Step 1. It all starts with frames.
What frames you want really depend on your style. You can mix and match all different types of frames for more of a bohemian chic look, or you can go with all one style & color in a variety of sizes for a clean, modern look.
Some great places to get your mix and match style frames from on a budget are, Home Goods, TJ Maxx, Marshalls & Antique shops.
A great place to get your single style simple, black, white or wood frames in a variety of sizes is Ikea.
When selecting your frames, you'll want to get all the frames you like and begin to lay them out on the FLOOR, yes, the floor to see how they play together. You might love one, but it doesn't go well with the rest, or you'll have too many vertical frames and not enough horizontal, etc. This is more of a feeling thing rather than a science. You just have to play until it feels right. Also, in order to make this step effective, you'll want to go to the store having measured the wall that you want the picture cluster to go on, so you know the general size and how many frames can fit in there.
Step 2. Find your art.
This is the fun part! You can get art from so many, many places.
a. Your kids! Childrens are is so beautiful. You'll have to keep your eye out for that special piece, yes, but overall childrens art is naturally amazing because they are so connected and pure and just paint what they love.
b. Art books. Many of us have large art books around the house of artists we love. Rather then dust it off to look at it every few months or years, why not cut out one of the pieces you love the most from the book and frame it?
c. Free Art for download. Did you know that there is tons of high quality beautiful art that you can download for free online? I didn't either, until recently. A few great sites I found are.
Yes, we did lay these out on the floor at the store already, but that step was just to make sure the family of frames played well together. This step is to solidify your plan for the wall. We don't want to make a million holes in the wall trying to figure out what's right. So, next you'll lay the art out for a final decision on how it will be placed on the wall. We are looking for an perfectly, imperfect cluster. (as I like to call it) Once you have them in the order you like best, take a quick cell phone shot of the frames, because you'll need it for step #4.
After you've got all your art together and framed it's time for the best step of all, installation! This is when you'll need to reference that cell phone picture you took in step #3. I like to start with the bottom-middle photo and go out from there. You may want/need to make some tweaks to your earlier plan, so stay open and have fun!