Supporting creatives is important and if you are lucky enough to have some pieces of original art in your home, as I do, you are lucky indeed. I have a Pinterest board full of pieces from folks I am saving up to buy from, but my wish list is a bit pricey.
While my heart goes out to the starving artists, my children also must eat and my walls cannot be bare. That's why I'm sharing my tips for adorning your walls on a dime.
Add a Touch of Nature with Botanicals from the Missouri Botanical Garden Library
The Missouri Botanical Garden Library runs Botanicus.org, a free-to-access, digital trove of botanical literature that includes many historic art prints.
The framed print shown at the top of this post, as well as the two images above are from a German reference book on medicinal plants published in 1887. "Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen in naturgetreuen Abbildungen mit kurz erläuterndem Texte" is just one of many texts found on Botanicus. With this book, navigate to the prints by using the index on the left to scroll all the way down to the pages with plate numbers.
Let's keep in touch! Sign up to get updates directly to your inbox! Subscribe
Once I found the print I wanted, I downloaded the entire (massive) PDF, then selected and printed my page at a local Kinkos. This allowed me to get a higher quality print and to print on 11"x14" paper. To finish it off, I used an old frame that I whitewashed and simple, white matting.
To be clear, using this site takes some patience. As a journalist by day, I'm pretty comfortable exploring large documents and also have a soft spot for public, open-source materials. So, Botanicus is right down my alley!
For a thorough breakdown on using Botanicus and ideas for printing and presenting the art, read this post from Joanna Gaines' At Home blog, where I originally learned about this resource.
Unlock your Creative Side Through Photography, Paint or Collage
The other subhead I considered for this section was, "everything looks better under glass."
Even if you aren't a master photographer, or are terrified by the idea of picking up a paintbrush, it's amazing what a frame, matting and a piece of glass can do to make your DIY project look legit. Almost all of my frames are inexpensive picks from Ikea or Homegoods, or reused from other art.
For photography, play with scale and color (opt for black and white when you want a serene and polished look). And think beyond painting and photography with pieces that are unexpected and colorful. For our recent bathroom renovation I made an otomi-inspired collage. And when some sweet artwork came home with my son, I found a small shadowbox to showcase it (see gallery below).
Also, please allow me a brief woo-woo moment: Carving out time to goof off with paint and mixed media -- actually making something by hand -- even when it doesn't end up frame worthy, can have tremendous mental health and stress-relieving benefits. Creating a home that looks nice is one thing, but creating a space that embraces the joy of play is perhaps an even more worthy goal.
Tell a Story with Historical Maps from the U.S. Geological Survey
The U.S. Geological Survey has maps that you can purchase, but it also has free and open source maps that you can download and print on your own. In our family room we have three framed maps displaying locations that are important to my husband and I: his hometown, my hometown and the town where we met. The map pictured above shows Virginia's northwestern Fairfax and Arlington Counties and whatever falls north of the Potomac River.*
A recent redesign made finding historical maps on the site even harder; however, here is my recommendation for finding your map:
Go to USGS.gov/maps
Scroll down and select the thumbnail image for Historical Maps
Using the filters at the top of the page filter by country and state (Keyword was not helpful in my searches) and click the green Apply Filters button
Click the Sort By drop down on the upper right to have the oldest maps appear first
This will narrow your options down to the older maps available in a given state. From there you can browse the maps available. Once you have your map selected, download the image for free or add the map to your cart and pay for a version printed by USGS.
*If you're not from the D.C. area that's a not-so-subtle dig at Marylanders and Washingtonians.
Use Blueprints from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for an Industrial Pop
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is another source for free images in the public domain, and its blueprints and sketches deliver loads of graphic interest. While I have yet to print and frame any patent images for my home, I can't wait to try it out (watch out Hank's room)!
Navigating USPTO's website is not the easiest. Fortunately,Google has taken full advantage of the agency's public API and created Google Patents, a search engine that scans the USPTO databases. Just search an invention (floppy disc, bulldozer, etc.), as you would normally enter a search query and use filters to the left of the results page to narrow results based on a time frame or other criteria.
From the search results, simply click on a given patent to view more detail. You can also download the PDF to view the full patent and all related sketches and blueprints. From there, you can print select pages.
Get Original Prints at a Fraction of the Cost with Etsy Digital Downloads
Not only is Etsy a great place to buy fine art, home decor, jewelry and everything in between, many artists also have prints that you can download and print at home.
The watercolor feather print, pictured above, was a digital download from Etsy and only $5. To find printables on Etsy, simply navigate to Art & Collectibles > Prints > Digital Prints, or click here to go there directly.
Shop Your Home...and Your Parents' Home
The "shop your home" concept -- or re-purposing your furnishings in new ways in different spaces -- has always appealed to me. I can't tell you how many times I've gone up to the attic to put away a box of clothes the kids outgrew only to return with an old lamp or decorative bowl I forgot about.
The same goes with art. For example, while I may not want to bring that van Gogh Starry Night poster from my college dorm back out, the frame and matting are actually decent and I may be able to reuse those in a fresh way.
We're also not the only ones with art collecting dust. My parents had boxes of art they let me go through, including the historical photo above that my parents bought when they lived in Newport, Rhode Island. This one is in our family room and is one of three in a harbor/nautical series.
My parents also had pieces that belonged to my grandparents, including this plate in a shadow box mounted on navy velvet. It's formal, bold, not in my usual wheelhouse but the colors jive with the living room and I kind of love the historical nod to the German side of my family.
One thing to consider with hand-me-down art is that portions of the piece can often be used even if the whole thing cannot. For example, I saved the frames from water-damaged prints for the maps in our family room.
And sometimes art can be salvaged with the addition of matting. The Audubon prints in our dining room were my grandmother's, but the edges of the prints had yellowed. Amazon has almost every matting dimension and color you can imagine. The addition of matting covered the problem areas and allowed me to proudly display the prints.
Comments