Category: DIY

DIY Geometric Mosaic

Remember being forced to take that beginner’s art class in highschool and having to painstakingly put together a mosaic? Well, that was then and this is now. You need a colorful art piece to splash up your living room, kitchen, bedroom, or even office – and we’re here to tell you that not all mosaics are as aggravating as your high school art projects. In fact, this geometric mosaic is simple, inexpensive, and tons of fun!

What you will need: canvas or canvas board, ¼” or ½” painter’s tape, paintbrush, and a lively paint color!

Follow these five steps to complete your very own geometric mosaic (that doesn’t look like it was made in high school art class):

Measure out an appropriate size for the desired space.

Where is your finished piece going to hang? Does it need to cover an entire wall or just a select space between two windows? Once you have the perfect place in mind, measure out the desired dimensions and then go in search of an appropriate canvas. Canvas board may be less expensive, but keep in mind that it can warp in humid climates, especially if it’s a bigger size. Be willing to accept slightly different dimensions than you’ve measured if you are on a budget.

Tape your canvas.

Now for the creative part! The next three steps will determine what your art piece looks like in the end. It starts with taping your canvas. Lay lines of ¼” or ½” painter’s tape across the canvas in various directions, criss-crossing and creating many different angles and geometric shapes. Make sure each piece of tape extends to the edges (meaning the ones at a diagonal will be much longer than the rest).

Block out select geometric shapes.

Depending on how you lay your tape, you may have dozens upon dozens of distinct shapes – from triangles to pentagons. Choose anywhere from one to five of these that will remain white and unpainted for contrast. Mark them with a small piece of tape or another type of marker such as a penny.

Choose a paint color that accents the soon-to-be decorated room. Does it already have a color scheme? Work with that. If it’s bland so far, spice it up with a bold red or daring purple! Need something more peaceful? Sea foam green and robin’s egg blue are popular choices as well. Paint each unmarked contrast space with your chosen color.

Allow to dry.

This is probably the most difficult part of all – waiting. It shouldn’t take too long to dry, but be certain that it is before lifting the tape or your color might bleed into the white regions.

Untape and voila!

Slowly peel back each strip of tape. Then step back and admire your not-so-high school handy work!

Now that you’ve revisited an old high school antagonist (the mosaic), it’s time to hang your artwork up for the world to see! But before you grab a hammer and nail, don’t forget the frame! Take your modern geometric mosaic into Frame Warehouse and the experts there will help you finish off your project with a frame that accents your art as well as your home!

DIY Cork Board

Every office or dorm room needs a handy cork board to tack up ideas, photos, schedules, and other miscellaneous goodies. Instead of going out and purchasing a flimsy cork board without personality, create your own!

For this project, you will need: cardboard and construction paper or poster board, super glue, two small hand mirrors, a large supply of same-sized corks (the kind from wine bottles)

Creating your own cork board can be as simple or complex as you desire. The more complex version will create a stylish end result which incorporates mirrors. The simple version is geared toward practicality, meant for building a board that will hold up to heavier wear and tear. Either way, the steps are relatively the same:

Prepare your board.

A poster board may not be sturdy enough to hold the weight of mirrors and corks. Test the flexibility of your board prior to applying the pieces. If you can bend it easily, find a thicker board to use. Cardboard is a good substitute, but the plain brown color may peep through the corks. To dress up the board, you can glue on construction paper (of any color).

Place your mirrors. (If you don’t have mirrors, skip to step 3.)

If you are crafting a more complex cork board, the mirrors add a great dimension. Adhere them with super glue to opposing corners of the board.

Glue down corks.

This step of the process will consume the most time. Each individual cork must be glued down to the board. Corks can be lined up vertically or horizontally. In addition, they should be adhered as closely as possible to one another. While the end product will have ridges, the corks will supply ample area for pinning notes, photos, etc.

Allow to dry.

Super glue dries/hardens rather quickly, but you want to make sure the project is lying flat as it dries. This will ensure the corks stay in alignment, as opposed to slipping out of place.

Enjoy!

Stick a handful of thumbtacks into the cork board so that they are at the ready for your little reminders and decorations!

It’s almost time to hang your new cork board, but it’s not yet complete. What’s missing? A frame! Even though you don’t want glass covering the front of your final project like a typical framed picture, you still want to frame the cork board to give it a few more style points! So with your corks cork board in hand, head to the nearest Frame Warehouse to shop the wide selection of options available to dress up your wall.

Design Your Own Art Mat

Art mats can be a costly addition to finish off your art piece or accent that perfect photograph of you in the Bahamas. Wouldn’t you much rather put money toward a unique frame? Instead of having a mat professionally cut, consider making your own. Taking a little extra time to cut and design your own mat will save money and come out with a terrific end product.

For this tutorial, we are going to take you through the steps of cutting a straight-edge mat. If you are interested in a chamfer-edged mat that diagonally slices through the mat board to give a small white border, you should buy the mat pre-cut and skip ahead to step 4.

