DIY decor

It's a dilemma every homeowner/apartment dweller/home decorator faces: what to do with that blank wall?

The easiest solution, of course, is to add a little pizzazz, with paint or with art. But maybe you're not allowed to paint the walls in your rental. Maybe you're on a limited budget. And maybe you wouldn't know "good" art if it bit you in the armpit.

Don't sweat it. Even the most rule restricted/financially challenged/artistically uninformed person can drum up a few funky ways to decorate their walls. We asked a few local artists for do-it-yourself tips that involve paint, textiles and more. Take a look at the suggestions below for a little inspiration of your own.

1. Stencils are your friend. So what if you can't even draw a stick figure. Stencils can help even the most creativity-challenged get a cool design with ease, said Columbus Grove artist Gloria Miller. "(Stencils) are not complicated at all," she said. "You can look through magazines and paint books for different things."

You can also find stencils on the cheap by looking in the sale sections at craft and art stores, said Lima artist Ruth Ann Sturgill. Use the stencils atop canvases, on poster board or even cardboard.

IDEAS: Make a triptych (an artwork comprised of three panels). Line three canvases up and use stencils that carry from one canvas to the next. You can hang them in order, or mix them up (see our photos for a homemade example).

2. Play with paints. Acrylic paints (for use with stenciling, painting on canvas, etc.) are extremely durable, said Kay Sluterbeck, artist and office manager at Wassenberg Art Center in Van Wert. Acrylic paints are easy to paint over and very user friendly.

"Acrylics you can't destroy, and they dry quickly," she said, although she warned against mixing oil paint and acrylic paint.

Sluterbeck said adventurous painters can also experiment with tea bags and watercolor paints, creating splotchy, abstract art that's easily framed when dry.

IDEAS: Make your own Jackson Pollack-style painting. Find a big blank canvas (buy something used and paint primer over it, or use poster board or another cheap material). Buy a few tubes of coordinating acrylic paint, then dribble the paint over the canvas for a splatter-tastic piece.

With watercolors: Squirt a little watercolor paint onto 140-pound watercolor paper. Then, soak 20 to 30 regular teabags and set them on the paper. The tea will run into the paint, and both will stain the paper for an abstract, colorful pattern.

3. Think outside the box. You need not restrict your wall art to 2-D pictures or paintings, Sturgill said. Just about anything can become art, from clothing to baby booties to baskets to bamboo. These pieces can stand alone, or you might use an empty frame or shelf to exhibit them.

"Maybe you have a couple pieces of antique jewelry that you got from a flea market, or they're family pieces, and you'd like to display them," she said. "Put them on the wall with straight pins. Make it become art."

IDEAS: Use your favorite old concert T-shirts and mount them on a wall with straight pins. Then take picture frames (either from the craft store or bought used), paint them accordingly and "frame" the shirts by mounting the frame around them.

4. Try double duty artwork. "There's nothing better than having items around that are functional that decorate, too," Sturgill said. That goes for your wall art, as well.

IDEAS: Make a statement by hanging your favorite purse on a wall within a frame, then take it down to wear out on a Friday night. Mount a basket on the wall, then use it as a bread basket during family meals.

5. Become thrift-store savvy. Craft stores and big-box supermarkets aren't the only places you can look for fun and original art, said Lima artist Meg Dickason.

"Any garage sale or any Goodwill, any thrift store situation has wonderfully priced items and wonderful ideas," she said.

IDEAS: Consult the phone book for a list of different thrift stores in the area (or the classifieds for garage sale notices) and go bargain hunting. You might find a few funky frames you can paint, or retro fabrics you can play with, all for mere pennies out of your pocketbook. Buy old children's books, rip out pages and frame the yellowed illustrations (cartography books, encyclopedias or music books might be fun, too). Make a collage with old postcards, photos or advertisements from old magazines (seal it with a clear varnish).

6. Have fun with fabric. Hate painting? Try your hand with textiles instead, Sluterbeck said. You can buy scraps on discount from a fabric or craft store, or use old shirts and clothing items.

