Stores like Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters have lots of fun and fashionable ideas for hip, modern decor. The problem is, these looks are often out of reach for budget shoppers. Take the Collected Memories Mirror from Anthropologie, pictured right. At $698, not even the most awesome  coupon ever is going to get that down to a price you want to pay.

However, this look is easy to recreate with pieces you can find at garage sales or thrift shops; just find an assortment of old, funky mirrors and collage them together on your wall. If the mirrors aren't quite distressed enough, consider buying antiquing paint with a coupon from Michaels to give them a more worn look. Because many of today's trends are very vintage inspired, it's easy to make them on your own, even if you're no Martha Stewart. Here's a few more ways you can mimic some wall art you've probably seen for sale at your favorite stores.

Graphic Prints

Big, bold, and graphic designs are in for wall decor. This hummingbird print (2) from Burke Decor starts at $102 for a 16"x16" paper print and runs up to $650 for a 4'x4' canvas! For a similar look, we suggest checking out fabrics from Fabric.com, like this Pretty Bird Spice print by Michael Miller (1). At around $9 a yard, you could spend about $4.50 for a half a yard to recreate the smallest size; all you'd have to do is cut it down to size and pull it tight inside a regular picture frame.

If an oversized canvas is what you're shooting for, find a square canvas from an art store like Dick Blick. This particular fabric is 44" wide, so make sure you buy a canvas size that leaves you enough fabric to wrap around the edge. For example, if your canvas is 24"x24", and has a thickness of one inch, make sure you have a piece of fabric that is at least 28"x28" so you have enough fabric to cover the sides of the canvas, as well as enough fabric to secure in the back of the piece. You could secure the fabric in the back with a staple gun, or for a glossy look, use a glue product like Mod Podge (also available at Dick Blick) to saturate the fabric and stick it to the canvas.

Illustration

Also popular in home decor are framed illustrations. This Alice in Wonderland print is from Urban Outfitters and is $18 for a 5"x7". This look can be similarly recreated with a day of thrift shopping or garage sale hunting. Look for frames and old books; if you can bear to dissect them for the sake of art, many old books have great illustrations that make great visual accents. Just make sure you're not taking apart any priceless first editions!

To give a frame a more aged appearance, use antiquing paint or watered down brown craft paint. Antiquing works best with objects with lots of texture, so that there are plenty of places for the paint to get stuck. I would recommend painting the object first with a light colored craft paint. Let it dry thoroughly. Then, with a sponge or craft brush, brush on the antiquing paint - not too heavily, but enough so that it gets into all of the nooks and crannies. Then use a paper towel to wipe up the excess paint; if this is done correctly you should be left with a frame that still retains the color you painted it, but has dark accents in the crevices that make it look older.

Similarly, if you have a wooden frame, you can paint it the color you desire and then distress it with sandpaper to reveal the wood beneath. Just be gentle! It's much easier to sand more paint off than to put paint back. Sand more heavily in the places the frame would normally get wear and tear - sides and edges, for example.

More Ideas

There are lots of things probably already in your house that you can repurpose as art. Here are a couple more examples:

Frame collages. Similar to the mirror from Anthropologie, you can assemble empty frames on your wall to be art all by themselves. These frames from Etsy are easily recreatable, just pick out a random assortment of sizes and shapes secondhand, or from around your house. Get some spray paint from Home Depot in the colors you want and spray away! Just make sure you do it in a well ventilated space, preferably outside. To best cover your frames with spraypaint, coat evenly and do a few thin layers rather than one thick one, so that the paint doesn't pool and drip.

Old calendars. Calendars are a great source for art to frame, and if you don't have one you want to use you can pick a brand new one up for less than you'd probably pay for one print. You can get an especially good deal if you buy after the new year and stores are looking to liquidate stock. These Andy Warhol cat prints came out of a calendar; to do this look with traditional art prints piece by piece would have cost at least $7 each.

What's hanging on your walls?