12 Days of Christmas Give Away Day #11: Calendar Art as Instant Wall Art

UPDATE: The Winner of Day 11~Butterfly Calendar is Maud M. from CT!!!!

Maud, I'll contact you so that you can enjoy your new calendar before it's 2013!!!Thank you everyone, for entering the contest and for coming over to Commona-my house for this design idea!


Something that will never go out of style: fabulous prints.  There is virtually a genre for every taste and style palette with print subjects and colors.  For years, I've been using inexpensive calendars to achieve the look of expensive art prints.  Some sets with original prints can be seriously pricey, especially when you are talking about 6, 9, and 12 piece, framed sets.  But if you hunt for it, you will find fantastic calendar art for an amazing price! The key to keep in mind is the print quality...for instance, Anthropology prints on a non-glossy paper. Original prints are not glossy...you won't get quite the right effect if you have chosen a glossy calendar texture.  There are several calendars that have a mat texture or even a water color paper texture.  These will work towards achieving a more authentic print look.  I found this map calendar at Anthropology for $21 last year. 12 months of the year means that I got 12 prints for that price! I then bargain hunted several frames and for under $50 I had 6 framed pieces of art.

Today's gift is this Anthropology Butterfly Calendar, below. You can certainly use it as a calendar. Or you can use it as an instant print set, yours to frame! They would look lovely on their own or in a grouping. See below for design inspiration :) 

 

For rules regarding my 12 Days of Give Aways, click here!

The Look

In a dining room, living room, entry, hall, kitchen or bedroom...just about any wall can handle multiple framed prints. The more conservative your taste, the more grid-like and centered your hanging should be.  The more modern or eclectic your taste, the more room you have to be free flowing and less grid like with your hanging positioning.

Here is a massive grouping; in my opinion it looks best in dining rooms. There are 20 prints in this small space, but they are unified by their subject matter, frames and grid placement.

Dimples and Tangles

These are beautiful and simple botanical prints. 6 print Grid.

Liz Williams

Again, over the sofa, 9 print grid.

Morgan Harrison

LOVE THIS ONE with the dark frames..6 print grid.

dear lillie

And this one may be one of my favorites: I've been wanting to do this in my daughters' room for over a year now. Well, I just bought the BARBIE calendar and it will be a Christmas gift to my girls to have these hanging in their room.  I'm not a BARBIE nut, but these sketches are incredible. Each month is a different designer sketch that looks like it is right out of Coco Chanel's sketch book. The originals sell for hundreds of dollars a piece, but the calendar was under $20 and I scored pretty decent $2 frames.

Layla Grace

Do you like this style? Do you have print sets up in your home? Would love to know!

XXXOOO.