This weekend my cousin came to visit, and one of our first priorities was to hit up some of my town’s amazing flea markets. She scored a gorgeous white headboard for $30 (wish I had taken pictures), and I found these vintage pink wire baskets. I walked by them at first thinking, “Those are cute, but what would I do with them?” About 2 seconds after I imagined using them for storage in my dressing room, she announced, “You could hang them on a wall and use them like shelves!” Yes, we are kin. So, I happily forked over $18 and had instant shelving for my collection of clutches, hats, and scarves.

Also, I’m guest posting today over on VIew Along the Way. Kelly has a great series that showcases bloggers’ homes. I’ll be talking about being content with aspects of your home even though they may not be exactly what you had in mind. Head on over and say “hello”!

Apparently I’m a little behind in blog world and am just recently getting swept up in ombre obsession along with everyone else. I decided to combine two things that I’ve loved seeing on Pinterest lately: OMBRE + PAINT CHIP ART.

I found the gold frame at a flea market several months ago for $12 and had been waiting for something to house in it. The paint chip art was FREE, since I painted the matting and made two four trips to home improvement stores to collect the chips.

Maybe I just have a guilty conscience, but my husband had to keep reminding me, “You’re not stealing. They’re free chips.” Regardless of this true statement, I feel the need to sport a trench coat and dark sunglasses in Home Depot if ever I decide to do this project again.

 

Our guest room houses my clothes and serves as my dressing room. Most old homes have larger bath tubs than closets, and ours is no exception. The Mister gets our closet, so I get the whole guest room. (Don’t feel bad for him; he has full reign of the basement.)

Since I’m in this room a lot, seeing it undecorated each morning was bumming me out. I had a few pieces that I loved and decided to work with them to build the room. It’s not finished yet but getting there. 

I had two gold lamps that I found at a flea mart for $5 each a while back. This summer, I found the shades at World Market and loved the color combo. The room was already green, so I decided to accent with gold, corals, pinks, and purples.

One of the first things I wanted to do when we bought our house was to cover our blank walls with unique art and decor. I didn’t realize that most of the art I loved was way out of my budget. I didn’t want the same prints from Target or Bed Bath and Beyond that I’d seen a hundred times, as much as I love other things from both those stores. Thankfully, Etsy provides us with a plethora of options these days. But sometimes even a $30 print from Etsy feels like too much. I’ve found a few thrifty ways to imitate the look I want for less. Another way to save is by using coupons, visit website.

I used card stock as my guide and cut the wrapping paper to a standard sheet size. Feeding it through the printer can be tricky. Just keep trying, and eventually it works.

2. Find a great book and frame the illustrations in a series.
My sweet friend Dana had this great book, Insects of Surinam, that is filled with vivid images of flowers, plants, and an array of crawling creatures. We loved how unique they were compared to stock botanical prints you see in stores. We joked about ripping the pages out and then framing them. Well, she did. Then I did, and now I’m planning to do the same for some clients above their mantle in a formal living room.

From Barnes & Noble. A STEAL.

The hardest part was choosing just four.

3. Trace a shape and create your own oil pastel art.

Something about artichokes… Not only are they delicious, but visually they’re so iconic and beautiful.  I’ve seen some great prints online, but couldn’t commit.  I also kept thinking about the Andy Warhol soup cans.  They’re so bright and playful you can’t help but love them.  I wanted to merge these two things for my kitchen art.  I’m not really sure that came through, but these were my inspiration for the artichokes.

 

I’ve NEVER worked with oil pastels before, so this was a learning experience for me. Since I traced my shape first, it turned out to be easier than I thought.

   

   

 

Some other things you could fame:
-Your kids’ artwork
-Comic book, magazine, or album covers
-Dried leaves/flowers from your yard
-Beautiful wallpaper
-Collections in a shadow box

If you’ve been frustrated by blank walls or almost passed out due to sticker shock on great art, try to make something you love. You really DON’T have to be artistic to create personal art for your home. It can be as easy as cut, frame, and hang.