Affordable + Free Art!

Taking on the project of decorating an entire apartment on a budget can be intimidating, but there are tons of great resources for affordable and even free art. Here are some of my Etsy favorites:

The Pink Pagoda
https://www.etsy.com/shop/thepinkpagoda

Anek
https://www.etsy.com/shop/anek
I added three pieces from Anek to my kitchen shortly after I moved and still love them a year later

Evelyn Henson
https://www.etsy.com/shop/EvelynHenson?section_id=14063287&ref=shopsection_leftnav_3
The Bar Cart collection is so fun, I have had my eye on this print for my bar area

Here are some other online resources for affordable art I love:

Penny Paper Co.
http://www.pennypaperco.com/collections/all-art-prints

Lulu & Georgia
https://www.luluandgeorgia.com/walls/wall-art

Lindsay Letters
http://lindsayletters.com/collections/art-prints

12x18 Posters
http://www.theposterlist.com/12x18-Posters/

Jenny Bevlin
http://jennybevlin.com/product-category/art-prints/foil-prints/

Made By Girl
http://www.madebygirl.com/?category|1

I have also been wanting to buy some of these books, which are collections of art prints you can tear out and hang right on your wall! There are three books: Traditional Home, Eclectic Home, and Contemporary Home. At only $17 each, I want to check out all three!
http://www.amazon.com/The-Custom-Art-Collection-Frameable/dp/1440570892/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_y

As promised, onto the free art:

I will be finding space in my home for the Life is Lovely print as well as the Abstract Heart print from All Things Thrify very soon. I just have to!
http://www.allthingsthrifty.com/free-printables-at-all-things-thrifty

The Home Sweet Home print from Going Home to Roost is front and center in my gallery wall. It even has 4 color variations to choose from
http://www.goinghometoroost.com/2013/free-downloads/home-sweet-home-printable-art-2/

The 2014 calendar over at Coco and Mingo is so sweet, perfect for a home office
http://cocoandmingo.com/2014/01/16/download-print-full-2014-year-calendar/

The list goes on and on, I am constantly amazed by the creativity and talent that can be found so easily. Now there are no excuses to put off your gallery wall dreams any longer!

Gallery Wall DIY

One of the first projects I started when I moved into my current apartment last year was a gallery wall. There are so many "rules" out there for gallery walls, and I can't say that I followed many of them. I had been collecting frames and art for about two years prior, knowing that I wanted to do a gallery wall someday. Unfortunately having a lot to choose from didn't make creating the layout/choosing the artwork any easier! If you don't know where to start, I would suggest buying a gallery wall frame kit (I found mine at HomeGoods) and then adding in a few other unique frames. I found most of my other frames at thrift stores like Goodwill or the Salvation Army, with a little spray paint they were begging to be added to the gallery. My goal for the end result is that it would look cohesive, yet not too matchy-matchy.

I laid out all of the various frames loaded with art I wanted to use on the floor in my living room and arrange and re-arrange them day after day. I knew I wanted framed art as well as a few added decorative pieces to make it feel more dynamic. There are so many places to find affordable art. I used art I found at thrift stores, from magazines, postcards, calendars, and things I collected on my travels. When I finally decided on a layout, I used Command Picture Hanging Strips to hang my frames. They are super easy to use and come in various sizes, which corresponds to the weight of your frame. The strips also come in black and white so that they blend in with the back of your frame. Don't be like me and not realize you are putting a black strip on the back of your white frame, which you can only see from the side view. Also don't be like me and leave it as is for months even though it bothers you (and probably no one else).

Really the only gallery wall "rule" I followed was the flow of colors throughout the frames. You can see that the darker/black colors flow from the top left down to the zebra piece and then back up to the abstract canvas art. The same goes for the golds/brown which flow from the butterflies to the scroll to the pineapple. Also the blues flow from the bottom left up to the top middle to the bottom right. This really created the integrated look I was going for.

Art clockwise from top left

Butterflies: With frames from Salvation Army, spray painted in antique gold

Claude Monet Woman with a Parasol: Note card from Goodwill

Home Sweet Home print: http://www.goinghometoroost.com/2013/free-downloads/home-sweet-home-printable-art-2/

Abstract canvas art from Savers thrift store
Owl art from a magazine (frame from Meijer)
Church print I picked up while in Belgrade, Serbia
Post card with map of St. Kitts & Nevis
Wooden pineapple bowl from Goodwill
Zebra art from an old Charley Harper calendar (frame from Meijer)
Gold leaf decorative scroll from garage sale
Beach art print I picked up while in St. Kitts (frame from Ikea)
Metal bicycle art from Michael's craft store
Patterned post card from Denmark

I am working on collecting all of my favorite free printable links and other online sources for affordable art and will be sharing it all here soon. Stay tuned!

Welcome to The Gilded Interior!

I'm Claudia and I am currently living life as a renter outside of Chicago, IL. I have had a passion for design and DIY for as long as I can remember; watching home design shows instead of Nickelodeon, and making ornate crafts to sell to my neighbors. I have moved four times in the last 6 years, and over the past year I have worked on making a gilded home out of my apartment. I have found the most incredible inspiration and ideas to make my own from my favorite blogs, and I can't wait to share a little gilded inspiration with you! I want to feature so many things, but more than anything I want this blog to give you the encouragement we all need from time to time. Encouragement to try something new, (like start a blog for example!) to think outside of the box, and to create the home you want and deserve. I hope you find useful, beautiful and inspiring things here to take into your own gilded lives.