I do not think I will surprise anyone when I say I am too poor to buy artwork. I am not an artsy person and the thought of spending hundreds or even worse thousands on some mediocre art which doesn't match my house is well annoying. After millions of hours logged watching TLC's trading spaces I was convinced that even I Ava-Right-Brain-Mazur can adorn her walls for next to nothing.

Now like a master it is time for me to pass the torch.

Supplies

• Left over paint that matches the rooms in your house
• Pencil
  
• Paint brushes
• Canvases (Walmart is cheapest but hobby lobby is better for non-rectange canvases or large sizes). Personally I like the thicker kind that have staples around the edge....I just kinda like how it looks.
  

Step 1: Find your inspiration. For my bedroom I wanted to match with the bedspread I bought...despite Rory's objections. I thought it would be nice to make a couple flower paintings for the big empty wall and then some leaves for a set above the bed. Once I have an idea I like to go to istockphoto.com to find a design to rip off. My inspiration for these paintings can be found here.

Using my rip-off design with a pencil attempt to kinda match what you are looking at on the screen. Its important to pick a design that is as simple as possible. Avoid circles they are hard to get even...do not attempt anything that is actually supposed to look like something. Abstract is best. If you need more than 2 colors its too complicated. Pick something else.


Step 2: Choose your background paint and paint :P I suggest craft sponge brushes and regular brushes for the detail. Try to avoid your penciled in areas...this way you wont fuck it up later. Since you are using wall paint I highly suggest you do one coat let it sit for about another hour and then do a second coat to ensure full coverage.


Step 3: Fill in your pencil marks with the accent color. Make sure to go over just the edges of your background color so you get smooth lines. For a fun illusion I suggest using the wall color as the accent color this way it almost looks like your have cut-outs in your canvases where the wall is showing through. Go back and touch up lines with background color if needed. Small glad ware is very handy for keeping little parcels of paint throughout your project and for extra protection against dry out use Alice's tip and keep them in fridge.

TaDa! For the price of 9 dollars a wall is dressed. Just wait until you guys get to see them above my new bed dressed with my new comforter...I'm such a hipster.

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