Large Nursery Wall Prints For Less Than $2!

Archie’s Nursery is now my favorite room in our house! Simple and clean, filled with neutral and earthy colors. Being our second nursery, I decided to take a slightly different approach with Archie’s space. Since nurseries are relatively short lived, I wanted to incorporate budget friendly items, as well as pieces that could later be repurposed in other areas of our home down the road. My inner hoarding tendencies have a hard time parting with items at times… I rationalize it: What if I need it again!? or I paid a lot for that!!… So I’ve found it best to minimize short-term pieces from the start (anyone else have a hoarder within? Just me? Okay Karen). I’m working on it, and lately I have been simplifying and getting rid of the excess. And we all know inexpensive items are so much less painful to part with. But lucky us, these wall prints are both cheap and repurpose-able! That’s not a word? Well it should be. The frames can easily be reused, and the inexpensive prints will be easy to toss/donate, coming to a total cost of only $17 each, frame and all!

I first got the idea when I came across two 16×20 wooden frames at HomeGoods, in the clearance section. You can buy similar frames for $12.50 at Hobby Lobby here (normal price $25, but frequently on sale for 50% off). I was originally going to photograph and print pictures for the frames, but scrapped that idea because enlarged prints can be quite pricey…. ehhh kay, more so because I was in the final month of pregnancy with another two year old kiddo to care for, and laziness/fatigue crept in. I turned to Etsy, and stumbled upon these adorable bunny print downloadable files for $4.89 (currently 30% off). I turned them into prints for LESS THAN $2 each! That’s right- TWO DOLLARS! The trick, you might ask? Staples BLUEPRINTS!

My pinterest rabbit hole (bunnies, rabbits… see what I did there? I’m keeping with the theme) brought me to this post by Chris Loves Julia, and their method for printing enlarged photos. Chris Loves Julia mentions a local print shop they used for engineer prints, but I found “blueprints” at Staples, which turned out to be the same thing. I thought, what the heck, I’ll try it out on these cute little bunnies. Worst case, I’m out $4, and even Dave Ramsey would be okay with that.

I visited Staples online, where I was able to pick between three print sizes. Since my frames were 16×20, I chose the smallest and closest size 18×24, keeping in mind some cropping would be necessary. I uploaded my files, sent them to my nearest store for printing, and picked them up less than an hour later. You guys. One hour! I spent about another two minutes trimming the prints to fit the frames, and ta-da, finished!

One slight variation, is to use this same process with the slightly larger size of 24×36. The perk to this option is that both the blueprint and frame come in this size, without needing any cropping or trimming with scissors. Even Easier!

THE OPTIONS ARE ENDLESS YOU GUYS! for $4, I can reuse the frames with new images when I grow tired of them- swapping the cute little bunnies for family photos, travel photos, or new Etsy artwork! This would also be a great gift for a new mom, grandparent, housewarming present, etc. Now it’s your turn! Try it out, and let me know how it goes. Use #thismidwestnest so I can see your finished result. I look forward to seeing your take!