Decking walls with creative artwork

Are you stuck with a crate of old album covers or a postcard collection? They can be framed, nailed and displayed as art on your walls, according to interior-design mavens, who offer these tips:

Think in multiples. Arrange postcards and photographs in clusters of six, nine or 12, says Stella Bugbee, design director at Domino magazine. Small photographs or cards can be framed individually or as a group in a single frame. A professional framer can create a large, matted arrangement or, with double-sided tape, you can do it yourself.

Go vintage. Old mod scarves and unusual fabrics look elegant and artful when stretched tight over a canvas. Use a staple gun to attach cloth to a pretreated canvas, Bugbee says.

Flip through old magazines. Many famous photographers, such as Irving Penn, have a wide portfolio of glossy magazine portraits suitable for framing. Find the magazines at garage sales, at thrift stores and on eBay.

Find your inner photographer. Create your own abstract art by snapping close-ups of flowers and other subjects. For the best results, use film or a high-resolution setting on a digital camera and blow up photos to a large format before framing, Bugbee says.

Create a family gallery. Jonni McCoy, author of

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, has decorated her dining room with framed pieces created by her children.

Display your pots. McCoy decorates her kitchen walls with the copper pots handed down from her grandmother.

Hang up quilts. Drape over curtain rods or use hangers sold in craft and rug stores.