Sharing My Best Decorating Secret For Refreshing Your Home's Artwork

 Let's just begin with a confession....I am not a professional decorator in any sense of the imagination but that doesn't stop me from loving to decorate.  I re-decorate our home multiple times a year beginning in January when I dismantle Christmas and decorate in a winter theme, then comes spring, Easter, Americana, nautical, Autumn and then Christmas.  These change-outs often involve a major swap of decor, including artwork around the house.  That probably sounds expensive but I'm here today to give you my best money-saving tip for changing out artwork inexpensively.  Once you know this trick, you'll be upping your decor game big time.

First of all I need to credit my favorite local design/DIY expert (she's the professional), Colleen from My Life On Kaydeross Creek.  I've been following Colleen's blog for many years now and you should be too.  Her home is drool worthy yet so warm and inviting.  She is a big proponent of swapping out artwork for the seasons and I'm so thankful to her for the inspiration for this easy and cheap way to change things up without a big output of cash.

Acquiring artwork the traditional way is not an inexpensive proposition, but if you already have frames, it can be quite affordable.  I'd even suggest thrifting, you don't need to love the art, just recycle the frames.   Etsy is an amazing outlet for art, specifically digital art.  Let me take you, step-by-step through the process.

First go to the Etsy app and if you don't already have an account, create one.  In the search app on the top of the screen, type in 'digital art'.  You can get even more specific in your search and type in 'winter digital art' or vintage digital art or digital nautical art or any specific type of art you like.    Most of the art I've purchased has been under $5.00 and often even less.  

You can click the heart over each photo you're considering to save to your Etsy favorites, and you can also choose several digital files from separate sellers and buy with just one purchase payment.  Once you make your purchase(s), you'll receive an email from each seller (s)confirming your purchase.  You'll then go back to your Etsy app and in the upper right corner, you'll see an small head icon.  Click that for a message from your seller with a link to download your digital files.  Sometimes the files are available from the email, other times only from the Etsy app and usually only downloadable to a computer, not a phone. 

Once there, you'll notice different aspect ratios available for different print sizes.  Download the appropriate file.  I usually download a few just so I have options.  It's important you choose the correct ratio so that you won't lose any of the image when you send it to print.

Once you've downloaded your files and they're stored on your computer, you can upload them to any photo processing site - I use CVS or Walgreens.  Both of them have regular 40 or 50% off sales on enlargements.  Recently, Walgreens had a $20 deal for an 11 x 14" on canvas!!!!  So using a file I purchased last year for $4.20 last season, I scored a gorgeous piece of canvas wall art for $24.20.  That offer at CVS is good through 11/8/25.  This week their 8 x 10's are $2.88.  Can't complain about that price!

  Here's some of the digital art I've purchased and used....

A few of these are my photos but most are digital downloads.

This was printed as a 16 x 20' and it came out gorgeous!

Of course you don't have to use your art in a big format.  You can make smaller prints to tuck into your vignettes....

Obviously I'm not as professional about it as Colleen, but what I'm trying to show is that you can take any image, any season, and incorporate into your own personal decor for some added interest.  You don't need to be a pro or have a home that is magazine worthy in order to use this decorator hack in your home. 

To give you an idea of the diverse selection you'll find, here's a sampling of the art I've purchased...

These are my new ones that will be used in my staircase collection.

How fun, right?  The hardest part of the process is choosing from the thousands of options available and then swapping them out each season.  So if you're tired of looking at the same art you've had hanging for the past several years, here's your chance to freshen up your decor without breaking the bank.  I hope this inspires you to print up some new art for your holiday home!   And check out Coleen's blog for loads of inspiration. You can follow her on Facebook too...https://www.facebook.com/lifeonkayderosscreek 

and Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeonkaydeross/ Thanks for stopping by Life As I See It.  

READ MORE

Stockbridge Cemetery - The Gem You Won't Read About on TripAdvisor

 Recently, we took a ride to Stockbridge, MA.  Not a place we've visited often, and on that day no particular destination was planned.  That is often the time when the best discoveries happen and on this particular day, we found ourselves exploring the historic and beautiful, Stockbridge Cemetery.

First, a little about Stockbridge history: Stockbridge was settled by British missionaries in 1734, who established it as a praying town for the Stockbridge Indians, an indigenous Mohican tribe. The township was set aside for the tribe by Massachusetts colonists as a reward for their assistance against the French in the French and Indian Wars. The Rev. John Sergeant, from Newark, New Jersey, was their first missionary. First chartered as Indian Town in 1737, the village was incorporated on June 22, 1739, as Stockbridge. The missionaries named it after Stockbridge in Hampshire, England. Although the Massachusetts General Court had assured the Stockbridge Indians that their land would never be sold, the agreement was rescinded. Despite the aid by the Tribe to the American Patriots during the Revolutionary War, their lands in Stockbridge were stolen by white townspeople. The Tribe was forced to relocate west, first to New York and then to Wisconsin. The village was taken over by European American settlers. With the arrival of the railroad in 1850, Stockbridge developed as a summer resort for the wealthy of Boston and other major cities. Many large houses, called Berkshire Cottages, were built in the area before World War I and the advent of the income tax. Stockbridge was home to several cottages, including Naumkeag, (as seen below from the back edge of the cemetery). Wikipedia

  Two and a half centuries of history is buried in the Stockbridge Cemetery, as well as many of the people who made Stockbridge what it is today.  The initial land for this cemetery was cleared in 1748.  One of the first buried here was John Sergeant.   Members of the Mohican tribe were also buried here.  In 1853, the Laurel Hill Association, the village beautification society, took over the management of the cemetery and the cemetery was expanded.  Today the cemetery is maintained by the Town of Stockbridge.  Plots are free but perpetual care will cost you $500.  

Probably one of the most famous people laid to rest here is Norman Rockwell, artist and illustrator.  Mr. Rockwell died in Stockbridge of emphysema in 1978.  We actually almost missed his grave as it's set in a back corner of the cemetery.  Luckily it was noted on our GPS and we went back to find it.   Considering his fame and accomplishments, his grave is quite a simple and humble memorial, especially compared to some of the very elaborate monuments found in the 1800's. 

 As we drive through this and other historic cemeteries, the thing that strikes us is how many babies and children succumbed to what was probably diseases that are now preventable or curable....so, so many.  Also noteworthy is how elaborate the monuments were back then.  Stones vary from the very simple slab to the most ornate.  You'll see examples of both in the photos below.

Coimetrophilia is:  1. A special fondness and interest in cemeteries or graveyards; especially, in collecting epitaphs that are written on the tombstones. 2. A fascination with seeing gravestones and sarcophagi.   I'd never heard this word, but considering how much time we spend in our local cemeteries, this just might apply.  Here's a sampling of some of the memorials - from the simple to the elaborate, all commemorating someone who once lived, died and was laid to rest in Stockbridge,MA.

When you plan your visit to Stockbridge, you'll find some unique places to visit, but the Stockbridge Cemetery won't appear in any of the destination guides. I know because I checked when researching this blog. Don't let that discourage you from at least driving through and taking a moment to say a prayer and remember that before us there were people who paved our way, discovered our towns and made important marks in history. On this All Souls days of remembrance, remember the people of Stockbridge and the people in your life gone too soon.

READ MORE