Happy happy Friday! And Happy August! I know everyone feels this way, but I can't believe how fast summer flies by. I don't care when school starts -- we've still got some precious weeks left.

For August, we're planning a weekly Friday Love{s} Cheap Art Solutions series. Sprucing up your bare walls is a tried and true way to personalize your space. But it can be expensive. And even if you've got the funds, it's also a big commitment, so I think of cheap art as interim: it can help you get a feel for your space and taste.

Though we're calling this series cheap art, I should mention to any artists out there that I recognize how loosely I'm using the term. For this August series, let's all just agree to call something you hang on  your wall "art." Good? Great!

First up: Making the most of gift bags. I know. Call me crazy. But gift bags (not to be confused with other gift wrap options, which are up later in the series) are an amazingly low-cost way to score some lovely designs, and on paper that's a good weight. Here're three gift bag art solutions to prove it:

These are two large-ish gift bags from Marshall's for less than $3 each. I framed them in Ribba frames from Ikea (new from Goodwill for $7 each), plus mats I made for a grand total of $11 per piece. They satisfy my need to festoon every surface in my house with maps, but cheaply. For the win.

This little feather print was also a Marshall's find, for $2. I love the colors in this one, but I recently saw the same pattern in a different colorway at Paper Source. If you look closely, you can see the black holes where the gift bag handle was threaded -- but you really do have to pay attention. It's not the kind of thing that brings me down. This frame was $3 from Goodwill, so this little art piece rings in at $5.

And you may remember this one from the Pottery Barn-inspired bedroom styling. A $3 gift bag, also from Marshall's, and a frame for $3 (It's the same as the frame above; I picked up three of them at Goodwill. Frames are another one of my compulsive obsessions). Again, you can see the black holes where the bag handle used to live, but I think it's not noticeable in person. If these do bother you, do what I did for the map bags: mat them!

So what's with the Marshall's thing? They're cheap and of great quality. I'm not sure where the supply comes from, but given the fact that I saw that feather print at Paper Source, I'm assuming from your average fancy-pants paper store. TJ Maxx, Ross, and Home Goods all have good, cheap, selections.

Of course, all these projects are really same: I just framed the darn things. But I actually have more going on with gift bags even as we speak. You may remember from Lou's To Do list plans for a certain 3D star garland. That remains firmly on the To Do list, but I'm making it with paper from gift bags. And the trim on Lou's little hot air balloon? Cut up gift bags.

That's the first installment of seriously inexpensive art for your abode. Look for more every Friday this month!