Make Your Own Art

So, I have finally decided my walls are too bare. I just can't stand it. And I love art. I think I picked it up from talking to my sister, who used to work at the Smithsonian in the Asian art section. About a year ago my hubby and I started looking into what makes an art piece that we actually like. Ok, it's mostly me. But, he gladly participates when I ask.

I would love love love love love to just throw down several k on etsy, supporting actual artists. But, my hubby won't go for that (the amount of money... he is totally for supporting small shops). So, in the meantime, we're looking at making art from the pictures we take or just from things at home. It's the "fake it 'til you make it" kind of idea. (In this case, making it is having several k to throw down on art.)

Here are my two current favorite ideas:

1. On a blog called Deliah Creates, I found her distressed canvas idea. (Also check out her current post on chore dice... I love it!) So far, my attempts haven't looked nearly as nice as hers, but they're still in the works. The great part about this: It costs only a few dollars (depending on the size of the piece) and really not a ton of time per canvas. I also found this site that has interesting transfer ideas.

I'm going to show pictures of my current attempts, but if you want to feel inspired, please check hers out. Like I said, I'm still figuring this out.





2. Magazine art. There was a piece of art I really liked created by the person who wrote this blog. She made a magazine collage thing. While I didn't like it nearly as much as the piece of art that originally brought me to her site, I did like the idea. This is what I've done with it (it's not finished):


I sketched a really basic picture of poppies on a thin canvas. I cut out magazine pages that had the colors I wanted to use. And then I put decoupage medium (the thin stuff) on a small section, cut out pieces and got to layering. It looks way cool from far away.


Anyway. It's been fun. The kids kind of enjoy it, too. And I must add, my other favorite source for art has been the goodwill near us. Some goodwill stores have a nicer goodwill section or store next to the regular store. I found some pretty nice stuff there. Also, the American Cancer Society has thrift stores that often carry nice things, as well as other local thrift shops. You just shouldn't take kids to these kind of stores... I found that out the hard way.