Lovely Things

Affordable Art Fair - Autumn Collection 2008, London

If you're interested in original art on a budget, you'll be pleased to hear the time for the Autumn Collection of the Affordable Art Fair is rolling around. The biannual event showcasing art under £3000 can be a great opportunity to try and nab a bargain piece from a favourite artist, or discover something new. Pictured is 'Dans le Bois' (click link for larger image), by Seng Soun Ratanavanh - a lovely take on the Little Red Riding Hood story in greys with bright splashes of the eponymous red. It's Chinese ink and acrylic on canvas, 100 x 100cm and available at the fair for £2150, from Enviedart. The Affordable Art Fair - Autumn Collection takes place from 23rd-26th October 2008 at Battersea Park, London, with a private view on the 22nd.

Penguin print from Box Art

Everyone seems to be going a bit penguin crazy since the hype about Happy Feet got started. If you'd like a slightly more elegant take on the trend have a look at this lovely 'Wallpaper Penguins' duotone print from Box Art (sixth down the page). The print is canvas-mounted and is sealed with a protective varnish that is actually wipe-clean - perfect if you have little ones wanting to relive the movie through art. Available in three sizes sarting at 6 x 6 inches for £15, up to double that for £35 from Velvet Boutique.

Wall Hangings from Salvor Fauna

These balsa wall hangings from Salvor Fauna are so unusual and really beautiful. All the art is printed by hand and most feature animals. My favourites are the 'Cloudscape' and 'Camel' pictures shown. Both pieces are quite large at 24 x 48 inches, cost $288 and are available from Design Public.

Gift Guide: £20 and under

Ah Christmas shopping. It can be tricky finding an interesting gift without having to spend a lot of money, or a lot of time trawling websites and shops. And if you have a lot of people to buy for, the whole thing can really take it out of you. To give you a hand is our gift guide to lovely things for home and living, for £20 or less...

Art Canvas from ASOS

ASOS call this canvas print 'retro' but I think 'vintage style' would be more appropriate. In a gorgeous fuchsia pink and gold, it's mounted on a chunky wooden frame and measures 30 x 30 cms. It's just £15, so if your walls are already bright enough for your taste, it would make a lovely gift.

Habitat Art on Demand

This week I popped into Habitat to have a brief nose around the new range in their Habitat Art on Demand collection. As well as a range of posters I didn't have the chance to fully explore, they have some great painted ready-to-hang canvases in a variety of styles.

View more via the link below. 

Steel frame from Ikea

If you're anything like me you have loads of inexpensive art prints stored away awaiting framing. I get very enthusiastic about putting art up on my walls, and forget how expensive frames can be, leaving fabulous pictures languishing in a cupboard.

Enter the Metall Dynas laquered stainless steel frame from Ikea.  At only £29.90, it's a great price for a frame that holds a picture of 50 x 50cms, and it's handmade.

Art sale - 15% off

Lots of bare walls to fill? To celebrate the Tate Modern's new collection displays, artrepublic is offering 15% off prints inspired by the Tate's permanent collection, so you can can be forgiven for going a bit art mad and buying all your favourites.

There's a huge range of art and artists to choose from, including:

The warm, summery Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose by John Sargent for £17 down from £21.

A silkscreen print of Rothko's Untitled in gorgeous yellow and mauve for £128 down from £151.

A fan of stripes and simplicity? Try Bridget Riley's Achaian, available as a silkscreen print for £211 down from £249.

A touch of Spring

Get a little bit of Spring onto your walls! This cute retro-inspired print from Next is the perfect antidote to the soggy Spring we've had so far. It comes only in orange and pink, and is framed ready to hang on your wall for £69.99