Low cost art: Framing non-traditional images and items
For our cabin project in Balsam Lake, Wisconsin, we had the fun task of outfitting the house with all of its art. Because it is a vacation home, we didn’t want to spend a ton of money or include pieces that the home owners would need to worry about. About half the pieces are vintage, mostly landscapes and animals, that relate to the setting of the house.
The other half are fun, non-traditional items that were low- to no- cost. We invested in framing these items to put them on display. Here are some of our favorite selections and framing details.
Puzzles
I found a set of vintage 1960s puzzles with forest scenes that happened to be in our color palette. With the thickness of a puzzle, you want to float it—we chose a linen mat for texture and decided to use two different frames so they would coordinate but not match. We also made the finished sizes different so we could lean them or hang them stacked.
Photo: Josh Grubbs
Book Pages
I have had this little nursery rhyme book from the 1950s for years—I don’t even remember where I got it! We chose our favorite 8 animals and carefully tore the pages from the book.
We wanted to celebrate the book, so we left the page edges raw. We had the framer attach the pages to the textured mat with teeny tiny pins—a detail that adds loads of charm.
A mix of three different frame styles, all in a dainty, vintage vibe, keep the set from getting too stale.
In the overflow kid space known as the Orphanage (the loft over the garage), we hung them in pairs, stacked between the twin beds.
Photo: Josh Grubbs
Photo: Josh Grubbs
Paint By Number
Paint by numbers were popular in the 1950s, and plenty of them depict wildlife scenes in a stylized manner. We collected four (so far) for the green bedroom. A horse hangs over the bed, a little boy fishing is displayed by a window, and this pair of moose can be seen from the doorway. We framed these like canvas, with linen spacers; to lean in to the rustic imagery, we used burlwood frames.
Photo: Josh Grubbs
Botanicals
Technically these are also book pages. We picked them up for $5 a piece; you could also look for an intact book to cull a collection. We loved the delicate black and white etching style, and to give them more presence when grouped on the wall we used a green matboard.
Photo: Josh Grubbs
You can do this trick with off-the-rack frames and custom mats to save more.
Taxidermy, Real and Faux
to round out the on-traditional list, we hung some objects (no framing needed), including vintage antlers and papier mache taxidermy! As with anything else, we like to mix it up. Adding dimensional object adds to a space’s dynamic.
Real Antlers over the mantel. Photo Josh Grubbs
Faux Taxidermy in a guest room. Photo Josh Grubbs