Blogging for Change

My passion? Cheap art.

by Kim McGrigg on
8/5/2008
in Personal Finance

I was complaining to a co-worker the other day about the fact that I do not really have a passion for anything.  I jog, but don’t really love it.  I read, but doesn’t everyone over the age of 6? I clean a lot, but it is just too depressing to call that a passion.  I enjoy wine, but it is okay with me if it comes out of a box.  And so on.  Then, she reminded me about the whoopee cushions.

Last week, I spent way too many hours scouring the city for whoopee cushions so that I could make “art.”  Inspired by something I saw in a quirky Wisconsin coffee shop, I finally settled three different whoopee cushions that are now proudly displayed in shadow boxes on my son’s wall (we call this “whimsical.”)  The whole art project cost me less than $50 and I must say that I am quite pleased with the results. 

Now that I am looking around the place, it seems like I have made a lot of cheap art.  Take my bird’s nest photos for example.  I remember climbing into a snowy tree to perch the abandoned nest I found months earlier in the perfect spot for its big photo shoot.  I printed the pictures at home on some nice paper and added a frame.  Voila!  Total cost: $32.

Then there is the time in my life when I was watching way too much HGTV and decided to staple some fabric onto an old board and hang it on the wall (it’s still there).  Total cost: $16.

When you factor in my daughter’s baby foot prints (free), a framed vintage postcard ($15), the caricature of my husband ($20), some old metal letters that spell “EAT” ($36), and a little thing I did with some old scrabble tiles (free), I guess you can say I have a passion for decorating on a dime. 

If you have ideas for making frugal art, I’d love to hear about them (I’ll check the comments section).  Just be forewarned that I am likely to steal your idea for my next art adventure!

Kim McGrigg is the former Manager of Community and Media Relations for MMI.

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