I have a lot of very large wall areas to cover. Been thinking of getting large blank canvas pieces and wallpapering them. That technique can also be used with fabric.

I was thinking of framing some black and white gift wrap that I have, but my husband wants to put something personalized in our bedroom. Problem is that I hate knick-knacks and i'm not sure what else to do.

I was just in Target recently and saw some nice large-ish frames for $9.99 each. You could get 6 identical ones, matting, and some black and white photos that have special meaning to you.

This is what I did to fill a up large blank wall space cheaply. I painted right on the wall, then attached small wood framed mirrors from IKEA:

Wow - I really like what you did with the IKEA mirrors. Liz, I know that you can't paint on your wall but you could do something like the pic without the painted border.

Liz -- you could use the same grid as the mirrors pictured above -- BUT substitute a few black-and-white photos AND then mix in your framed black-and-white gift wrap ..... simple and personalized!

Do remember to check out Big Lots for frames too ...... and places like thrift stores --- and then just spray paint them in satin black.

Also, remember that you don't have to limit yourself to pictures. Other options include:

-use a large scarf or piece of fabric hung from a few small nails

-a row of hooks with some nice items hung from it (a fancy bag, a hat, scarf, etc)

-string a line across a blank wall and clip a series of black and white photos to it (or if you are more cottagey you could use some vintage floral prints clipped on with wooden clothes pegs)

-hang a really lovely nightie on nice hanger right on the wall. Could also use a ballgown or some other vintagey piece.

-old tin ceiling tiles

and so on...

For those who recommended hanging a series of photos or mirrors, how do you hang them so that they are straight? My husband hung 4 photos in our previous apartment, and it looked like target practice! They still weren't straight. So, I'm a little wary of groupings.

I really like the idea of stringing a wire and hanging pictures from it. What kind of hanger should I use and how do I attach it to the picture?

I found something similar at the link below, but I'd like to use larger pictures and not quite so many wires.

Here is a link that might be useful: Photos on wires

To hang pictures straight: use a laser level!! It's a relatively inexpensive tool that I thought I NEEDED on a fun run to the local Home Depot. Turns out I was right :) It attaches to the wall w/ a gentle adhesive and illuminates a red laser line across the wall. The built in level shows you when the line is in the right place. Check for differences on the back sides of your frames (distance from top to hanger) and start hanging.

I'm sure Umbra or Ikea has a wire hanging system you could buy, but I would just buy a couple of screw in eye hooks and some picture hanging wire (both available at home depot). I think you can find little metal paper clips at office supply stores to hold the pictures on the wire.

The picture you linked to has the pictures in some type of frame, but I don't think you need to use frames. Just clip the photo to the wire.

Here's a link to some little clips.

Here is a link that might be useful: paper clips galore!

I went to visit some friends in CA. The wife found some discount fabric and she stretched it over a "canvas" that her hubby made for her. I think they used a smooth, thin plastic over the frame so the fabric would not snag or "sink."

Anyway, the fabric was really cool---it had a glitzy "sheen" to the blossoms (you can't see in pic). I thought it was an oil painting when I first saw it---really cool!

{{!gwi}}

Here's a really cheap idea: get an even number of the largest frames you can find at the dollar store (11x14?). If needed, you can get cheap acrylic paint at a craft store. Next, go to google or yahoo maps and print out sections of a city/geographic area/country that you have visited in either color or b/w and frame them.

I picked up six inexpensive black frames and matts and printed out black and white photos from a few of our favorite trips. Then hung them in two rows of three. Total cost was about $40.

texashottie: that looks fantastic! What a great idea!

I did what sarschlos did on a wall in our finished basment but went to Flickr.com and snagged a few high quality pics of various french architectural scenes that some very talented photographers had taken. I printed them on 8.5 x 11" photo paper and put them in large inexpensive black frames with very wide white mats which I picked up at Michael's on sale for 50% off. They look great.

Here's a not fabulous picture of our wall art for our catwalk hallway:

Any more pictures of wall decor - your own or someone else's - would be helpful. They've very inspirational!