't become art in your home. Another ordinary household object that can become a work of art is a wall calendar. I always save my calendars from year to year because they are just so beautiful.

{a framed greeting card & a framed vintage post card} 
Old books with gorgeous illustrations also make great fodder for framing...I blogged on this when my dear friend used botanical illustrations from a science textbook to decorate a room at his southern wedding/event venue

My next idea goes all the way back to the 18th century: silhouettes. Where this art medium was once seen as the poor man's version of portraiture, it is now tres chic! I've done some silhouette art before, also inspired by a calendar in homage to Gone with the Wind.


All you need is a photo oriented to the profile, a sheet of tracing paper and black card stock. I created this silhouette of my dog Leon in just a few minutes and I think it would be adorable framed or mounted on a canvas. Such an easy way to add a bold work of art to your home!


Finally, I'm sharing a beloved collage as inspiration for making DIY art collages for your home. Collage is another time-honored art form and I think collages make great additions to your walls.


My mom actually created this collage for me using old photos of all the grandmothers, aunts and ladies in our family. You could do a collage similar to this one or just use torn paper with bold colors and shapes. The best thing about collage is that you don't need any advanced artistry to make one!

There are so many ways to incorporate art into your home. These are just a few of the easy DIY art projects I have tried and I hope you enjoyed them!

Watch more of my WTNZ Fox43 segments here!