Wall Art

Want a conversation starter for some yawn of a wall in your house? Try this easy wall art idea.

An inspiring home begets inspiration, so first, pick a theme that inspires you.

For instance, when we remodeled our bathroom, we found a newspaper from 1930 layered among the floor boards, which gave me an idea …

I clipped out the paper masthead, date, and a few ads and stories that tickled my fancy about the time period. Then I arranged my clippings on a piece of uncut matting and popped it into a basic frame. Simple, and now I have one-of-kind art piece with interest and meaning.

Here are a couple of ways you can riff on this idea:

Copy newspaper clippings at the library from the year your house was built.
Use stories from the newspaper your mom saved when you were born.
Use historic records about your ancestors. Check online or your local library.
Copy pictures from a certain time period that appeals to your personality or design style.
Make a collage of old family portraits and bits of journal entries and letters.
Find old newspaper clippings particular to the theme of your room: sports den, office, toy room, home theater, etc.

The copper frame is a good texture and color with the black ink.

A good daily reminder to keep your chip up and avoid … moustache cups?

Someone please make this dress, and I will rock it.

The early twinklings of future mega star Bob Hope.

Not everyone can say they have Stalin memorabilia in their bathroom.

A peek at Babe Ruth in his youth, all swagger and charm.

Interesting article about the rising backlash against prohibition at the time.

This is copywriter porn. “Try it with your new hat.” LOVE.

Tip: Make sure the glass in your frame will protect your art from fading. Check with the sales clerk. Places like Aaron Brothers are a good bet, with reasonable prices and a pretty good selection (no, they didn’t pay me to say that).

If you’ve created something like this, please share a photo. And if this inspires you to make your own clippings art, share that, too!

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14 thoughts on “Wall Art”

That’s actually really cool, Angela. I want to find old 1930 news papers in my floorboards……

Angela Taylor Hylland says:

July 27, 2012 at 9:41 am

Thanks, Roger. Maybe we should tear up your floor boards when I come to SF, just to check? 😉

Reply

i really like the copper frame. It looks so awesome with the old newsprint. Thanks for the idea of copying the newspaper from when i was born. Or it could be the day i got married. Did you make the frame?

http://www.modernabstractdecor.com/modern_copper_art

Angela Taylor Hylland says:

July 27, 2012 at 9:42 am

I wish I could make a frame like that! I got this one at Aaron Brothers about two years ago. I don’t know if they still carry it. Great suggestion about the wedding day papers, by the way, and thanks for commenting!

Reply

Hi! I came over from Bloggy Moms and my immediate thought was… “What a great idea for the bathroom!” You know, people need something to do while they’re sitting around… ha ha ha.

I will make some of your suggested art and put up a post about it, K? Most of my art includes old book pages I paint and collage or make mixed media with, so this will be a fun addition to that work….