Inexpensive Art Ideas (The Art of Framing Stuff)

Good design is all around us, wouldn't you say? I remember being struck by the beauty of a well-designed box of matches. And in the same way we can decorate with the beautiful everyday objects we already have, there are lots of beautiful (and inexpensive) things we can put in a frame to adorn our walls.

Now I am all for buying a great photograph or art print and framing it. A lot of the pieces in our living room gallery wall were done that way (especially the big pieces). But it hit me that the gallery wall in the nursery is made up of unconventional art—things I've framed that weren't necessarily meant to be framed.

So I thought I'd focus on what's in these frames to get you thinking outside the box about what you can put in a frame. Take a peek!

There are some things that come in the mail that are just way too cute to throw away/recycle. (Am I perhaps a hoarder?) How cute is that Land of Nod catalog cover? I kept the catalog around just because it was so adorable. I eventually decided to cut it out and put it in a frame I already had to keep it around semi-permanently. Bam. Free art.

The A-B-C cards were a find from the Junk Bonanza and I think they were just a few dollars total. And greeting cards! Trader Joe's has some gems. The fox card is from TJ's ($1, I think) and the pears are from Target. I often find myself thinking that greeting cards are so expensive for something a person probably won't keep around for long, but compared to an art print a greeting card is relatively inexpensive!

Finally, on the bottom left is an invitation from my niece's birthday party a few years back. I'm sorry you can't see it well because it is super adorable—animals on parade. Other pieces (the mirror, city print, and the patterned print) are from the thrift stores and Hobby Lobby. The HOPE print (Hebrews 6:19) was made by an incredibly thoughtful friend.

Okay, here's one more spot in the nursery where I framed some things that aren't art prints. Any guesses on what they actually are? (Other than the ultrasound, of course!)

Did you guess correctly?

There might be something in your mailbox, on your nightstand, or in your drawer right this very minute that is frame-worthy. Because guess what? You get to choose what you think is pretty enough to put in a frame and call art.

If this post was helpful to you, check out my post on framed fabric art. It's another inexpensive way to beautify your walls!