If your walls need some sprucing up, don’t fret. You don’t need to purchase expensive wall art or resort to picking up the best thing you can find at a thrift store. Here are tried and true ways to create your own wall art, the cheap and easy way.
Photo Wall Art
Mostly everyone has photos stacked up in shoeboxes. Wipe off the dust and pick out ones that mean the most to you, whether those are family photos or vacation pictures to make a collage. Take the photos to an office supply store, have them scanned, printed and mounted on poster board. Using this method, photos can be enlarged so that the most meaningful ones really pop on your wall. The photos can easily be hung using removable adhesive tape, which can be found at hardware stores, Wal-Mart or even dollar stores.
Fabric Wall Art
This one is so simple, you’ll wonder why you didn’t think of it first. Simply take some rectangular pieces of wood or Styrofoam, pick out some fabric that you find attractive, cut it to the correct size and staple or glue it to the back of the wood or Styrofoam. Voila! Instant art that can easily be changed as your décor changes. To hang these pieces of art, simply pick up some picture hangers from your local hardware store and attach them to the back of the wood using nails or to the back of the Styrofoam using glue.
Shoebox Wall Art
Really! Don’t toss those shoeboxes! Instead, paint the inside of them or line them with a pleasing paper, such as giftwrap or shelf liner. Then simply place lightweight objects inside for a shadowbox effect. For heavier items, use slightly heavier boxes such as ones used for shipping. To hang the shoeboxes, glue picture hangers to the back. For very lightweight items, you can also use adhesive tape.
Clipboard Wall Art
Using clipboards to hang up pictures is fun and easy. It is also a much more attractive alternative to displaying your children’s handiwork than hanging those drawings on the refrigerator with a magnet. And, it is super simple to replace pictures—simply unclip the current art and insert the new art. You can use decorative hooks or simple picture hangers to hang these on a wall.
Sheet Music Wall Art
For the musicians among you (or just those of you who like amusing patterns), pick out a favorite song. Then grab the sheet music for it either online from sites such as MusicNotes.com or SheetMusicPlus.com or from a music store. Take the sheet music to an office supply store and have them scan it, enlarge it and glue it to poster board. Again, poster board can easily be hung using removable adhesive tape, which can be found at hardware stores, Wal-Mart or even dollar stores.
These are only a few starter ideas. As you look around, you will most likely find your own ideas for cheap and easy wall art. For example, jewel boxes make interesting and protective frames for photos. Old costume jewelry can be draped around frames for a funky effect. Even assorted plates picked up at Goodwill can be hung up to adorn bare kitchen walls. Pretty much, the sky is the limit!
Photo Credit: Thinkstock
