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I’m excited about today’s post. I’m going to show you how to get changeable seasonal art for under $20 that you could use for holidays like Valentine’s Day, Christmas, birthday parties or just to change with the seasons.
My friend Heidi (who seriously needs to get her blog going) recently shared a really budget-friendly secret with me that has made a big difference in our lives. OK, my life. OK, our home decor and parties.
Did you know Costco prints 20×30 photos for $9? This was life changing for me. Wow, I’m being dramatic today, but seriously. It’s pretty sweet. And that, combined with my friend Megan’s changeable frame art on her wall inspired today’s post.
First, I used these prints for my cousin’s baby shower like the above photo, by simply taping them to the wall.
Then I used it for seasonal art for the holidays.
Then I realized I could make it into an awesome changeable art piece in our home. And since we have a lot of blank walls, this fulfills a lot of needs. It fills a wall. It gives me the flexibility to change art out since I get bored easily and love having a few seasonal changes in our house (like pillow covers).
Here’s how I did it for under $20 per season in five easy steps.
1. Buy a large frame
I bought a 20×30 frame from Art-to-Frame. I bought a white one, surprise surprise, but they have a huge selection. The initial investment of a frame will cost you from $21 for a super basic frame to $40 or so for wood or painted wood. I bought one kind of in the middle, a white-washed wood frame, but stuck with an inexpensive “glass” because with changing it that often, real glass wasn’t a priority for me. Please keep in mind that these frames are nice, but they aren’t super heavy duty. For me, it serves my purpose and I’ve never found prices like this. You could, of course, buy a larger frame and put in a matte or buy a smaller frame for smaller art. I wanted something huge that could make an impact.
2. Search digital downloads on Etsy
Then you find a digital download on Etsy that you LOVE! I’ve started a Pinterest board to help you out. Follow it for all of my favorite picks. I personally try to pick digital downloads that are cheap… $4-$5 is my preference unless I really love it!
3. Ask the seller if they would create a 20×30 for a few extra dollars.
Here’s the tough part. Almost no digital downloads are that large. But, to date, I’ve asked six Etsy sellers to enlarge for me and they have all happily done it for $2 or less. Some do it for free, but for me, the $2 is worth it for the extra time they need to put in.
4. Send it to Costco to be printed as a 20×30.
Use Costco’s online photo center and order the print for $9. Sometimes you do have to turn a pdf into a jpg but sometimes the prints are jpg files already.
5. Pick up your print, frame and hang!
Pretty easy, right? At a minimum, you will spend $13 per season with the digital download and Costco, but you will almost never spend more than $20. Plus, you can invest one year and then just use the same prints every year if you want.
I’m already searching for our Valentine’s Day print and Spring! Plus I’ll plan to change it out for birthdays too. Such fun! What do you think?
Love this one! Thanks for sharing my little secret. The giant Costco prints really are awesome. I’ve used them for Nora’s Network, PTO fundraising, and of course family pictures above the fireplace! I love the idea of using it for art though. I might put that to use this year. Oh, and thank you for the gentle reminder that I need to get my blog going! No excuses in 2015, epandemonium needs to happen! Hehe
This little secret has saved me money, time and stress. You are fabulous my friend!
I love this idea! We don’t have a Costco so I’ll need to check to see if sam’s does it. I can’t remember how much but I know it was more expensive than I wanted it to be at FedEx office.
Not sure about Sam’s, but please let me know. The quality has been great too so it’s definitely something you could keep year after year if you wanted to.
Love this! I get prints from Costco all the time but didn’t even think to check it out for poster size options! I wish I would’ve read this sooner and had my “Pin the Rocco” game for his birthday party printed there! Thanks for the tips Jess (and Heidi). ;)
Darn! It would’ve been perfect for that. So many fun options for parties and beyond. :)
Awesome idea Jess! I am excited to fill up my big empty white walls with this tip. :)
This is such a great idea! I also might steal your costco secret for making big prints of my own artwork. I had no idea it could be so affordably done. Now to see if they offer that service here in Hawaii… Thanks again! Can’t wait to see how you decorate for Valentine’s Day!
Say what?! You noticed my changeable art! This timing it too perfect, I just printed a new option for the season between seasons…Costco printed, too! What’s even more fun is that my kiddos notice when I’ve forgotten to change out the art :)