original artwork on a budget

I’ve been meaning to update my framed black and white photos for a little while now. They were starting to fade...and I was also getting a little tired of them.

A great way to refresh your space is by switching up the artwork now and again. Even if you keep the same art, try changing them around to hang in different places. You may discover a better arrangement or just that absolutely perfect spot for your art.

I love black and white photography...always have. On a budget, I grabbed my camera and went for a stroll on Saturday.

About two short blocks from my house, something on a regularly graffiti-ed building caught my eye. So, I crossed the street, pulled out my camera and started snapping. I had just found my new artwork!

Well done, simple, and clever. What a find!

Quickly returning home, I downloaded my pics to check them out. That’s one of  the beauties of a digital camera...instantly look at them to see if there is anything good, then delete the rest. No fuss, and no cost to taking lots of pictures.

I found one or two that I was really happy with. And, as I already had frames I was going to reuse, I just had to figure out where I wanted to hang the art.

Here’s the best tip for you...go to www.walmartphotocentre.ca and upload your photos. They offer one hour printing on large “posters”, which are really just super large prints of your photos on good quality photo paper (not on poster paper as you might assume). Cheaper and faster than Costco..really!

Choose the size you want -- here, I chose 20x24 – and select from the pics you just uploaded. Make sure you upload the large file, not the thumbnail to ensure the resolution is adequate. Preview it, make sure you are happy with the size and cropping (you do have some control over this on the site).

Then order it. You can pick it up at the closest store to you and only pay when you are in-store, if you choose. It literally takes about 10 minutes, if you are a bit slow like me...!

I ordered it...for $18, why not? I immediately got a confirmation email telling me that they received my order. About 10 minutes later, I received another email telling me my order was ready to be picked up.

Really? How can it be that fast?? I was skeptical about both the quality and the speediness. But when I arrived at Walmart, it was ready...and it was awesome.

I got home, used double sided tape to put it on a black background that I already had, hung it on the wall, and stood back to admire.

Viola! Original artwork, by me, at a super good price. It looks like a professional piece of art. And it started just as a simple picture. (please ignore the reflection of the glass and trust me when I tell you that the print is sharp and clear!)

Loved it so much that today, I ordered two more. Smaller prints (16x20) of two other photos I took while perusing my favorite antiques shop. Perfect for the rest of my existing frames. ($15/each)

So excited by this little revelation, I wish I had more walls to hang more framed photography...

Grab your camera...and get creative! It’s fun, it's easy, it makes for a great story when you tell those who ask that it's your photography, and best of all, it’s the cheapest original artwork you’ll ever find.

Imagine a landscape of your favorite place, an artsy close up of an interesting object...or anywhere else your camera can capture!

Of course, if you are afraid of the camera, feel free to steal/ask for someone else's photographs!

See you next week.

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For more about rouge, visit www.littlered.ca or check out past blogs at www.justalittlerouge/blogspot.com