<p>My partner and I are decorating our apartment right now. We’ve done a lot of stuff over the past year (painting walls and such), but there are still things missing. And I don’t want it to look like a dorm. Do you have any ideas for inexpensive art I could make or find for the walls, for instance? I saw pictures of some beautiful wall sculptures someone carved cheaply from a foam type substance from the craft store, but I don’t have the skill for that.</p>
<p>Your local thrift shop. You’d be amazed what people donate.</p>
<p>Cheap frames with your own photographs, staged in groups.</p>
<p>Frame and hang fabric or scarves that you find beautiful.</p>
<p>Try to think outside the box, so to speak. I’ve been fussing with part of my kitchen for years (took out a wierd appliance to find the tiled backsplash was not complete behind it). Finally went to Micheal’s craft store, bought a preprimed artist canvas and painted the same color as the wall, then hung an Italian pottery piece on it. I love it, and it solved the problem.</p>
<p>Check thrift stores, garage sales, fabric stores. If you like the idea of hanging fabric panels, sign up for the store newsletter–Joann Fabrics sends out 40% coupons regularly. And they sell a lot more than fabric. I bought some great light weight planters there at 50% off.</p>
<p>I saw some word wall art at Target on sale today, as well as some metal wall hangings–all 50% off.</p>
<p>Can you get to a cheap antique mall in the suburbs? Not where they sell actual valuable antiques, but where there is stuff from the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s? You can find so much stuff for the walls for almost no money.</p>
<p>Buy inexpensive frames and frame photographs and/or postcards or interesting fabric fragments. Some napkins and table runners or quilts might also work very nicely.</p>
<p>BB&B has an extensive collection of inexpensive placemats. you could also buy straw hand fans, paint them a different color and hang them together. You could even frame some favorite cartoons from a newspaper or a comic book. it would certainly make your guest stop to read and smile or laugh out loud!
Oh, and for photographs? They don’t have to be your own. Flickr has some really great ones.</p>
<p>Not sure what your valuation is for “inexpensive”, but we’ve had some success with Home Decorators. They have an assortment of different types of wall art starting at about $20.00. </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.homedecorators.com/Home_Decor/Wall_Decor/[/url]”>http://www.homedecorators.com/Home_Decor/Wall_Decor/</a></p>
<p>Agree with looking at Bed Bath and Beyond. Also try Ikea and Pier 1.</p>
<p>An idea for wall art: The New York Times often has interesting old photographs, antiques, art as illustrations in articles. Sometimes they are large and the color quality is nice; some are in black and white. I have often thought that these would make great wall art if framed. There are also often full-page ads for shows or movies that could be framed if it was something that met your interests.</p>
<p>Check out Etsy; they have some fantastic stuff from artists, usually prints, that’s priced reasonably. I haven’t bought to decorate myself yet, but everything I’ve bought from Etsy has been great.</p>
<p>If you can’t afford frames you can just buy mats fairly cheaply and just tape your
“art” in from the back. Using the same color mats and/or frames can unify your art
and make dissimilar things look wonderful together. Sometimes hanging wildly different
things that have the same colorway can look very interesting, say a photo, a print,
a scarf, a plate, etc.</p>
<p>Great website, 2boysima!</p>
<p>Buy a large-size coffee table book of art (or of scenery, or your favorite country, or Hollywood movie starts – whatever you like) - look at the clearance tables at bookstores. Cut out your favorite pictures and frame them.</p>
<p>Paint a boring wall with two different finishes of the same color - matte and gloss - in an interesting design - freehand stripes, or big diamonds, or whatever. Since you recently painted, you can just add the design part by buying the same color in a different finish.</p>
<p>Buy some inexpensive wall shelves (from Ikea or thrift store or whatever) - paint them to coordinate, and then set out some of your favorite do-dads, pieces of china you have tucked away, a couple interesting books. Even a shelf with hooks - like to hang clothes on – instead hang funky jewelry, or hand-dipped candles.</p>
<p>Ross Dress for Less in our area sells wonderful mirrors very inexpensively. Big ol’ clocks are quite the rage here, too - make your own out of anything at all, and buy the clock mechanism at WalMart.</p>
<p>Decorate windows with a garland of silk flowers from a craft shop. Or by hanging a big, overflowing plant in each window.</p>
<p>Decorate with your own photos. If you have a digital camera and a printer, you can print an 8 X 10 photo for very little. A frame to hold an 8 X 10 is not very expensive. Do a grouping of photos.</p>
<p>Subjects can include people, natural sites, favorite buildings, almost anything. And when you get tired of a print, replace it with something else.</p>
<p>What a sad post. Things that we put into our environment should mean something and hopefully are more than just some inexpensive stuff to cover up bare walls.</p>
<p>I would suggest getting in touch with your artistic, creative side. Maybe consider taking a couple of art courses, hopefully not just art appreciation or history, but studio arts courses.</p>
<p>Goodwill is a great source for things wicker - baskets, placemats, things like that. I bought several shallow wicker baskets of varying colors, sizes, shapes, & weave patterns to hang on the wall. Adds an organic texture, and they’re very lightweight to hang, which is also a plus.</p>
<p>edad:</p>
<p>Obviously, you’re not going to make society decorators rich, or spring for house-staging if you put your house on the market!
Sometimes, things acquire meaning after we use them to decorate or just hide some unsightly peeling plaster or window.</p>
<p>Physicsmom: How about some physics-related posters? And yes, your baby pictures, wedding photographs could be made into a montage. Another possibility is interesting advertising signs.</p>
<p>edad: You’re more philosophical about wall decoration than I am. Mere aesthetic beauty is an acceptable meaning in itself when it comes to the decoration of one’s home. Or rather, my home.</p>
<p>Everyone else:</p>
<p>Thank you for the great ideas. I’m going to put up some framed pictures of PhysicsBaby in one room and put up framed art photos from a book in another room. I’ve purchased things from Etsy before for PhysicsBaby’s room (a gorgeous garland made up of hearts cut out of sheet music, for instance) and have been very happy with that stuff. I think I may also sew my own curtains with some funky fabrics.</p>
<p>One additional suggestion that could be a hoot. Our local elementary school has the kindergarten classes do large (like 3x4’ or larger) abstract paintings for the annual auction each year. Some years they are so gorgeous that auction-goers (not related to the artists!) have paid a few thousand $ for canvasses. They use artist’s canvas stapled over a wooden frame. Then, with collected leftover latex wall paint, the kindergarteners go to work. I believe they start with a pencil, having someone draw a line from a point on one edge to a point anywhere on an adjacent side – not necessarily a straight line. Then another line from one of the same edges to a point on a different edge. I think the lines must touch or cross in this second step. Not sure what comes next (another line? or not?), but they paint in the sections delineated by the pencil lines, and finally embellish with a pop of color – splatter paint onto the canvas from a standing position, for example. Could be a fun afternoon activity if you have some leftover paint.</p>
<p>edad, there’s nothing sad about this thread. These are all lovely suggestions, from people with an obvious love for beauty and wisdom to recognize that it’s everywhere you look.</p>
<p>Maps, especially of places you travel or want to.</p>
<p>Ikea for everything.</p>
<p>Home Depot for best and cheapest selection of window coverings.</p>
<p>Edad, I agree. I prefer personal art, but it takes a life time to create and an artist in the family (unless you’re rich)</p>