Affordable Wall Art

These days it can be a real chore to find wall art at an affordable price and in the style you are actually looking for.  When it comes to larger art pieces that make more of a statement it can be especially expensive.  This was the trouble I was having when I tried to find art for my dining room and bedroom.  Everything was so expensive and still not the look or style I was going for. That is when I started to browse for antique looking landscape paintings online and came across a variety of prints on Etsy that were exactly what I envisioned.   I especially was drawn to the Country Landscape Painting from  Heirloom Print Shop and the Vintage Gallery Wall Print Set from North Prints

Above  are the prints I decided on.  I loved the touches of soft green and the feeling that these were collected over time.  I bought the pdf's and downloaded them on my computer.  The gallery set was $20 and the single landscape painting was $7.  These come in a variety of sizes from 5"x7" to 24"x36" which is perfect when you are looking for a specific size.  

Then I sent the prints to Staples (my local print shop) and asked them to print the single landscape in a 24"x36" size on poster paper with a matte finish (This cost $29) and the gallery set with 2- 11"x14", 2- 5"x7" and 6- 8"x10" on premium photo paper (this cost $45).  The first time I didn't specify that I wanted the large poster done without a white border so they reprinted for me and I got to keep both copies and gift one to my friend.

Next was to find frames and for me this was a real fun part, a hunt if you will.  I had to make a couple trips to my local thrift store to find frames that I liked and with different finishes.  I found 10 frames for approximately $2-$3 each.  Most of them were wood with similar tones while others were metal with decorative edges for that collected look.  As for the large frame for the 24"x36" print I happened to already have one that I wasn't using that I bought previously from Michaels.  It was slightly too new looking so I roughed it up with some sandpaper.

I arranged the thrifted frames for the gallery set first on the floor.  I wanted the overall width to be 44"x42" with 3" gaps between most frames.  Then I found the center of my headboard and measured and marked 22" in each direction.  These were my two edges.  I used my one edge to measure the length of 42" and left approximately the same distance between the ceiling and the top of the headboard.  Once I had these measurements marked I started with the 4 corner frames and filled in the rest with 3" gaps.  I must admit I had to move a few and fill some nail holes because it just didn't look right but that's ok and in the end it was pleasing to the eye.

This was a very fun project and I was happy that I found what I had hoped I would find in the way of art for my dining room and bedroom.  Here is the breakdown of the total cost.

1 large 24"x36" pdf, print and my own frame =$36 

10 pdf's in a variety of sizes, prints and 10 thrifted frames =$85

Total cost to provide large art for two rooms =$121

I think this is a fair price for getting exactly what I wanted and made the impact I was hoping for.  Even though I had to make a couple trips to the thrift store for frames this was no hardship as I love thrifting and I feel like it saved me the headache of looking for what I probably would have never found at my local stores.  

Has anyone else bought art for their home this way?  Let me know in the comments.  I hope this inspires you all to find art for your home in your own personal style at an affordable price.