09/08 DIY

DIY Wall Art With Ribbon

DIY Wall Art With Ribbon

I did it!  I came up with an easy, mess-free way to create this geometric wall art using ribbon and double-sided tape.  Simple enough, no?  I was inspired by the rug in this photo, and while I wasn’t seeking to paint a rug of my own at the time, I thought the design would translate well into wall art.

Here’s how it’s done.

DIY Wall Art Materials

Materials

  • poster board
  • picture frame (mine is roughly 10.5×14″)
  • permanent double sided tape
  • scissors
  • ribbon (I used 4 colors, 5/8″ in width each)
  • pencil
  • ruler

First, take out the matte from inside the picture frame and trace it onto the poster board.  Measure it into four identical pieces and cut them out, like so:

DIY Wall Art With Ribbon Posterboard

I chose to have the glossy side of the poster board to be front-facing, so I lined the back side edges with double-sided tape and then flipped it back over to the glossy side and put two small pieces of the tape on opposite corners.  One of the corners must be the one in the center of the entire artwork.  The areas I’m referring to are marked in red below.

DIY Wall Art With Ribbon Tape

Next, I took one of the ribbons and laid it diagonally across the glossy side so that it stuck to the pieces of tape on the two corners.  Now, the trickiest part is folding the ribbon over the corners.

Folding ribbon corner

At the corner, fold the ribbon over the top edge of the poster board, then fold it over the side edge.  No ribbon should be sticking out over the edges anymore and the excess ribbon should be stuck to the tape on the back side as shown in the right of the above photo.

Do this on all four pieces of poster board and it should look like this:

DIY Wall Art With Ribbon Diagonals

Fill up one of the poster board pieces first as a guide to how far apart the ribbons will be spaced.  Simply lay the ribbon pieces at the same angle as the first piece of ribbon, fold the ends over the edges, and stick them to the tape that’s on the back side of the poster-board.  Re-do this as many times as you need with each ribbon in order to get the spacing and angles lined up right.  The ribbon should easily stick and un-stick from the tape.

DIY Wall Art With Ribbon First Quadrant

Repeat this with the rest of the poster board pieces, lining up the ribbon pieces with the ribbon edges of the previous piece of poster board.  Once all four pieces are complete, tape the back sides of the poster board pieces together tightly and place it into your frame.

DIY Wall Art

I’m so happy with the way it turned out!  I chose ribbon because not only does it give straight lines, but it provides a unique texture and dimension.  I’m also satisfied with my decision to use double-sided tape since it is a very forgiving anchor for the ribbon.  The double sided-tape holds the ribbon well, even with the repeated sticking and un-sticking necessary for getting the placements right.

Do you like the colors I chose?  I’m a lover of greens and blues.  What colors would you use for this wall art project?  Let me know in the comments below, and thank you so much for reading!

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09/04 DIY

DIY Succulent Box

Sssssssssssucculentttttttssssssssss!

I didn’t think I’d ever make my own succulent box, but the inspiration hit me at an unexpected moment and I just rolled with it.  The culprit of this project was accidentally found in the toy section at Marshalls:

Toy Box

When I saw it, I didn’t think about how it was a great educational toy or about the lucky little youngster that would be receiving it as a gift from me.  No, upon immediate sight, I knew I would plant my succulents in it.  For anyone concerned though, I will in fact be giving the puzzle pieces to a young family member.

While I do like the look of unfinished wood, I didn’t want the “Melissa and Doug” engraving on the side to show, so I painted the box and included it as a part of this tutorial.

Here’s how it’s done.

Succulent Box Materials

Materials Used

  • succulents
  • cactus soil
  • wooden box
  • Folk Art Acrylic Paint in Wicker White
  • Folk Art Gesso Primer
  • Americana DuraClear Gloss Varnish
  • foam brush
  • decorative rocks (I found mine at HomeGoods)
  • newspaper (to keep your working surface clean)

DIY Succulent Box Tutorial

Steps

  1. Apply primer to the box.  This will not only help the paint adhere to the surface but it will also lay down a barrier so that the paint doesn’t soak into the wood.
  2. When the primer is dry to the touch, apply the acrylic paint.  I applied two coats, waiting until the first coat was dry before applying the second layer.
  3. Apply gloss varnish once the acrylic paint is dry.  This step is optional, but it will help protect the acrylic paint and prevent it from potentially cracking in the future.  If a gloss finish isn’t what you want, just use any matte varnish.
  4. Once the varnish is dry, fill the box about halfway with the cactus soil.  I did this with a spoon that I used earlier that morning to eat cereal with.  Nothing fancy.
  5. Place the succulents in your desired arrangement before filling the rest of the box with soil.
  6. Add decorative rocks.

And there you have it!

DIY Succulent Box

I wanted to keep the box looking simple and clean, so I kept the succulents to a minimum and used white paint and rocks to bring a fresh, modern look.  I’m pretty happy with the way it turned out and it has taken its place in my mini, indoor apartment garden.

Succulent Box Display

Let me know what you think!  Thanks so much for visiting.

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