Bring art into your life, and money to artists, with your own Just a Card collection

There's a finite amount of wallspace in our lives, and none of us have as much money as we'd like to spend on all the awesome art out there - so how about thinking smaller? 

Read on to create your own curated collection of small-scale art, and showcase it! It's a great way to show off your tastes, spread some money to artists in an affordable way, and keep your walls fresh at home.

For about as long as I can remember I've collected post cards, birthday cards and artists' prints. Cue the Just A Card campaign, who burst onto the scene to raise awareness that our small purchases help keep indie businesses going. Buy just a card, or a badge, or a pen... and you help that business remain open for when someone wants to buy big with a portrait, or a table, or a leather satchel. I'd unwittingly been supporting that ethos since I'd first stuck some post cards by a local artist to my teenage bedroom walls!

Creating your own Just a Card Collection

You will need:

• A multi-aperture frame, or lots of small frames for a gallery wall.
• A selection of images, such as cards, post cards, prints, wrapping paper, photographs, original works of art.
• Scissors.
• A Pencil.
• Cat (optional)

Your Resources

You may not have a collection of images to dip into, so go and get some! Check out local independent shops and galleries. Go to art gallery and museum gift shops. Pop to maker's markets, craft fairs, or if you have specific interests, try steampunk fairs, comic conventions or relevant events. Wherever you are, browse the prints and card racks with a keen eye. It's great to ask friends and family to send you things too.

I sometimes mix in photos I've taken, or cut the front off cards I'm given. Even bits of wrapping paper and wallpaper, or flyers for events I've been to and have fond memories of!

Multi-aperture frames can be found in a variety of home stores. There's good old Ikea, but often your high street cheap shop can provide. If you want to upcycle from charity shops or existing frames, there are easy and fun tutorials out there, just grab some good glue and paint! Using a multi-aperture frame can be easier (only one picture hook to put up) but equally you can use a whole heap of frames and create a gallery wall.

The Process

Usually I start with a couple of images I really want on show, because they're new, or seasonally appropriate, or old but I love them. So pick a starting point, then open up everything else, and play around with colour combinations or themes until you build up a pile of potential complimentary pieces. Don't be too picky at this stage, having more than you can fit in your frames is a good thing.

Next, pick a couple of images, and pop them on top of your frames. Add some more, some more, move, swap in, swap out, move them around, put back in the one you took out. Don't worry about what is "right" artistically - this is yours, to show off what you love.

Once you have picked something for each frame, start filling the frames up. You can see above and below here that I really wanted to use a print about Sagittarius, but I changed my mind at the last moment, as  I felt the green and blue was overpowering. Tolkein's map made the cut instead.

Some things you might need to trim to fit your frames, which is where a pencil and scissors are needed. It's your decision how precious you want to be about doing this, as some pieces you may want to keep intact, and find ways to display without cutting (heck, stick them to your fridge!)

Show off

Find a spot for your collection, and prepare for visitors to stop and comment on the variety, as well as complementing you on your creative eye. My frame lives in our hallway, because it means I see beautiful art and relive fond memories every time I walk past it. 

Keep it fresh!

Variety is the spice of life, so don't let your Just a Card art collection become so much stale background noise. Keep your mind and eyes open for more art to add to your collection, and periodically update your frames. You could set yourself a monthly reminder, or just alter it as the mood takes you. One or two pieces may swap around, or the full set. 

You're now curating your own collection of art, and exhibiting it, have fun!

---

Credit where it's due!

If you like the artwork I've shown off above then the details are...

Old frame - Top left and bottom right starry women by Lauren Livesey. Top right and second to bottom right John Dee's books from the Royal Academy of Physicians. Second to top left Sir John Soane's house. Second to top right The Moon by Mucha. Second to bottom left Night by Edward Robert Hughs from Birmingham Museums. Bottom left cat by Eldritch Rach.

New frame - Top left and second to bottom right by Jess Taylor. Top right by Jon Turner. Second to top left Sir John Soane's house. Second to top right ?! I've forgotten! Second to bottom left Map by Tolkein. Bottom right Melisande by Marianne Stokes from Cologne art gallery. Bottom left cat by Eldritch Rach.

Old Frame

New frame