Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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22 Free Holiday Art Ideas

I warned you that I was really excited to go all out for our first “real” Christmas in our new house, so it’s no surprise that I got giddy and decided to tackle an unexpected-ish space for holiday-ifaction. Was that enough hyphenated-not-real words for you? Anyway that space = the hallway. I actually switched out 22 frames (almost two dozen!) in our little hallway frame collection to make things a bit more festive. And it was free. Yeee-haw. Over the top? Maybe. But it makes us smile and was zero dollars. Holla. Let’s get on with the tour…

When you look at the hallway from a distance, the change isn’t overly obvious, which we like (one of our favorite things about the frame wall in general is that it draws people in, so you have to get closer to see what each item is really about). But if you get a little closer you start to pick up on some of the things that we switched out (you can see most of the original frame wall art here)…

Hallway 2

… like how the paint deck that used to hang on the pig hook was swapped with a little yarn owl ornament that I snagged on clearance after the holidays last year at Target (to the tune of 25 cents).

I also popped two old snowflake ornaments into those two shadow box frames on the left. And that clear tree in the frame on the right is a page from Martha Stewart magazine (framing pages from mags, catalogs, or calendars for your own personal enjoyment is totally fine – you just can’t profit off of those images, for example: trying to sell them as your own designs on etsy).

Hallway 3

If you scoot a little further to the right of the wall, you’ll see a few other frames that we tweaked with new holiday-ish stuff.

Hallway4.5

The frame with the glitter ornaments and green trees is actually a Martha Stewart ad for her glitter line (also torn out of her magazine). And the blue star made up of ornaments to the right of that is a page from a West Elm catalog.

Hallway 4

Beneath the glitter ad we have a page from Pottery Barn with some festive shakers and the frame right above our console table has some West Elm plates that say Cheers, Joy, and Peace (all good holiday reminders).

Hallway 5

Here’s a close up of the West Elm page full of ornamets in the shape of a star. It’s my favorite:

Hallway 6

I also framed a few more West Elm pages, like this collection of holiday mugs and ornaments (backed with a piece of green paper that we already had) and this page full of numbered and lettered plates…

Hallway 7

… including a plate that says “Cookies for Santa.” Oh and don’t mind that carbon monoxide detector above (I’ve been meaning to stick it somewhere a bit less noticeable).

Hallway 8

These are the frames with plexiglass and heavy duty velcro to keep them safe for Clara since they’re down at her level (more on that here). And since she loves Santa (more on that here) I figured she’d like the Santa cookies plate down where she could admire it. The verdict in her words: “I love you, Santa!” And when she walks by it, sometimes we hear her mumble “buh-bye Santa.” So sweet.

Here’s the rest of that wall from afar. See, not too obvious… until you get closer…

Hallway 9

… and notice things like two big jingle bells that I hung in a backwards canvas (I love the raw wood frame that’s usually hidden when it’s facing the “right” way). As for how I hung the canvas backwards (which I did back when we originally hung all of these frames), I just hammered one of these little metal tooth-hook things for hanging pictures (from Michael’s) into the front (now back) of the frame so I could hang it over a nail. There’s also a photo of stacked firewood with some holiday pillows piled on top from a Pottery Barn catalog.

Hallway 10

Now let’s move over to the other side of the wall. Here we have a bunch of holiday swaps going on.

Hallway12

Like the piece of cardstock that I printed with the words “Happy holidays, y’all!” with some red hearts above and below it, and a swatch of red wrapping paper that I stuck behind an already-framed peacock feather. I also slipped two small silver ornaments into a shadow box (which already had a calendar with our anniversary circled inside of it) and added another little 25 cent yarn ornament (this time it’s a bunny) above it.

Hallway13

In the bottom right of that arrangement I also worked in a page from West Elm full of graphic numbered ornaments with fun shapes that Clara likes on them (like a swan and a goose). She points and says “honk honk!” (every kid should have a reason to practice their goose impression, right?).

Hallway14

Here’s the other side of that wall with six more frame switches.

Hallway15

Like a Banana Republic ad (with a sweet pooch wearing a bow tie sitting under some mistletoe) and a funny Christmas sweater ornament that I taped into another backwards canvas. On the right we have a felt ornament from Target last year (which almost looks like an ornate paper cut-out when it’s framed).

Hallway16

I also made another little texty design that I printed out onto card stock (this one says “Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas”) and under that is an illustration of holiday cookies from Woman’s Day magazine  (donated by John’s mom after I spotted it and asked if I could have the mag after she was done).

