Jan 20

Jan 20 Custom Framed Artwork (for less!)

Artwork can truly turn your house into a home, and getting a custom framed piece of art, which takes any art piece to the next level, doesn’t have to break the bank. I recently took a personalized watercolor of my husband and myself and turned it into a high-end custom framed piece for less than $30. Read on to learn how!

First, we need to talk about how amazing this watercolor is - a wedding favor from my best friend’s wedding in Santa Barbara! We received it in the mail alongside her thank-you note and I was so touched at the thoughtful gesture. Check out The Gabigool etsy shop for all your personalized iconography and watercolor needs (calling all 2025 & 2026 brides - my friend used custom iconography for her wedding and it really took her event to the next level!!)

Anyways, back to custom framed artwork for less:

A watercolor of two wedding guests with a blue mat board and frame

Here’s what you’ll need:

Art (I like to source from etsy, vintage shops, or directly purchase from artists)
Custom cut matboard
Frame
Tape

using tape to secure a piece of art to mat board for framing

The backside of custom cut mat board with art taped

The secret sauce to making this all look more expensive than it really is? A custom cut matboard. I found an online shop - Matboard & More - that allows you to input the dimensions for the frame and the art, as well as choose the primary matboard color plus the accent mat color. The watercolor I wanted to frame was 4x4.5” and I truly couldn’t find a ready-built frame with those dimensions. For legitimately $10, I was able to get this matboard cut and shipped within a week.

I found the walnut frame on Amazon and I love the dovetail joinery at the curved corners. Really makes it look more high-end. It also comes with a wood stand in case you want to use it as a tabletop frame.

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A custom framed watercolor with blue matboard

I went with Bottle Blue Standard Core matboard with the same color (Bottle Blue) as the accent mat color. I like how it picks up the shades of the blue in the watercolor, and it also ties into the decor around our home - can you tell I like the color blue??

Next up, all I needed to do was hang my new custom artwork on the wall!

two frame art pieces hanging next to a white door frame

Just last week, I painted these walls in Sherwin Williams, Dumpling (eggshell finish) + Sherwin Williams, Pure White (semi-gloss finish) for the doors. And, for an extra pop of color, I went with a Sherwin Williams color match of Farrow & Ball, Light Blue (semi-gloss finish). It looks so fresh and inviting now, and is the perfect backdrop for my custom artwork!

The ‘Sugar’ painting is from Florida-artist Jenna Alexander and I think is such a great addition to the room (you can’t tell in the photo, but this is right next to the kitchen, and the blue door leads out to the garage).

I love how the walnut frame of the watercolor pulls out the shades of brown in the ‘Sugar’ piece. And then all of the blues complement one another. I’m all about things “going” rather than matching.

custom watercolor framed with blue matboard

two art pieces hanging next to a doorway

And there you have it! Custom framed artwork for less. Let me know if you give this a try and check out How to Hang a Gallery Wall if you’re looking to hang multiple pieces in one area.