DIY Art

Remember this lovely frame that I got for $9 at the Cheapo Depot?

It was totally gross unique, but it didn't fit into my house like it was.

After a coat of primer... I noticed that there were some edges that needed a little TLC.

So I used a little Caulk to blend them together.

And finally used an atlas to cut out a male and a female figure! 

What do you think??

Now, I just need to finish getting my other art and pictures in order to hang up my gallery wall.

Chunky Frames

I have been on the look out for some chunky, ornate, cheap picture frames for a LONG time... and I never had any luck until now!  I found not one, but 2 picture frames that fit this description.  The first is a small frame I found at HomeGoods for $6.

This AWESOME frame and the (not so) lovely art were only $9 and a place called 'The Cheapo Depot'. I kid you  not - that was the name of the store.  It is in Wisconsin (somewhere) and we stopped there to buy fireworks.  While the hubs was spending hours picking out the perfect type of exploision, I cruised the ailes of the Cheapo Depot and nearly jumped up and down when I found the frame.

Next I took a can of spray primer to them...

The little frame got a coat of high gloss black, and a heart cut out of a map of Colorado.  We took a family vacation there, and I have a bunch of those pictures framed, so this will look great hanging next to them.

Oh - and does the above look familiar? Yep - I finally made some art that I found from Pinterest!!!

The other frame stayed white, and the nice flower vase is no longer.... check back next week to see the final output!

Fun Art

We are in the process of finishing our windows and painting the walls.  They will be the same colors for the most part - but we needed to touch up a few spots.  I thought that this was a perfect opportunity to start over on my gallery wall.  I also thought it would be fun to add more art.  We have plenty of photography, but not much else.  So, I headed out to Etsy to find some great pieces.

via here

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yes - I went there :)  via here

and here

I could look at Etsy for HOURS and HOURS and still see no shortage of art I want to buy.  If you have any good Etsy shops please let me know - I always love to look!

Oh - and keep your eye open for my own DIY art in the coming days!

More Original Art

I mentioned a little while back that Jeff and I are trying to bring more original art into our homes. We might not have the bank-roll to buy the expensive stuff, but we DO have the tenacity to find great stuff that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

The other weekend we made our way to Northeast Minneapolis for the Art-A-Whirl Studio Tour. I totally regret not bringing my camera, as there was some absolutely amazing artwork.

One of our first stops was Art Crank. My husband is an avid biker and spotted this studio on one of his biking websites. They had tons of really great biking related posters that were both nice to look at and clever. We ended up purchasing a poster from artist Adam Turnman. If you live in the twin cities area, or live elsewhere and originate from the TC, you should definitely check out his artwork. There are so many familiar landmarks in his screenprints. We love the bright colors and the memories that come to mind everytime we look at our print.

sorry about the glare...

One of the other studios that we just happened upon was Old Tom Foolery. The company is a husband and wife team, based in Minneapolis. They have absolutely hilarious greeting cards. I don't know them, but based on their cards....I want to be their friends. You have got to check out there site.  I'm pretty sure we will be getting some Christmas cards from them this year.

Also, given my current pregnant condition, I found these cards especially hilarious. You might find them offensive....I find them really, really, funny!

DIY Art...someone hold me to this please :)

Is anyone else out there pinning? I am - and I am in love with it.  One of my Pin Boards is called DIY art. I have been collecting ideas for different art projects that I can make for cheap.  Below are a few of them:




















So - since collecting all of the above and many more - I have done nothing!!! My goal is to do at least 2 of these pieces of art this summer.  Have any of you actually recreated something that you saw on Pinterest? Or that you saw elsewhere? Please share... I would love you see your pictures, and get inspiration from you!

*All pictures are via my Pinterest (where it will give credit to the source)

Birthday Art

Recently, my hubby and I have been discussing the lack of varied art in our home. We own a couple of posters that we have had professionally framed, but we lack art that isn't mass produced. Don't get me wrong, I am all about framing posters, post-cards, maps, stationary, etc.  However, we wanted to diversify our space with some new stuff.

With all that said, my loving husband purchased this piece of art for me from 20x200. Unfortunately, due to some shipping issues (which I want to note that 20x200 rectified right away) we didn't get the artwork in time for my actual birthday, but we have it now and LOVE it!

Artwork by Jessica Sanchez

I also selfishly purchased an additional piece of art as a birthday gift to myself. Does anyone else do this, or am I the only self-indulgent person? I first saw this poster (the Chicago version) on the wall of my friends home. Then, last month I saw another version (Des Moines) on the wall of my other friends home. After some no careful consideration I decided I wanted the Minneapolis version. I lurve it!

Artwork by Jenny Beorkrem of Ork Posters

What about you guys? Any new art recently? If you haven't bought it yet, do you have your eye on anything?

New Art

I recently saw this on the blog Cornflake Dreams and knew I had to have it.



Even better was the story that went with the art:

Boy meets girl.
Girl meets boy.
Boy almost head-butts girl while trying to kiss her.
Nerdy glasses save




*Side story with slightly too much information:  When Nate and I kiss while wearing our glasses (we are both visually challenged) we call it our nerdy kiss, so this piece of art spoke to us. 


We got the art and it is even better in person :)  Can't wait to hang it up.

Check out the artest's Etsy shop here