How To Cheaply Create Botanical Artwork From Vintage Images

Atta Girl Amy
by Atta Girl Amy
$250
Easy
A blank canvas can be scary. Especially when that canvas is a two-story wall like the one in my living room. When we moved into our house, I was stumped about how to affordably decorate the space above our sofa. So, we lived with a blank, boring beige wall for more than a year.
Our furniture looked so sad and small beneath that towering wall!
A trip to Ikea and a little poking around on the Internet and I had a solution.
Would you believe the entire grouping of antique botanical prints cost me less than $250, including framing?
My botanical prints cover a nearly 6 foot by 5 foot span of wall. Can you imagine what an original painting that size would have cost?
So, here's the breakdown on how I achieved the high-end look for less.
6 large Ikea Ribba frames: - $20 each
6 vintage botanicals from the NY Public Library Digital Gallery, printed to my custom size via Zazzle: $17 each (with a 10 percent off coupon).
I originally considered printing the artwork at a local copy shop, but for the sizes I needed, each print would have been about double the price. So, I went with Zazzle, which most people think of as a place to print cards and other personalized items.
Who knew you could also print artwork like you see in home decor catalogs? (Check out Ballard Designs to see what I mean. And look at the pricetags!)
If you visit my blog, you'll find links to to the exact prints I used in my living room if you want to replicate the look. This post also includes other ideas for large-scale artwork, including a genius print-at-home option using antique botanicals.
When we moved into our house, I was stumped for how to decorate the two-story wall above our sofa.
Can you believe that all these vintage botanical prints cost less than $250, including framing?
Oversized vintage botanical prints are a great way to fill up a large wall space.
I was stumped for how to decorate the two-story wall above our living room sofa. But I found a solution at Ikea and on the Internet!
You can find a large array of public domain botanical prints that you can turn into artwork on sites like Zazzle and The Graphics Fairy.
Be sure to visit my blog for the lowdown on how I created this decorative bulletin board using free botanical artwork I printed at home.
Atta Girl Amy
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Go
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 3 comments
Next