Make Art with a Meaning

I confess I do like to have pretty things to look at in my home. I can be all minimal in my wardrobe, my makeup, and my groceries; but this girl likes to have pretty art on her walls.

A couple of weeks ago I shared some of my favorite ‘REAL artists’ in my virtual art gallery and I’m still yearning for a piece by a couple of these artists (here’s a little secret, I think I might be getting one for my anniversary!!! Squeal!)

As much as I really do love having art by REAL artists adorn my walls, the truth is…I need to feed the fam and you can buy a whole lot of chicken and veggies for what it would cost to buy one of those paintings.

I know that I can find all sorts of inexpensive prints in many places, but most of the art in my home means something to our family in some way or another, so I’m not one to buy a print just to fill a spot. If, like me, you prefer your art to have a special meaning, here are a few ways I’ve accomplished that.

When I wanted a portrait of my kiddos but it wasn’t in my budget, I painted my own. I told them to ‘look at the octopus’ and snapped the photo just at that moment and then used it for my painting. If you aren’t comfortable painting, check out the Waterlogue App.  It’s also available for Mac.

The artwork of my talented children is also displayed on our walls.

Kate took this photo during a family visit to Charleston, SC several years ago. It’s the reflection of a church steeple in a window across the street from the church. Don’t you just love those colors!?  She took this well before we had Photoshop, so this is how the image came out of her camera.

Sadly, right now her studies don’t offer her the opportunity to work with her camera. I’m hoping that she can pick it up again someday.

This landscape by my then 8-year old son is filled with miniature elephants; it’s a bit like the Where’s Waldo of the elephant world. His adoration of elephants is long and entrenched and so this artwork will always have a cherished spot in our heart and on our walls.

When we do buy art, we often try to find works that also have a meaning to us. We swear that this piece by artist Rick McClure entitled ‘Taste of Tuscany’ depicts a villa that we shared with some of our family several years back while in that area of Italy.

It’s a frequent reminder of the wonderful times we shared there.

When my father-in-law passed away several years ago right about this time, a dear friend gifted us with a Star Magnolia in his remembrance. I plucked one of the blossoms several weeks ago when I was doing some camera homework and needed a subject.

I was thrilled with the way the image turned out and decided it would look gorgeous in my dining room.

I uploaded it to Shutterfly and within a week, I had this lovely hanging on my wall.

The print was matted, framed and shipped within 4 days of my order! I went back and forth on whether I just wanted it on a wrapped canvas or in a frame, both of which are options on Shutterfly. I went through a ‘wrapped canvas’ phase several years back, but now I’m wanting my art to be a little more finished.

It’s a little hard to see in this image, but the bottom petals do have a touch of the gold that is on the walls.  Once again, it’s that kismet thing. This photo of my father-in-law’s Star Magnolia was meant to hang on the walls of my dining room.

I hope I’ve provided you a few ways you can make your own art, especially art that might have a special significance to you. If you have other ways you’ve created your own art, I’d love to hear about them or see them!

I’m so glad you stopped by to visit today; I appreciate it more than you’ll ever know. And when you leave a comment…ah, it makes my heart sing! If you want to see what I’m up to from week to week, sign up here to sign up for updates.

I have published printable PDFs of several of my most popular knit patterns and printables and have made those available to all of my subscribers. Come back and check every now and again. I will continue to add patterns and printables to this page as we go along.

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Until next time,

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Shutterfly. The opinions and text are all mine.

We’re very excited about our online shop at Society 6 – much of the artwork that you see on our pages is available for purchase as a print or on a variety of products – from coffee cups to phone cases. Click on the image below, browse around and have a look for some great gift ideas!

Thanks for making my day by SHARING!!