DIY Christmas wall art

I recently revealed my new living room, and I'm having fun decorating the new room for Christmas!

One thing that remains unfinished about the new room is the lack of art for the back wall.  Placing the Christmas tree on that wall takes care of one side of the mirror, but the other side looked awfully blank. So I created some art for the other side of the mirror.

I've had this Christmas magazine for many years--I think I paid $5.00 for it at an antique store 20 years ago.  This edition was published in 1942.


 
I have always loved the beautiful images in it.



I simply cut out two pages from the magazine--a beautiful illuminated image of the Christmas carol "The Friendly Beasts."  I purchased two frames off the shelf at a craft store for a few dollars, then I had mats custom-cut to fit the magazine pages.

I did the framing myself.  When I placed the images into the frame, I could see the print from the back of the page through the paper--so I taped black paper to the back of the image.  Now the print from the back doesn't show through!

Here's a shot of one of the images in the frame:



The custom-cut mats make all the difference in the world--for just a few dollars, you can have the perfect frame for any size art.

Here are the two pieces side by side.  (Sorry about the glare--the inexpensive frames come with regular glass.)



Here you can see them in their place of honor opposite the Christmas tree.

And on a brighter day.  Notice the beagle is in the same chair!

I'm thinking you could create the same kind of art with vintage Christmas advertisements or sheet music.  Karen at The Graphics Fairy features lots of beautiful images that you can download and print out for free.

I've just about finished my Christmas decorating and will be sharing it all in the next few days.  How's yours coming along?

I'm linking to these fun parties:

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style