The UsedOttawa website now sports a FREE tab, so it’s very easy to browse all the goods that happen to fall into this category. Woot! I have a feeling it’s going to become a regular part of my day!

Speaking of free (or very very cheap), I wanted to share a few different ways you can pick up some very inexpensive art to decorate those naked white walls of yours.

Our family art budget is very small, much smaller than I would like it to be. I love art, and I’m always on the lookout for ways to add more art and not break our budget.

I recommend bookmarking the Art/Antiques category on UsedOttawa. You never know what you might find. There are links at the top of the page so you can narrow down your search, if you’re looking for paintings, for example.

For the purposes of this post I’d like to take you on a quick tour of some of my favourite art. Who knows, maybe it will give you a few ideas you can incorporate into your own home.

Etsy is a great source for art. These two prints are by one of my favourite artists, John W. Golden (his Etsy shop is here).

Another fave of mine is this laser cut set of shadow puppets, also from Etsy.

It’s from this site, and is currently perched on top of the TV cabinet in our living room. I have a string of lights in behind which illuminate it very nicely.

Yard sales and second-hand stores can be a great source of art too. Many moons ago I bought a series of old Jello ads and had them framed. They’re in the kitchen right now:

Photography is a fantastic way to get some inexpensive art on your walls, especially now that home printers are able to crank out a fairly good quality print. A few of my photos are hanging over the couch in the living room:

Kids are a great source of art too. We picked up a “peel n’ stick” chalkboard awhile ago. Everytime I turn around there’s something new to see. This one is right outside the kitchen:

Both of my daughters recently took a 90-minute art workshop at a local children’s studio called 4Cats Art Studio. They came home with something very cool:

They are so proud to see their work hanging on the wall.

Paint and colour-by number sets have become very modern and sophisticated. We’re happy to display some of them on the mantle. The one pictured below is by Djeco and was purchased at Tag Along Toys in Kanata.

When children’s artwork is framed it takes it to a whole new level. The wintry watercolour in the photo below was painted by my eldest daughter.

The papercut in the foreground was purchased online at Tiny Showcase, another great source for (small!) art. I still need to pick up a frame for it.

One of the best – and least intimidating – places to buy original art is at The New Art Festival (formerly known as Art in the Park), an annual art show and sale that takes place in the Glebe.

I bought this set of three cubes there a few years ago:

Artist tours are another great way to discover new artists. I bought this one during the West End Studio tour a few years ago:

It is my favourite painting. It’s called Early Morning Blue and is by Alison Fowler. I never tire of looking at it. It hangs in our dining room, right across from where I sit.

That’s pretty much it for our art collection!

Now it’s your turn for a bit of show n’ tell. What is your own favourite piece of art? Post a photo of your art on your Flickr, Twitpic or on your blog, and let us know in the comments below. Is it a poster, a print, or something you or you child painted? Please share!