Decide on the style of mat.

The style of mat is not just a decision between straight and chamfer edges. It is also a decision about whether or not your mat overlaps the art. Most artistic pieces need to be shown in the entirety, but a photograph may be an exception to that. If you are leaning toward overlapping the piece more than a fraction of an inch or only on one or two sides, try cutting the photograph itself down instead.

Mat board comes in many colors and textures. For this tutorial, color and texture is not important because it will be covered up. However, size is important. If your piece is only 3×4” you probably don’t want a mat board of twice that size. If in doubt, buy the larger size and be prepared to cut it down.

Measure your art piece or photograph.

Use a ruler to measure out the length and width of your art piece or photograph. Center these measurements in the middle of the mat board and make pencil marks to map out the square hole you will be cutting. In this case, you can draw on the front of the mat board. However, if you were cutting a colored mat to use as is, you would want to make your markings on the back of the board.

Cut the mat board accordingly.

Place the ruler along the marks or line you made indicating where to cut. Slowly cut along the lines using an exacto knife and guiding with the ruler. Be careful to keep the blade of the knife vertical so that each cut is straight into the board and not at a diagonal.

Add a personal touch.

Once you’ve cut your mat board to the appropriate size for your art, it’s time to add something that will make it unique! Tear up newspaper, book pages, music sheets, or even magazine pages and arrange the pieces of varying sizes across the mat board. Once you have enough spray the board underneath with adhesive, replace the torn pieces and press down firmly. Note: It’s okay if the torn pieces have edges that overlap the mat. You can trim down those rough edges to finish out your trendy and modern mat!

You’ve not only found an amazing art piece or photograph, you’ve now also designed a personal mat! All that’s left is a frame to complete your vision. Take your art and designed mat into Frame Warehouse and the professionals there will fit the perfect frame that will have your friends “oohing” and “ahhing” about the custom piece on your wall.

DIY Postcard Collage

Does your sister travel the world and send you postcards of all sorts of amazing, exotic locations? Or perhaps you yourself adventure cross-country to tour historic American cities and collect postcards as mementos along the way?

Deltiology, or the collecting of postcards, is thought to be one of the largest global hobbies. The postal card idea originated in Germany around 1865 and quickly caught on as being a less expensive way to keep in touch, even if there was a small loss in privacy. At the same time, envelopes in America were being decorated with music notes, comics, or valentines. These “patriotic covers” recognized the same idea.

Passing language barriers and cultures, a postcard memorializes a meaningful locale to you or to be shared with loved ones you wish were there with you. It’s a quick and easy way to remind someone far away that you care, for only a few pennies. But what do you do with them once they are collected or received? Make a postcard collage of course!

A postcard collage is fairly simple and can look pretty snazzy up on an otherwise boring wall.
Follow these steps to build your DIY postcard collage:

Pick out 5 or 6 of your favorite postcards.

This is a good starting point to determine around how big you want your collage to be. Plus, you probably have a number of them that are more private or have wear and tear damage that may not show as well. The most cohesive collages have a theme that goes beyond “Cities I’ve Visited.” Maybe you enjoy postcards which feature mountain ranges or cathedrals. No matter what your theme, be sure that you are comfortable adhering them to something (meaning you will not be able to read any message on the back).

Plan a suitable background.

Colored poster board works well as a sturdy background, but colors may be limited. There’s nothing wrong with using a plain white or black background if your postcards can be seen clearly against it. If your postcards already have bright colors, this might be the way to go. If you are opting for postcards with landscapes, a light shade of clover green or caramel brown might be a nice accent.

Arrange postcards on background.

This is the most complicated part of the process, but it’s not complicated at all! In order to see the color of the background you’ve chosen, there are two options for postcard arrangement. One is by leaving a “frame” of color around/between the postcards. To achieve even borders, use a ruler. If you want a slightly less square design, stagger your postcards in a checkerboard pattern with touching sides. Instead of colored borders, the postcard collage will have small squares of color peeking through.

Adhere postcards with spray adhesive.

Once you’ve determined an arrangement that suits your tastes, pick up a postcard and turn it over on a sheet of newspaper. Spray the back with adhesive and replace it on the colored background, pressing down firmly for 5-10 seconds. Proceed with each postcard this way until all are adhered to the poster board.

Depending on how many cards and which arrangement you choose, the size of your finished piece could vary greatly. Before trimming down the extra edge space on your poster board (if there is any), take your postcard collage in to Frame Warehouse. The staff at Frame Warehouse will be glad to help you pick out the perfect frame – fit and all! Next time you have guests over, use the collage as a conversation piece to share the stories of your travels!

Thumbtack Art

Everyone enjoys repurposing office supplies for the sake of art, and who hasn’t played with thumbtacks on the office idea board? Thumbtacks are actually a very versatile art medium, able to recreate art as complicated as a portrait or landscape through the theory of pointillism. Pointillism uses small dots of color and apply them to patterns that form a larger image.

