New Feature: Friday’s Five Under $50!

Life isn’t getting any less busy, which is good news if you’re a small business owner like me.  Often times though, that means I have fewer hours to devote to writing, or sleeping, or feeling human.  So in an effort to feel more sane but still keep Friday’s special on my blog, I’m adding a new feature that will alternate with Color Friday.  It’s called “Friday’s Five Under $50” and it will feature big ideas for spicing up your home that cost $5o or less.  I’m pretty excited about it, mainly because I get a lot of satisfaction out of helping people make affordable and feasible changes, but also because this will take me far less time to compose than the Color Friday collages (sad but true).

Here is THE FIRST idea in my Five Under $50 series: Frames!

Five Ribba Frames from IKEA + Homemade Artwork = $50! (frame images from IKEA, map images from various sources)

The above frames are From IKEA – each is $9.99.  They’re not tiny either, measuring in at about 10” x 10”. They’ll hold a standard sized small photo, or, you can rig the frame to do any number of things: lose the border and fill it with fabric or paper; swap out the border for a more customized look; frame your kid’s artwork on a rotating basis, or design your own graphics and experiment with which look you like best.  I love Papersource for decorative paper – it can be pricey at up to $10 a sheet, but a single sheet goes a long way when you’re filling small-ish frames.  I executed this idea in my own home using images of antique maps: I don’t believe you need to picture the whole map, but rather a place that’s important or special to you.  For our map art we used places we have lived: DC, Virginia, Indiana, Durham, Chattanooga…and just cropped to the most interesting part of the image.

IKEA offers lots of other frames, too, some for less than $5 (that’s five more frames…and you’re still right at $50!).  Here are two of them:

IKEA's Glana Frame, measuring about 6'' x 8'' ($4.99 - $5.99) with an Alphabet Collage (by me). (frame image via IKEA)

IKEA's Ribba Frame in Birch Veneer, measuring about 12'' x 16'' ($9.99) with Papersource's Japanese Paper in Yuzen Pool, Lake swosn ($8). (images via IKEA and Papersource)

Whichever frame or filler you choose, this is an easy and inexpensive way to add art to your home.  The hardest part is choosing the artwork. Ok…well…maybe the hardest part is hanging the frames straight, or installing the little saw-tooth hangers on the back (which can be purchased at any hardware store for about $2) — be warned that the IKEA frames often only come ready to perch and not hang.

Hope you enjoyed the first Five Under $50 — if you have any requests for the future let me know!

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.