Long before we converted our third bedroom into a nursery, we knew we wanted to keep the asymmetrical wall of frames — it was too good to remove. From the start we planned to swap out some of the existing prints for more kid-friendly, colorful pieces that would suit a little girl’s room. Here’s a look at the wall before the art refresh:
And here’s the same asymmetrical arrangement after the swap:
Zooming out, the new mix of blues, pinks, and greens fits nicely with the patterned curtains and the soft aqua ceiling. The result feels playful and slightly mismatched, but cohesive rather than chaotic.
We didn’t want to overspend on this update, so we shopped the craft aisle at Michael’s for decorative paper to repurpose as art. Most sheets cost 60 cents, and nothing was more than 99 cents, making it an affordable way to add pattern and color.
We picked up all the decorative paper shown for just $4.99. Some sheets were framed on their own — like the cute house-illustration paper — while others were layered as backgrounds for sentimental items, such as a placeholder for the baby’s hospital bracelet until we bring the real one home.
John suggested taping pink heart-printed paper behind a shadow box of faux butterflies we already owned. That tiny change took the pieces from scientific specimen style to cheerful nursery art in seconds.
We also had a black silhouette cut-out of Burger (a gift from John), which we carefully removed from its white backing and replaced with pink-and-white striped paper. The silhouette instantly felt more playful and nursery-appropriate — a quick update for just 69 cents worth of scrapbooking paper. We’d also like to create a similar silhouette for Baby P someday, so we framed a sheet of squiggly-line paper and made a simple placeholder silhouette until we can swap in a real likeness.
To the left of the Burger silhouette is a “Feel The Love” print we recreated from an ad in a magazine. We liked the message, type, and color, so we scanned the ad, edited out the ice cream bar, moved the little lovebirds closer to the speech bubble, printed it, and framed it. It’s a simple, free, magazine-inspired piece that fits the room perfectly.
Next we looked on Etsy for affordable art that matched our palette. We found a limited-edition aqua-toned print of a girl and her dog with hearts floating upward. At $12 it was an easy buy and felt sentimental in the way it hinted at the future friendship between Burger and Baby P. It sold out later, so we were glad we snagged it.
We also purchased a print that looks like peas in a pod until you notice the peas are formed by the letter P — a subtle monogram for Baby P. It matched our colors and added a personal touch. That piece came from Wall Blank for $25 and felt worth the small investment for something special and fitting.
Altogether, we used inexpensive craft paper and two affordable prints to refresh the asymmetrical frame wall. While outfitting 15 frames could easily cost over $100, we updated our wall for about $42 total ($5 for craft paper, $12 for the Etsy print, and $25 for the Wall Blank print). The room feels much brighter and more joyful now; we keep stopping by just to look at it, and we can’t wait to hold the baby up to the wall and compare her features to our childhood photos.
Under the art wall sits a celery-toned upholstered bench we found for $7 at a thrift store. We painted and reupholstered it previously and placed a large toy basket underneath. The bench adds storage and a padded spot to sit, fitting seamlessly with the nursery’s design.
We’re nearing the finish line with the nursery and plan to share the full reveal soon. Have you ever framed nontraditional items like torn magazine ads or a hospital bracelet? Do you shop craft paper at places like Michael’s for cheap wall decor? Or have you scored any great Etsy prints lately? We’d love to hear your tips for inexpensive DIY or handmade art.
Psst— If you want to follow our nursery progress from the start, we documented the painting, shopping, crib search, curtain-making, chair hunts, mirror painting, faux sheepskin DIY, dresser makeover and drawer lining, closet transformation, crib skirt project, mobile-making, and shelf building along the way.