Decorate For Less With Art Posters
I've been a fan of art posters for years, but I'm not always the best at doing them myself. So when a friend of mine found this blog post from The Art of Doing Stuff, I was excited to see an idea that can save me big time. Let's face it — decorating is expensive! And honestly, sometimes you just want something with cool art on it that's worth more money than what you paid for it. But now you don't have to sacrifice style and creativity by scrimping in order to find posters at a low price. I love how they are not only stylish, but also can express an emotion or concept so well. I've always wanted to decorate a room filled with art posters. So here's a quick weekend project to get everything started!
Below is a list of common posters that you can find online or in your local hardware store and Michael's.
One thing I found most useful about this post was the specific instructions for working with foamcore boards. It is important to measure out and then cut out the size you want before gluing them down. The reason for this is that you want to provide as much stability as possible. I also recommend you draw on the foamcore with a black sharpie marker before starting to trace out your design because the marker will transfer over to the poster better.
Here's a post on how to make your own foamcore. If you've never made anything like this before, I highly recommend it because it can be done in minutes and is much less expensive than purchasing a blank poster in the store. You can follow along and make one yourself, or purchase one at some art supply stores or online.
What I love most about this tutorial is that they give you an easy way to hang your beautiful art! You can find picture hanging wire at any hardware store. Assemble a line with twist ties and attach it to the back of the frame. Frame shops may have an easier time finding this type of wire, but if you don't want to pay extra just ask them for a metal hanger you can use instead. Once assembled, put your hook at the top (the hole) of the poster board and push it through the hole in your wall. Hang the wire and your poster will be displayed for everyone to see!
This is a great project for anyone who loves art posters or are searching for something that won't break their budget. It is a great project for someone who has never worked with foamcore before, so if you have never made anything like this before, I highly recommend reading through this post. If you are an experienced builder, you can follow along and make it yourself.
If you'd like to see some other posts on art posters that I found helpful, check out these links!
Happy Weekend Friends!
So, ever since I read the post on Pinterest yesterday about how to use Folding Tables as Planters, I've been wanting to do it! So today when my husband was home and he offered to help me set them up in the front yard. I grabbed some gardening supplies and we got to work!
As you can see, they look great in the front yard! I love the colors, angles, and textures of the wood.
I'm hoping that maybe we can start hanging flower pots and plants on them this weekend. If not, I'll definitely be making more for our backyards. So here's how to make one yourself:
Supplies: 1 Folding Table (If you get a large table you may need more than one.) 2 packages of 2" Square Cedar Wood Posts (May be found at Home Depot or Lowes) 3 "S" Brackets (These are used to place between each post. You can also use galvanized screws.) 3 hammers, drill, screwdriver, and a pencil Plastic Potting Soil 2 Large Pots (Big enough to fill out the table.)
Prepare your post:
-Measure and draw 3 lines onto your post. The first line should be 8 ½ inches from the bottom of the post. The second line should be 5 ½ inches from the bottom of the post. The third line should be 2 ½ inches from the bottom of each post.
-Use a hammer to remove nails from both ends of your posts. If you can't remove them completely you will want to file down any sharp pieces left on your posts with a nail file or something similar.
-Remove flathead screws and nails from both ends of your posts. (If you end up with a few left over and you don't want to use nails, you can file them down with a nail file or something similar.)
-Use your pencil to trace the shape on the back of your post. This should be a rectangle and as wide as your post is thick. Remove the top half of this shape on both sides.
-I placed my posts 1 ½ inches from the edge of our bricks on our sidewalk. You will want to measure this out carefully before choosing where to place each post because you want it to stand straight up and not lean over or tilt in any direction due to wind or pressure against it.
-Use your pencil to mark a line 2 ½ inches from each end of your posts and then center the bottom of your post on this line.
-Use a hammer to nail both ends of the post into place, making sure they are straight up and down.
-Spray paint both sides of each post. You can paint them at the same time or do them separately if you would like. I did mine separately because I need to paint another set next week and didn't want them to get too wet with water leftover from my spraying. Be careful when you spray paint because it can get very hot!
Then, you will want to lightly sand both sides with a fine grit sandpaper. You will want to slowly work your way up from a rough grit sandpaper to a fine grit and then finish it off with a smooth sandpaper. For example: Sand paper with a rough grit, then, when that gets smooth sand paper again with a medium grit, finish off by using fine and smooth sandpaper. Be sure to have some paint thinner nearby because your sanding may turn some of the paint colors into different colors. You can just use paint thinner (something like Naptha) and wipe it over either the wood or the spray paint depending on what color you are trying to get back.
Add your "S" Brackets:
-Measure 1 inch from each post and mark it.
Conclusion:
Your Folding Table should measure 7 ½ inches from the bottom of it to the bottom of the "S" Brackets. The "S" brackets should be spaced evenly on top of each post. You will want to make sure when you are placing them that they are evenly spaced in this direction. If your "S" brackets aren't exactly 7 ½ inches apart at the top, place more so there's more space between them at the top. If you don't have a square handy then you can use a piece of paper and mark a 7½ inch square onto it. Then place your measuring stick in between both marks and draw an "8" with a marker on paper or something similar to form your 8½ inch measurement.