Art Under $100

I had almost forgotten about the series I started way back when-Art Under $100-where I give you sources and ideas to fill your blank walls for under a hundred bucks (hence the title). After we switched up the office and master bedroom the art arrangement I had up just didn't fit with the calm and neutral vibe I knew we needed to sell the house. 

So I set out to use some of my own advice and create new artwork for the space for under $100. This is an easy D.I.Y that you can finish in a few hours (with drying time). I went out and bought two of my stand-by large format Ikea RIBBA frames. At $25, I'm fairly certain it's impossible to find a cheaper super large frame. While it's obviously not museum quality, it's a good fix for those of us not able to pay upwards of $500 to get things professionally framed. Once I had those, I grabbed two sheets of thick watercolour paper from the craft store. I love the raw edges of this paper and it stands up well to paint without warping. I can't remember how much these were but definitely under $30. I bought a paper size just larger then the opening for the pre-cut mat that comes with the frames. At home I used some of the left over wall colour as well as two other complimentary colours- all in a soothing ocean inspired palette. Using the wall colour in the painting is a sure way to tie it into the room. 

I'm going to pause here for a second because the artist in me cringes that I just wrote/did that. I'm not advocating that all your art should be made/bought to solely match a room/couch/rug because that would be boring. Art should be a creative expression and stand alone....BUT...sometimes you just need something to match/sell your house and I'm gonna just call this decor. At least you didn't go buy the frame and the poster at Ikea. [End rant]

I diluted all the paint by about 50% and then used a dry (slightly crusty) brush to dip in the paint and drag along the paper to create visible brush marks.

Once they were dry, I used a double-sided foam mounting tape to secure the paper on top of the matting that came with the frame. 

And VOILA! You now have two original 'decor items' that are framed in a modern way. They look expensive but cost you under $100. Hang up and sit back and enjoy! I'm going to pretend that these framed paintings are what sold my house.