Blog Party!

There's a blog party going on over at another Amanda's blog and I want in!
http://serenitynow4amanda.blogspot.com/2010/04/dont-you-want-to-be-dishing-it-with-me.html


I'm going to interrupt the Affordable Art Week series to join the fun and hopefully meet some fellow bloggers!

So, HI to all my new friends! I'm Amanda and I've been blogging for a little over a month! I just created a website called www.adollarforadesign.com and I wanted a blog in addition to my website so that people could see my work and I could share my ideas! I have a Bachelor's Degree in Interior Design, and I wanted to create a website that I could have fun with and help people beautify their spaces. I have always had a love for good design, and I wanted to learn how to take even the smallest or ugliest space and turn it into something beautiful! So, if you head over to my website and pay a dollar (hence the name!), I can offer you some customized solutions! It's like hiring an Interior Designer and it only costs a buck! Hopefully this blog will continue to provide people with inspiration and ideas to improve and beautify the space they've got! I'm all about do-it-yourself projects, and since I'm a super tightwad, I'm always looking for ways to get things on the cheap...without ever sacrificing style of course! I have a lot of fun projects planned in the coming months that I will feature, so hopefully you keep coming back for more!

Wall Decals

As we chug along through Affordable Art Week, I wanted to mention wall decals. I really wanted to try decorating with one when I was re-decorating my family room. I saw them online and thought they could be so cute! But, I wanted a lttle more texture on the wall, so I decided to apply mine to some painted mdf from Home Depot, and then my husband was able to frame it out for me so it looked like a picture frame around the mdf. This was a great way for me to get some large art above my couch on a giant bare wall. The picture above is from www.circlelinestudio.com who has some really cute wall decals. Wall decals can range anywhere from $5 - $75, it just matters on the size. It can be an affordable way to fill a giant bare wall! They can go directly on the wall, or onto some wood and then hung on the wall like I did!

Scrapbook Paper

If you have a small budget, but want some changes that will make a big impact, design with scrapbook paper! There are so many beautiful varieties out there that are beautiful enough to have on display. Whether you frame it, or apply it to wood or foam board with mod podge, it will look beautiful. I've framed some eclectic paper for my twins' nursery and it looked great hanging on the walls. This is one of the most affordable ways to get some cuteness up onto the walls!

Photo courtesy of www.queenofdiy.com. There is a really great tutorial you can follow to re-create this look here:
http://www.queenofdiy.com/home-decorating/scrapbook-paper-wall-art.html

Fabric!

One trick of the trade that I've seen a lot of designers do, is to take art canvases, and cover them with fabric. This is so inexpensive and cute!!!! Since I am not an incredible artist, I'd rather cover up a canvas with cute fabric instead of trying to paint a picture. You can also use a solid piece of plywood and cover it with fabric too, if you have wood scraps laying around in your garage.

The best way to adhere the fabric is to use a glue gun or staple gun on the backside of the wood or canvas.

Some of my favorite fabrics are from Designers: Amy Butler, Heather Bailey, and Joel Dewberry. Their coordinating collections make it easy to combine fabrics and get a cohesive look.

Photo courtesy of flickr.com

Affordable Art Week

Today I'm be kicking off Affordable Art Week, where each day this week I'll feature a very inexpensive way to put some nice artwork onto those walls. I think that a lot of times, people aren't sure how or what to put up onto their walls, so hopefully this week I'll give you some new ideas.

For today, I wanted to share a few websites that I've used to purchase art prints, rather than buying already framed art, which can get very expensive!

Art.com

Allposters.com

You can find almost anything on here! Any style, any color, ANYTHING! This is where I found the art print for my entryway. If you buy the prints this way, and then find some inexpensive frames at thrift stores, flea markets, and/or garage sales, it will cost way less then buying already framed art.

I love vintage prints. While shopping in Bed Bath & Beyond one day, I saw this Vogue print and HAD to have it! But instead of buying it there, I found the print online and had a frame for it, which ended up being half the price of what the store wanted. Now it is hanging up in my master bathroom and it is fabulous!

If you have a frame that is a little bigger than the print you want to use, you can make your own matting using cardstock.

How I got the $500 look for $50

A few years back, my Aunt had a Ballard Designs catalog laying around at her house, and when I flipped through it, I fell in love. The catalog was full of fabulous home decor items, including artwork, fabric, furniture, and accessories. The only downside is, all the stuff I wanted was a bit out of my budget price range. I saw this grouping of prints that I loved, and I knew I wanted on my walls somewhere. I found a way to re-create the look. It was merely a large print, cut up into smaller pieces and framed. So, I decided to find a replica of the print through an online art website, went to Wal-Mart and picked up 8 of those $3 wood frames, and started cutting away at the art print. Here is what I came up with. Ballard Designs wanted over $500 for their collection, and I paid 10% of the price for my version. These are hanging in my entry, and I have plans for my husband to build me an entry table to complete the look.

Next week, I'll go over affordable ways to get art up onto those walls!

Shirt Re-fashion

I've been a little tired of my wardrobe lately, so I decided to re-fashion some of my clothes. I took this maroon plain shirt, and a pair of girls' soccer shorts that I got at the thrift store for a quarter, and made something that I think is super cute!

I found the idea based on this fabulous tutorial here:
http://www.madebylex.com/2010/02/anthropologie-pratia-tank-top-tutorial.html