Hallway17

And in the top left shadow box I stuck more silver ornaments with some leftover wrapping paper as the background.

Hallway18

So there you have 22 quick frame switches, all of which can easily be changed back to their pre-holiday look once January rolls around. I kept all of the original art behind the new additions in each frame, so I can just put it back in front of the holiday stuff (which’ll live behind it until next Christmas when it moves forward again). Oh and for anyone wondering where we got the frames, they’re all from Ikea, Target (on clearance), or thrift stores. We just saved them up over time and actually had many of them when we moved here (they used to hang randomly in nearly every room at our first house, so we thought it would be fun to hang them en masse in our hallway instead of spreading them out again here).

Man, there’s something so satisfying about some free holiday festive-ness, especially in an often overlooked space like a hallway. Did you guys decorate any unexpected areas like a bathroom or a laundry room or a sunroom? Heck, even little trees on bedroom windowsills can be really cute. Oh yeah and on the subject of better-late-than-never holiday stuff, I spent some time making a page full of all of our seasonal/holiday projects & ideas that can easily be perused by picture. So you’ll hopefully have fun sniffing around for some last minute ideas.

Holiday Page

You can click here to see it all and can also access it at any time by clicking the “Holiday Ideas” button on our sidebar.

Holiday Ideas Page

Ho ho hope it helps!

Psst- We picked a winner for this week’s giveaway. Click here to see if it’s you.

Update: You can check out all of our favorite holiday decor finds here – many of which are under $15! 

Comments

  1. Suzanne Supplee says

    So, so, so, so cute! I love that it’s so subtle. I hope you’re having lots of guests to enjoy all your efforts. I am also coveting those big, red reindeer, btw. Love the bright red spray paint!

    Reply

  4. Rebecca @ the lil house that could says

    Awesome idea! Our giant 9 foot tree goes in our entryway, which we’re planning on making into a two story gallery wall. This would be great to go with our tree! (whenever put it up… the tree and the gallery…)

    I was also reading anxiously saying “wrapping paper! wrapping paper!” I was happy to see you did indeed frame some :)

    Reply

  5. Sue says

    Really cute ideas! I took a page out of your book this year and framed the cover of a Crate and Barrel catalog. It was the sweetest picture of a little boy blowing on his hot chocolate. Merry Christmas, Petersiks!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I just added one of those little metal tooth-hook things for hanging pictures (from Michael’s) to the front (now back) of the frame and hammered it into place with the tiny nails it comes with (which caught the wood frame so it’s nice and secure). Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  10. HRCK says

    This is such a good idea for jazzing up a space, and I love how you can use things like magazine cut-outs. I think this is a DIY project that even I could handle! :)

    Reply

  12. Lindsey says

    You guys, I’m laughing because I’ve never noticed your push pin map on the gallery wall before… and I just finished making on that looks EXACTLY the same for my husband for Christmas! Must have been a good idea passed along subliminally :). Thanks!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      So funny! We love that thing! I just used cork from Target with map pins from Staples and got the map on ebay back in early 2008 I think! We have since added tons of black pins for places John and I have gone together and a bunch of yellow pins for places we have taken Clara!

      xo,
      s

  13. Meredith says

    This is the first time I’ve noticed that some of your frames are off-white and some are bright white. I’m proud of you for not letting that give you a twitch! haha

    I have a question about frame maintenance. I also have a frame gallery in my hallway, but they get so dusty! I try to wipe them down with the vacuum attachment when I’m cleaning each week, but they still manage to collect a fair amount of dust. Do you wipe them down often? And what about the glass? Do you have to Windex or otherwise clean (you probably don’t even use Windex…) them before switching out the pictures?

    Thanks!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha- oh yes! They’re definitely a range of white tones, but because none of them are consistent it’s just sort of a nice layered look! As for frame maintenance, I’m so lazy! I probably swipe them all with a feather duster once every two months? I don’t even wipe down the front of the frame unless I see something crazy (Clara slobber finger prints) – and then I just use a moist microfiber cloth. It seems to get stuff off pretty well and it’s quick! Hope it helps.

      xo,
      s

  14. BrookeJ says

    What a super fun idea! I had thought the West Elm catalogue pictures were some of the best from any of the holiday catalogues I received this year.

    Reply

  15. Bridget says

    I love the simple touches! Also i went to your holiday ideas and tried clicking on the glass ornaments but it takes me to the “perfect gift on the rocks” post instead. Just a fyi!

