10 Steps: Art for Beginners

Ready to move on from the movie posters and pre-framed Ikea jobbies of your early 20's?  But, scared that "real art" doesn't fit in your budget?  Fear not.  Good-looking art doesn't have to eat into your Louboutin budget!

Here are 10 ideas for gussying up your walls in 2010:

1. Arts and Crafts:  For a quick and effortless solution, you can: 1) frame wrapping paper in solid simple frames, 2) stretch interesting fabric over a wooden frame or 3) buy cool stencils off the internet and paint art directly onto your walls.  For maximum impact, make 3 or 6 or 10 and hang together.

2. Flea Market Finds:  One man's trash is another man's art. Get up early, grab a coffee and head to your local flea market before the masses descend.  We guarantee you'll leave with some quality and quirky pieces for your walls.  If the thought of big crowds gives you hives, try ebay.  Here's one reader's fabulous flea market find:

3. DIY:  Not a budding Picasso?  All you need is canvas, paint and paint tape to make something nice for your walls. Depending on your style, you can go the clean geometric route or unleash your inner Jackson Pollock.

While this is an original piece of art, it wouldn't be hard to recreate this look on your own.

4. Your Photography: This is a tricky one if you're not a professional because there's a big margin for error.  Your cat peeking out from a staged still life of daisies doesn't qualify as art.  And we've seen enough "artistic" honeymoon shots of beaches framed on friends' walls to make us gag.  That being said, there are a lot of beautiful photographs out there that we'd die to hang on our walls.


5. Post-Art:  Framing posters and post cards is cheap and easy-peasy -- and therefore ranks as one of our fave ways to decorate your walls.  A few of our go-to poster spots are www.boldandnoble.com and www.etsy.com.

6. Wallpaper and Tapestries: You get a lot of bang for your buck if you cover an entire wall in a stunning wallpaper or tapestry.  Throw up a good chinoiserie up and let it be the star of the show.  Anything that requires less thinking can sometimes be a good thing in our book.

7. Think Outside the Frame:  Art doesn't have to be two-dimensional and framed.

8. Collections: Displaying your hobby can double as art.

9. One-of-a-Kind: Is there anything more coveted than a true "one of a kind"??  Some fun ideas for bonafide unique pieces on the cheap. 1) Have your fingerprint printed on canvas at www.dna11.com.

2) Frame personal letters (or homework assignments!)

3) While this one's a bit extreme and may only appeal to you NRA-ers, framing your shooting gallery bulls-eye -- with bullet holes you made of course! -- is a chic and cheeky addition to any space.

10. How's it Hangin':  Sometimes you can even take any/all of the above and hang it all together.  We love nothing better than a lovely mismatched melange on the wall.  They key is to ensure there's one unifying factor.  (In this case, black and white.)