Art is expensive, don’t ask me why, I don’t know, but it is. And we allllll just know it and accept it. 

BUT, what if I told you there was a way to make ANY cheap poster, photo or print , look like an expensive work of art? 

This hack I am about to show you completely changed how I source art in my home! Let me show you how you can create beautiful custom art for an unbelievably affordable price! 

Find Your Print

Before we get started, first you need to pick the print you want to use as your art. And spoiler alert, your options for this are ENDLESS.

• You can get a large scale print of one of your favorite photos printed. 

• You can purchase a digital art print on Etsy or online and have it printed as a poster. ( Unfortunately it looks like the olive tree print that we used in my parent’s bathroom is not currently available, so I rounded up some other beautiful prints I found that I love! )

• And of course… you can always use any poster or art print you have! Whether you found a poster somewhere or thrifted a random art print from the thrift store, any print or poster will work! 

Bonus Tip! : I like to use Walgreens to order all of my photos, digital prints and posters because it’s easy to use, super affordable, cheap and very quick turn arounds! ( Sometimes SAME DAY!) Oh and they almost always have some kind of discount code listed on their photo/print website!

The Hack

Okay , you are not gonna believe how easy this is…

Take your printed poster and an art paint brush and clear matte mod podge ( it’s important that it’s matte!) over your print. 

And that’s literally it.

I know, it sounds way too simple to have this much of an impact but trust me it completely elevated ANY printed poster or photo to make it look like a painted work of art! 

Bonus Tip! To make it feel EVEN MORE realistic, try following the outlines of the subject in your art. This will make it feel even more like it was actually painted! 

Frame It Up

Of course, thrifting and antiquing is my personal favorite way to find frames, but you can obviously purchase and use any frame you want! Throw your newly upgraded print or poster into the frame and BAM , you have custom and expensive looking art!

Let me know if you give this a try! I would love to see it! 

Make sure to keep binging the blog for more home decor and design inspiration! And to see this hack in action, you can watch the full makeover of my parents bathroom over on the YouTube Channel! 

Watch On YouTube