I mentioned that I like to mix the old with the new. I also like to mix investment pieces with really inexpensive pieces. Mostly because I'm not a billionaire. But also because inexpensive pieces, specifically handmade inexpensive art pieces are a really easy way to make your home personal. And, bonus (!) they are one of a kind. I know, I had you at cheap and easy. Let's just hope that wasn't also your nickname in college.
Now, there is a trick. Unless you are for real an artist, you can't have only handmade art in your home without it feeling like a preschool. The trick to happy walls is creating a collection of handmade "art" while mixing in more investment art as well as displaying a happy smattering of family photos (candid and professional). If your home is made up of those three, it will feel personal, pretty and polished. Here are some really cheap and easy "art" ideas that take about 30 seconds to create. No exaggeration.
Remember when your babies were so tiny, their hand fit on a 3"x3" canvas? Me either. But these canvases are pint-sized proof. Just paint the palm of your child's (or grandchild's) hand with kid friendly paint from the craft store and have them lay it on the canvas. Add their name or initials and the year and you're done. Easy. Also, my kids loved the way the brush felt on their skin.
On a shelf in our family room I have a letter opener that belonged to my husband's grandfather laying next to a pencil with the company logo, from his first job in his industry. Art can literally not get any easier than just setting something unusual on the shelf.
I was once at a friends house and I noticed that on her vanity in the bathroom she had a darling little tiny love note from her husband in a frame. I love that. I would have borrowed the idea, but my darling husband's idea of a love note is "Hey, I bought milk." And hey, he did. And hey, I don't have to. What's not to love about that?
But I am sentimental, so to follow suit, I saved an envelope with my name "Johanna" written in my grandma's handwriting that I just popped in a frame. I tucked it on the small dresser in my closet and it reminds me of her every morning. (Note to self: I really should polish that frame. Or not.)
The first time your child learns to write his/her name, save it and put it in a small frame for their room. If they come home with a really fun project from school that they are proud of, put it in a shadow box. If you don't want to hang it permanently, you can always put it on their dresser or yours.
Frame a grocery list or a recipe in a loved ones handwriting to display in your kitchen. My dad did the grocery shopping when I was growing up, and he always made his lists on this specific green paper. No other lists or notes were ever written on this distinguishabel paper except the grocery list. A few years ago, after he had just been to the store, I asked if I may have the list and I put it in a little frame. It rests on the open shelves in our kitchen.
These are just a few ways to make really easy art for small spaces in your own home. None of them require you to be Picasso, but all of them are uniquely priceless.
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