Artwork that's inexpensive and eclectic.

Artwork in homes has always intimidated me and confused me. I've never really understood what makes art "art" but having bare walls isn't something I'm necessarily a fan of. I shy away from the sentimental art pieces that proclaim things like "family is what makes a house a home" and "live, laugh, love" assuming that anyone who doesn't advertise that way obviously doesn't value family, know what love is, or enjoy laughter.

I enjoy graphic prints and I enjoy changing things up, so when I ran across this idea on one of my favorite home improvement blogs, I thought that this would be a perfect way to add some fun art without spending a ton and committing to a piece that I'm not in love with.

I had been itching to do this, and I took the opportunity to get started while I was out at Home Depot buying a fire pit for our house. Since I was already at the store when I decided to buy the materials, I skipped the first rule of a project, which is measure twice. I figured since I didn't measure, I should just be extra generous on the amount of materials I buy. So for what ended up being roughly a three-foot-wide portion of wall in our hallway, I bought 32 feet worth of shelving. I knew that I wanted four shelves, and I didn't know how long they needed to be, so I bought four eight-foot pieces of lumber. Because, math.

The lumber I got was 1x2 primed pine boards that were eight feet long. It ended up being PERFECT (after I cut them down a LOT). Other than buying boards that were too long, everything else was straight from John and Sherry's supply list.

Maneuvering around the store with these in my cart was a joke, and loading them in my Camry was an even bigger joke. Apparently, the problem-solver in me was not along for that shopping trip.

Since Isaiah and I didn't have a Dremel to use for this project, we improvised and used a circular saw. If newlyweds can do this stuff with the wrong tools, you can do this with almost anything! We (Isaiah) cut a ridge down each board about two-thirds of the way across.

We measured 11 inches between each shelf to allow room for 8x10 prints/pictures if we decided to use those someday. We used drywall screws (from what I remember) and 2.5 inch screws to make it through the pine boards and into the wall. Each of the boards went into the wall fairly easily and they are really sturdy, which isn't super necessary, but nice.

After about a half hour of measuring, cutting, and screwing attaching, the shelves took their place gracefully on our hallway wall. After about two months, we finally filled in the holes left by the hardware (with wood-filler, so it wouldn't shrink up like caulk does) and painted with our favorite classic Lilac Muse from Valspar.

I've been collecting artwork (postcards, greeting cards, and a few other things from some of my favorite places) and I have enough that I can switch things out as seasons change, or as I find new things. This is how I've always wanted to decorate my house anyway. Now I can very easily and very subtly change the art in my home and I don't have to occupy too much storage space.

My birthday card from my bestie, Emily!

My mom read this quote at my bridal shower, and it's been one of my favorites ever since!

I found this at a shop that was closing in the Crossroads Art District of Kansas City about a month after our wedding.

Some of my favorite pieces on the wall are from Raygun, Hammerpress, Paper Source, my best friend, and the green Portuguese coasters are from Porch Light Antiques.