The first time I was ever on a CityLine Citytv decor panel, then-host Marilyn Denis asked us this: When you're buying a condo or renting your first apartment, what should you buy first? My answer was hardly creative: a sofa. The panellist next to me, however, said art. Art? Huh? Who would ever be able to afford art in her first apartment or condo?

"Art" in my first place was a collection of hats hung on the wall and some dried flowers--can you say bad Feng Shui?

Since writing my first rent cheque in the '90s, I've discovered two things. First, you don't have to eat instant noodles for the rest of your life to get great art. Second, if you choose to eat noodles for a lifetime (or maybe just a couple of months) for art, it's worth it.

If you're in the market for small prints, check out the Etsy website (etsy.com).The Etsy concept: original art, vintage goods, and handmade crafts sold online by artists around the globe. When decorating my brother's apartment I scooped up four 8x10-inch squirrel prints by a Brooklyn artist. Quirky, original and priced right at $20 a piece. One of my most recent and exciting discoveries is an artist named Lindsay Agnew (lindsayagnewstyle.com).She paints custom canvases. Send her an image of a photo, painting, sculpture, or even your pet hamster, along with colour choices, and Lindsay will make you a painting. I have a pink ginger jar 30x40-inch canvas that was painted just for me. The process was easy. I emailed a photo of my grandmother's blue willow ginger jar and selected Benjamin Moore Spring Pink 2090-70 as the backdrop. She replied with one inspirational sketch, (included in the cost of the painting), a couple back-and-forth emails, and within three weeks I had my painting for $250. Lindsay's custom painted canvases start from $100 depending on size and complexity of the image you want painted. But forget about sending her an image of your favourite Picasso; she doesn't do knock-offs.

Over the past 10 years, my go-to source for art has been Art Interiors (artinteriors.ca) where stacks of canvases lean against the walls. Gallery owners Lisa Diamond and Shira Wood sell everything from tiny etchings to large oil paintings in all styles, mediums and genres. They carry both emerging and established artists with prices ranging from $25 to $5,000. I never miss their Festival of Smalls where they sell all original works for less than $250.

When it comes to small prints, if your 10x12-inch frame is looking lonely on that large wall, add in at least five more framed pieces spaced two-inches apart (trust me, if you have one small piece on a large wall it's looking sad and lonely). Your aim is to make the grouping read as one large and harmonious work.

I'm also a big fan of blown-up photography. I tried having a flower that I photographed blown up for $200. It looked OK, but I didn't love it. However, one of the most arresting pieces that I've ever worked with was a giant blown-up photo of a feather mounted on foam core, over a sofa (see photo). Its creator, fine art photographer Virginia Macdonald (Virginiamacdonald.com),whose name you may recognize credited alongside photos in home and food magazines, explains to me that it's the "composition, depth-of-field, point of view and camera" that make a blown-up image really sing. As well as the cropping, playing with shadows and contrast that take place post-photography. Feather (and other) prints start at $475 for a limited addition 16 x 20-inch print. And, there is something special in knowing there are only 20 other prints in the world just like it. I've used fine art on its own but I've also used it to elevate the look of mass-market art. Every year Ikea adds a new poster or picture to its inventory. This year I've been crazy for Richard Lewishon's $59.99 zebra motif printed on a 46 x 30-inch canvas. On its own or with fine art, for me, it's a classic.

Here is the thing about mass-market art, and furniture for that matter: If you fill your home with canvases and pictures that you've purchased all from one place, your condo can look like a catalogue. The key to a home with soul is to mix it up, and not only with fine art. Paintings, prints, and framed photos you've found at Value Village or GoodWill for $3 will personalize mass-market art.

My friend, stylist and trendsetting blogger Arren Williams' (arrenwilliams.com) most talked about piece is a paint-by- numbers clown that he bought for $4 at Goodwill. Incidentally, it hangs beside a David Hockney. So be your own curator. Art doesn't have to cost a bundle, though all the pieces I have collected over the years were worth the splurge. There are many different ways to cover your walls with price tags big and small, but really, that shouldn't matter. Art is personal. So if you see a piece you love, take it home and hang it up. Because I have to admit, maybe a large painting that will endure and make you smile every time you look at it is a better first purchase than a sofa.