    Reply

  16. Allyn says

    I’m so guilty of putting something in a fram and then not touching that frame again for YEARS. Thanks for the inspiration! Now I need to go print off more pictures!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Now that I’ve realized how easy it is to tuck things behind each other in the frame and rotate them out I hope to do this a lot more! It really is easier than you think! Switching everything back after the holidays should take me 20 minutes tops!

      xo,
      s

  17. annabelvita says

    So much fun! I used lots of bells on our tree this year (partially because people call me “bells” and I found it funny) but would never have thought to swap out art for something more Christmassy. I might dig out some of my favourite Christmas cards that I’ve saved from years gone by and hang those up.

    Reply

  18. Erin says

    something about framing pictures from magazines reminds me of my senile granny. Probably because she did that. And she sent them to us in the mail too.

    Reply

  20. Cara says

    Very cute…I especially love the backwards frames and the framed ornaments.

    Are you guys going to do a post about what Clara is getting for Christmas? I’m always on the lookout for kid ideas! :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We’ll hopefully do a post about her gifts (and what we give each other) after the holidays- just because we’re still scrambling to get/make stuff! Haha. Wish we were more on top of it!

      xo,
      s

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha- maybe an hour while watching TV (so it could have taken 45 mins if I was paying less attention to certain housewives, haha)? I just tore out pages from a stack of catalogs and mags, held them up in front of frames until I found frames that seemed to be the right size for the tear sheets, cut them down (using the item inside the frame as a template) and put them in front of the thing I took out/used as a template. All the nail holes and stuff were already in the wall, so it wasn’t actual hanging or anything! And tossing ornaments into shadow boxes or hanging that yarn ornament on the hook took 30 seconds tops!

      xo,
      s

  27. Christina says

    Man! It looks incredible. There is such amazing talent in print ad’s out these days and this is a fab way to use it.

    On another note, I don’t know how you get so much done. You know when Mom’s of toddlers watch their kids bounce around and go-go-go and we just sigh and wish we had that much energy? I think YOU DO! You must. I am envious.
    Happy Holidays!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha- don’t be! I just posted on BabyCenter this week about how I struggle with juggling things and getting everything done. There just aren’t enough hours in the day! So I’m right there with you!

      xo,
      s

  29. Wom Mom Ethne says

    Christmas is my fave decorating time of year. This year, my most favorite thing is where to hide our Elf on the Shelf and watching how much my girls love the baby Jesus from our Nativity (which is in a more prominent space this year).

    Reply

  30. melinda says

    Love it! Thanks for some good ideas. At our old house, I drew/cut out little red Santa hats & stuck them on the heads of various people in our family pictures in the hallway. It was really cute & fun.

    Did it on my two kids’ portraits over the fireplace, too; and one morning noticed ‘someone’ (her brother) had stuck a suction-tipped dart right between the eyes of my daughter’s picture…

    Reply

  33. Sami says

    There is a frame that contains what looks like a little cartoon drawing of you, John, and maybe Clara and Burger. It looks like it is just below the bells… Have you blogged about it before? Sorry if this is like super nit-picky but it looks like it’s the cutest thing ever. (and I expect you to blog about every tiny detail in your home – haha) I’m wondering if you ordered it from somewhere or if someone made it for you. Thanks!

    Reply

  34. Lisa says

    I love the idea of putting the Christmas art behind the “everyday” art for the rest of the year. So easy. Storing Christmas decor (and regular decor for the 3 weeks that the Christmas stuff is out) is usually a hassle.

    Reply

  35. hi says

    What an awesome idea! I love your wall of frames and thanks for including where you got them, cause I was wondering. I still want to do something like this for our little 10 month old. I just NEED to DO IT! And to be able to swap the photos out for holidays is brilliant!

    I am so with you on Target after Christmas sales! It’s hard for me to pay full price for ornaments when they have their killer sales. Oh, I can hardly wait! haha…

    Merry Christmas!
    Heidi (hi-d)

    Reply

  37. Katie @ Lovebird Productions says

    I am amazed at your Christmas decor! I know I should be more willing to add new touches to our decor but being in a rent house stops me. I will just look at yours for inspiration and make mental notes for our one day home :)

    Happy Holidays Petersiks!!

