Create It For Less

Leonardo Da Vinci Inspired Wall Decor

Have you ever saw something at the store, particularly home decor or furniture, that you really want, but don't have the heart to pay over the top prices?! A few weeks ago, while school shopping, I went to Ikea to pick up a desk lamp. I was walking around the art decor section of the market place and noticed a woman and her husband admiring a framed picture of Leonardo Da Vinci's Notebook sketches. Being the nerd I am, I immediately fell in love with and I had to have it! After a long search for the sketches, I was devastated to learn that it was $40!!! Definitely not a college student's budget. After looking at the pictures, I sadly parted ways. However, my boyfriend, who was nice enough to come with me, suggested that I make one just like it. He told me that if I made one, I can google pictures of Da Vinci's sketches and choose which ones I wanted and make it more personalized. Knowing me, I really liked the Da Vinci concept and personalizing it made the concept even better. I was able to buy a frame for just about $10 and (with the suggestion from my boyfriend) some scrapbook paper that resembled aged paper from Michaels for $1 (I was lucky there was a sale that day). I was able to get photos by Google images and used Elmer's glue to attach the photos to the backdrop. Total cost: $11!!! This was so much cheaper than buying the original, plus I was able to personalize it to my liking. Instructions on how to make this is below.

Materials:

• 1 triple window frame -> I used Ikea's RIBBA, but you are welcome to choose a frame of your choice 
• Da Vinci photos -> If you are not into Da Vinci, you can personalize this project to reflect your tastes
• Scrapbook paper -> For this project I used aged-style paper, but you can use any type you'd like
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Glue

Procedure:

1. First, open the frame and measure the appropriate dimensions onto your scrapbook paper. This will be used for the boarder paper, so you have to make sure it fits the entire frame window. Then, while following the dimensions you measured, cut the boarder paper out.

2. After choosing the photos you want to display, print them out! I just used ordinary printer paper to make it seem like actual notebook sketches. You can use actual photo paper to make your project stand out. 

*NOTE: Make sure these photos are slightly smaller than your boarder paper. This ensures that the boarder paper you made will show.

3. Once you have all your photos and boarders, neatly glue the photos onto the boarder paper. Make sure the the boarders are even! Use a pencil to mark the photo in place, so that when you are ready to glue, you can reference the marking to make sure your photo is centered.

4. Let the glue dry. Place the photos gently in the frame and secure the backing. 

Voila! You just made a $10 purchase into a $40 work of art!