How to Create Beautiful Artwork with Items You Already Have

It’s no secret that art prints and custom canvases can get expensive quickly. Luckily, you can turn photos, postcards, florals, and trinkets you have lying around your home into custom artwork that looks much more expensive than it really is.

Creating artwork from existing items is also more personal than store-bought artwork. Use any material, color, and texture you prefer to turn something ordinary into a tribute to a person or place that you love. Plus, reusing items to create artwork is more sustainable than buying a new piece off the shelf. Use our guide to help craft your own custom art from items you already have.

Artwork Made from Paper Items

Framing is one of the easiest ways to preserve handwritten notes, stamps, playing cards, and other paper memorabilia. Frame smaller items, like matchbooks or concert tickets, with a white or black mat and a thin frame to make the item stand out against the background. Use this idea to frame any papers, such as plane tickets from your favorite trip, family recipe cards, and postcards. If your item is thick, consider using a shadow box to display the item.

Another way to turn notes and photos into one-of-a-kind artwork is with a collage. Build your collage by gathering your favorite notes, photos, and tickets, and using double-sided scrapbooking tape to attach them onto cardstock. Make sure to arrange the items first to make sure they all fit. When finished, choose a complementary frame to make your collage look professional.

DIY Artwork Using Fabric

If you have pieces of scrap fabric lying around, turn them into a picture frame mat. To create custom fabric matting, cut a piece of backing board and fabric to your preferred size, making sure to cut a rectangle in the center of both to fit your photo. If you want your mat to have clean edges, cut the fabric slightly bigger than the board, allowing it to wrap around the board. Glue the fabric to the backing board, and assemble the frame with your custom mat and artowk.

Alternatively, you can frame your favorite patterned fabric by itself for a quirky twist. Entire pieces of clothing can also be made into unique artwork. Display letterman jackets, hats, jerseys, and other special clothing items in shadow boxes to showcase your history and personality.

DIY Artwork Featuring Flowers

You don’t have to be an expert crafter to turn flowers into beautiful artwork. Most blooms can be easily dried and pressed. To press flowers, place them between two pieces of printer paper before placing them between the pages of a heavy book. Remove them after a week minimum, and wait another two to three weeks before crafting to allow them to fully dry.

Once dry, place two or three pressed flowers in a double-sided glass frame; this will give the flowers a floating effect. Or, cut the stems and create a canvas art piece using the pressed bulbs and decoupage glue.

Artwork Made from Trinkets

Whether purchased or picked up while walking along the beach, trinkets and souvenirs from trips are a great way to remember special moments. But, what do you do with them after you get home?

Consider gluing shells from a beach trip to a picture frame. Place a picture from the trip in the frame to create a unique vacation keepsake. You can also glue beads, brooches, or jewels to a picture frame if it better suits your trinket collection.

Bigger or heavier items like coins or stones can create a beautiful centerpiece for your dining table. Fill a jar with the objects and call it done, or place artificial flowers in the jar with the coins or stones to create a faux bouquet.

Similar to seashells, sand from the beach or a wedding can be tricky to display. Instead of tossing it, choose a pretty vase to fill with the sand and put it on display. Take the project a step further, and dye the sand with food coloring or chalk. Alternate the colors when pouring the sand into the vase to create a layered look.