Art? Probably Not...But It's Pretty

I am going to make this one short and sweet, because I don't think it's anything spectacular, but perhaps it will lend some inspiration to you :)

I was recently in need of some art for my house--my mantle to be specific.  My husband and I aren't currently in a position to purchase anything frivolous, and I'm no artist by any means, so I scavenged my house to come up with something to decorate my mantle. 

I came across a calendar I had saved from a few years back that was a collection of Art Nouveau art and advertisements.  I also discovered 4 empty frames to fill, so I chose a couple of pictures that fit the frames.  2 down, 2 to go.

 

 

Piece #3:  I love the simplicity of silhouettes, so I wanted to try something in that idea.  I remembered I had leftover paper doilies from a very special birthday party, so I used the large ones for my background, then created the bird silhouette.

 

Lastly, I used some scrapbook paper that looks like vintage wallpaper for my background, then wove a ribbon into 3 doilies that I cut the centers out of.

 

 

So now I have a generic-ish collection of art (versus a mantle covered in photos of my husband and me). 

 

 

Now, I'm not claiming these are Picassos or Warhols by any means, but I think they are a collection of pretty things, and can maybe give you inspiration to create art of your own.  :)  Calendars are a great way to start.  Many calendars are a collection of landscapes or famous artists or period artwork, like my Art Nouveau calendar.  Clip out the ones you like, frame it, and you have instant art.  And if you needed it larger than the standard calendar size, just have it reproduced larger.  :)  And that's just one place to start!  Hopefully I helped to turn on your light bulb, even if only dimly.

Until next time...