IDEAS: Sluterbeck suggests making a T-shirt quilt: use a square template to cut out designs from old shirts, then hem the squares together to make a "quilt" (or use fabric glue to attach them all instead). Finish the project by hanging the quilt on a dowel on the wall.

You can also do just about anything with white fabric, Dickason said. Try staining, painting, tie-dye and other techniques and see where they take you.

Ambitious decorators can also use fabric in lieu of paint to cover a wall, Sturgill said, securing it to the wall by using straight pins to pierce the dry wall (the small holes left behind are virtually undetectable). Try fraying the fabric's edges to give it more pizzazz.

7. Group items together. Grouping your art helps keeps things cohesive, Sturgill said, and makes it stand out more.

"Don't spread things around the place," she said. "If you don't have much, grouping makes one big powerful statement. The simplicity of that alone can be wonderful."

In addition, Miller suggests having a focal point in your room, a wall or location where that draws the eye when someone enters the space. Miller, who does wall painting and murals, says just about anything can be made a focal point, from the fireplace in a living room to the walls around your hot tub in the bathroom. Use your art or painting to make that focal point.

IDEAS: Group funky hats together on your wall. Cluster various colors and sizes of glass bottles together on a shelf. Paint a wide variety of frames in bright, funky colors and hang them solo on the wall.

8. Work with accent colors. When dealing with paint, look for accent colors in furniture that you can pull out into your wall art, Miller said. For example, if you have burgundy throw pillows on your couch, use a burgundy paint or other reds to pull the room together.

IDEAS: Buy or paint the following things in your accent color: frames, canvases, candle votives, fabric scraps or scarves. If you're allowed to physically paint the walls, paint one wall in the room your accent color. Jazz it up with gloss stripes: tape off the stripes (vertical or horizontal) and paint the gloss over the dried wall color for a subtle sheen.

9. Experiment with manipulating photography. Sturgill said manipulated photography - photos that have been altered on a computer - are hot items lately in art shows, and they're something everyone can try. Places like Office Max or Office Depot usually have computers that allow you to scan a photo or upload a digital picture, then fiddle with the way it looks. "You can play around with it, then they can print out a color copy for you," she said. "It's amazing what you can have for two or three bucks."

IDEAS: Start with a picture you love. It could be a sunset, or a picture of your children, or even a photo of your favorite Hollywood celebrity. Experiment: try it in black and white or in sepia tones. When you find something you like, get a print of it and glue it into a cool frame.

10. If you like it, that's all that matters. When creating your own art, Dickason said the important thing is to use items that you love. Whether it's a picture, a color, a stuffed animal or a hubcap, select items that connect with you on some level.

"I think the key is finding things that bring you joy," she said. "That's what art is all about. It has to be something that you love, something that makes your imagination fly or something that brings you back."

How much did our art project cost? Here's the breakdown:

• Acrylic craft paint: $4.69 (for seven 2-ounce bottles)

• Masking tape: $1.47

• Canvases: $17.98 (for four, 11 by 14 inches)

• Stencils: $5.99

• Brushes: $4.99 (for variety pack of 25)

Total: $31.66 (including tax)

Additional tips: If you don't have $30 to spend on a project like this, there are ways to shave down the total cost. First, look for sales: we bought our canvases on sale in two-per-pack sets. If you can't afford canvas, try poster board or other substitutes (you might even prime a piece of cardboard with white paint). You can also cut back on the amount of paint you purchase, the number of paint brushes you need, and etc. This project can cost as little or as much as you want.

What do-it-yourself decor projects have you completed recently? We'd love to hear about them, whether it's an awesome quilt or a funky-cool vase. Post photos, give how-to instructions and more at www.limaohio.com.

Additional Resources

Miller, Sturgill, Dickason and Sluterbeck all recommended consulting outside resources for ideas and inspiration. In addition to visiting the library or chatting up an artist or art teacher, you might also try these Web sites:

www.threadbanger.com

www.spraypaintstencils.com

www.instructables.com

www.craftstylish.com

www.desiretoinspire.blogspot.com