    Reply

  41. Maggie Rose says

    Love the swaps – I wouldn’t have the patience to undo all the backs (is that just me? Or are they super annoying to do?). My question though is about the photograph of the alpaca (llama?). I’d never noticed it before but I love that! Fingers crossed it’s from etsy and not a magazine that I couldn’t track down… ;)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha- they’re annoying, but less so in front of the TV! I do most of my boring auto-pilot stuff in front of the TV at 11pm. It’s not so bad with something to watch in the background! As for the photo of the alpaca, that’s a very old Banana Republic ad (on his back are all sorts of sweaters and packages) that I framed last year after we moved. Isn’t he cute? So sorry I don’t have an etsy link for you. Maybe going through last year’s Glamour or House Beautiful or InStyle or BHG will turn one up (I think it was from last Christmas ads by BR). Oh and Clara inexplicably calls him a butterfly. Even though she properly identifies butterflies all the time. I think she does it to see the hilarious look on our face when she says it!

      xo,
      s

    • Maggie Rose says

      Shoot, was hoping it’d be an easy answer ;) I do have some old magazines, so thanks for the tip! Lol about the butterfly… Clara’s first joke? Haha.

  43. Winnie says

    I’ve been wanting to frame a vintage-looking map with pins…and yours looks exactly like what I want! Do you remember where your map came from? Love what you’ve done…as always!

    Reply

  44. Amanda says

    I just noticed that you have one of the red umbrella prints – I don’t think I saw that before! I got the one by the Jefferson Memorial in DC for my husband and me…we try to find watercolors or prints or something of every place we’ve been together (I started doing this when I studied abroad in college – it’s a nice way to constantly remember places you’ve visited and things you’ve done, but not too in your face, you know?).

    Reply

  45. MichelleL says

    I love the holiday switcheroos you guys made!

    I’m writing because I noticed that you guys have a framed piece of artwork from the same amazing Etsy shop that I just purchased two prints from yesterday! It’s that print in the middle with the couple with the red umbrellas- I can’t tell where they are from the angle of the photo, but I just bought the Virginia Tech http://www.etsy.com/listing/63406300/virginia-tech-love-gocco-art-print and UVA http://www.etsy.com/listing/37033481/university-of-virginia-love-gocco-art ones, and I can’t wait to see them in person!
    Great minds think alike!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes! We love that print! It’s actually of a garden/park here in Richmond (Maymont) and we were so excited that they made a Richmond one that we had to pounce on it! Yours are so pretty too! Hope they get there soon…

      xo,
      s

  46. GreenInOC says

    I had a plug in carbon monoxide alarm too but I recently replaced it when I replaced my smoke detector – I got a combo hard wired one with a voice alarm because if there is a carbon monoxide leak while you are sleeping the likelihood of getting up for the alarm is pretty slim.

    Did you know that they make one so that parents can record a message because apparently kids will sleep right through the alarm or be so scared they just stay put:

    http://www.redi-exit.com/talking-smoke-alarms.html

    Your hallway looks adorable and since it’s FREE, I awarding you a $herdog today!

    Reply

  47. Amanda says

    Love it! I did the same thing with our stairway gallery wall… My husband told me I was crazy for taking the time to do it but it turned out looking fantastic and it adds so much holiday cheer to the room! :)

    Reply

  48. Carissa says

    This is a great idea!! I LOVE that you kept the original pictures still in the frame – it’ll make it so much easier to put back later. Just a thought, you might want to make a tiny mark on the backs of the frames that house both Christmas and regular pics in them – could be hard next Christmas to remember which ones to open up again!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That’s a good idea! I was thinking I could re-read this post for a refresher. But maybe drawing a little map and placing it with the holiday decorations is a nice idea – or the tiny mark on the back thing!

      xo,
      s

  49. Kelly says

    Hey Sherry and John! I was just wondering if you had thought of offering your “Ho Ho Ho” and “Merry Christmas, ya’ll” prints as a download on your site? Just thought they were so cute and people would LOVE it.

    Merry Christmas!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That’s a great idea! Let me see if we can get those on a share/download site for you guys in the next few days! Will post all about it if we can get ‘er done!

      xo,
      s

  50. Jessica @ Quirky Bookworm says

    Love the subtle changes! I just started doing things like that last year–taking down a clock that’s normally on the wall and replacing it with a wreath, swapping out regular framed pictures for pictures from previous holidays, etc.

    Nice to get the holiday vibe going on without having your house look like a Christmas tornado hit it…wish I’d thought of it years ago!

    Reply

    • Caitlin says

      So much patience to replace things in frames! Certainly worthwhile. Meanwhile, I’ve taken one picture off the wall and replaced it with a paper plate wreath made by my son. Classy.

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