Affordable DIY Botanical Wall Art

by

Finding beautiful botanical art doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact it can be an incredibly low budget, high end look for your home. As I was working on our music room I decided I needed a little art gallery above our piano. I wanted a cohesive, simple collection of pieces that were sentimental. Next to the piano is our fireplace which has a large mirror over the mantle. Whatever I placed above the piano needed to be large enough to balance out the mirror. For the sake of contrast I also wanted several frames next to the one large piece above the fireplace.

In my mind I knew exactly the kind of frame I wanted. It needed to be modern with a white matte and gold frame. My first stop was Target and thankfully they had exactly what I had envisioned. These four frames were each $16 which is a good price for the quality. Since I planned on putting greenery in them which would cost nothing I was happy with the total cost.

Choose your frames.

target frames

Collect your botanicals.

Now that we had the frames it was time to go for a hike and find some flora and fauna to make our botanical art pieces. When decorating your home it’s so important to weave in good memories and story telling whenever possible. The goal of these botanical pieces was more than just design inspiration. I wanted them to tell a sweet story of the many nature hikes our family has enjoyed. We headed to one of our favorite walking trails where our dog can run off leash. We enjoy exploring our local reserves and parks. It’s so beautiful out in creation.

nature landscape photograph
woodland flora and fauna

We had so much fun collecting I think we’ll go back for more and make a botanical press for each of their rooms.

Choose the pieces you will press.

We brought home more than we could put in our frames! We had so much fun though and it gave me a great selection to choose from. I mixed texture, shape and colors for the look I wanted. Nature is endlessly diverse. There are so many different plants are out there.

Arrange botanicals in your frame.

Once I decided on the leaves I wanted to showcase I laid the face of the frame down. Then I experimented with the plants by placing them on the frame and adjusted them a few different ways. Once I was happy with the look I had, the paper that came with the frame went overtop the leaves.

You can buy archival paper just for this type of project. If you want your plants to last longer this would be the way to go. I may do that, but for today I kept it simple. The back went on the frame and the plants are pressed. Voila, that easy, all finished!

Hang your botanical art and enjoy!

Because the mirror is hung vertically I chose to position the four botanical press pieces horizontally. Hanging them on a horizontal added variance to the upright mirror. All four frames together made a square which also adds contrast the rectangle shape mirror.

So glad I went with gold frames! The mix of metals is a look I love. The perfect vintage pewter table lamp, (in this case piano lamp) set next to the gold framed botanical gallery wall is just right.

This was such a simple project. It took very little time to put together and has such impact. If you were short on time you could even forgo the nature hike. Instead gather some of your favorite plants from around your yard to press. Small moments like those equal precious memories as well.

Bringing nature indoors is something I’ve always incorporated in my designs and home. Have you ever tried pressing botanicals in frames? If so what did you press?

xo Maria

19 Comments

  1. Linda

    Maria, what a fun DIY and looks so good. Loving how you got the girls involved 🙂

    Reply
  2. Jamala

    Excellent diy and especially perfect to do with children… having them explore and create art work sparks imagination and creativity. Not to mention you’ve arranged them beautifully in your home. Great job

    Reply
    • Maria Kamara

      Thank you Jamala. These pieces bring back happy memoires of our walks through the woods.

      Reply
  3. Patricia

    Maria, what a wonder and so Simple project (idea). You have so many great ideas, thanks for sharing. Blessings, Patricia

    Reply
    • Maria Kamara

      Thank you Patricia! These botanicals always remind me of that particular walk in the woods with the family.

      Reply
  4. Anna

    This is a great tutorial and idea! What a fun way to engage your kids in a project. I also love how these botanicals look over your piano.

    Reply
    • Maria Kamara

      Thanks Anna! It was a fun hike looking for plants to include in our frames.

      Reply
  5. Donna

    Hi Maria! I love this idea! I thought about making botanical prints for my eating area in the Spring and never got around to it! Pressing real plants is an even better idea! I also love how you involved the kids! They’ll never forget that day! So special! Pinning this now for future reference!

    Reply
    • Maria Kamara

      Thanks Donna! I want to do it again with the kids this Summer before the warm days end. They grow so fast! Hope you’re enjoying these last days of Summer friend.

      Reply
  6. Wendy McMonigle

    I love this idea, it sure adds a lovely touch above your piano. I am going to give this a try. Thank you for the inspiration.

    Reply
    • Maria Kamara

      Oh good, I’m so glad you like it Wendy! If you do go out and gather leaves, I hope it’s a refreshing and relaxing time you look back on every time you glance at them in their frames.

      Reply
  7. Meagan

    These botanical frames came out so good. I love how the kids helped pick out a lot of the leaves. So sweet and looks great up on the wall.

    Reply
    • Maria Kamara

      Thanks so much Meagan, it was a beautiful bit of family time. We need to go again soon!

      Reply
  8. Judy

    Your botanical artwork turned out beautiful. Nice that you made it a fun project with your girls.

    Reply
    • Maria Kamara

      Hi Judy, yes that’s part of why I love this art so very much, the memories that were made on our little family hike.

      Reply
  9. Tammy

    I absolutely love the idea of foraging and creating artwork. The botanicals artwork turned out beautiful.

    Reply
  10. Anna

    I love this idea – especially if you can gather foliage with children. The foliage looks so beautiful above your piano.

    Reply

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Welcome to Pure Happy Home! A home design and DIY blog encouraging and helping you to design spaces you love. Here you’ll find budget makeovers, design tips and creative ideas you can apply to your home. Follow along as our family of 7 works to make our home more beautiful and our relationships closer.

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