While some artists choose to paint the heads of the thumbtacks specific color shades for more complicated pieces, our thumbtack art will require much less intricate detail while still maintaining that modern art flare. The following steps will help guide you in creating a one-of-a-kind thumbtack art design:

Choose the Right Supplies

While you can use thumbtacks with tall, plastic heads, we recommend finding the kind with flat, metal heads instead. Metal thumbtacks are easier to work with and more durable. They will ensure the longevity of your design. In addition, metal thumbtacks have a subtle antique aesthetic that plastic thumbtacks lack.

A box frame canvas is likewise recommended for this project, as you will be reinforcing the back with cardboard. In the case of adding color to your canvas, you will also need spray or acrylic paint.

Build Your Design

This is the most important step in the creation of your art piece. Sketch your design onto a piece of paper that is cut down to the exact size of your canvas. Graph paper is nice to use if your design includes words, as it can ensure level and same-sized letters. Cursive and foreign characters work especially well. If you are more artistically inclined, sketching a picture is also okay. Be aware that you will be replacing the lines with thumbtacks, so any kind of shading or more intricate lines may be difficult to convey. Simplicity is key.

Prepare the Canvas

Your thumbtack design may look best on a white, unaltered canvas. However, it is more likely that a little bit of color will enhance your overall design. Consider what color your thumbtacks are; just about any color will work with silver or gold metal thumbtacks, so choose your favorite color or the color that goes best with your current decor! After you have chosen a color, spray paint your canvas and allow to dry. If you would prefer, you can paint the canvas with acrylics instead.

Reinforcing your canvas requires enough cardboard (in pieces or as a whole) to lay across the entire back surface of the canvas. Adhere the cardboard with brown packing tape or blue painter’s tape, whichever is available to you. This will give the thumbtacks something more sturdy to grip than the canvas alone.

Imprint the Design

Lay your paper sketch over the top of the painted canvas. Secure it in place and use pressure to retrace the lines. The pressure will create an imprint in the canvas. The imprint doesn’t need to be easy to see. As long as you can follow the lines, the imprint is strong enough.

Make an Impression

Remove the paper sketch and start tacking! Press each individual tack into the line impressions formed on the canvas, as close as they can be without touching. Don’t press them in too hard or the stretch on the canvas might “erase” the rest of your impression. Instead, wait until all of your design is tacked before ensuring they are pressed in firmly.

Way to harness your industrial art side! Now, it’s time to hang up your finished piece in your home or office. But before you do, consider Frame Warehouse for the perfect frame to showcase your work!

Lip Print

Sure, you’ve heard of leopard print and zebra print designs – but what about lip print? It’s far more unique and striking than your standard animal prints. After all, women are the most dangerous and exotic animals in the world. And what better way to add some sexy spice to your dorm room, bathroom, or even a salon?

For this art project, you will need a canvas or paper background, your favorite shade of lipstick, and most importantly – YOU! Feel free to invite friends. It’s a great sleepover or bachelorette party craft. And guys are welcome to join in, too!

Choosing a Background

Depending on your budget and what you might already have at your disposal, you can choose any material for a background that you desire. Canvas board will hold up the best, but white paper will make the lipstick color pop more. If you use a simple piece of printer paper, you can test out a bunch of different colors and patterns at little expense to you. In fact, even if you choose to use canvas, it’s recommended to test out your lip print on the printer paper beforehand.

If you want to try something a bit less typical, purchase a sheet of clear plastic to use as a background in combination with a glass frame. That way, the color of the wall behind the lip print will be the backdrop for your creation. It will look as if you have kissed the glass frame or wall directly.

Discovering Your Color Palette

Color is key. A lip print piece is ideally a bright and spunky design. Choose a background color that suits the lipstick color of choice. If you choose to apply multiple lipstick colors, make sure that all of them are complementary. The best result may arise from shades of the same tone. For instance, “blazing red” and “flaming orange” might suit each other in theory, but not on paper.

If utilizing a canvas, paint your chosen background color on the canvas and allow to dry. If utilizing paper, you should be able to find paper of your color choice. Black is not recommended. White or pastel pink works really well.

Puckering Up

“Put your lips together like this and kiss.” – Sebastian from The Little Mermaid

Now for the fun and flirty part! Apply your lipstick a little bit thicker than normal. Instead of blotting the excess, pucker up and kiss your background canvas or paper. You may have to re-apply the lipstick after one or two kisses. You can choose to apply your lip print in a systematic pattern and try to make each kiss identical across the page; you can create chaotic spiraling patterns; or anything in-between! Give it to your honey or keep it for your own boudoir.

Once you are satisfied with you final lip print design, it’s time to clean up your materials and head to the store for a frame. Whether you need a simple frame or a transparent glass frame for your lip print, Frame Warehouse has the expertise to finish off your art project! Just remember to clean off the excess lipstick on your lips before you make the trip.

Homemade Scrabble Tile Collage

Do your hobbies include reading, filling in countless crossword puzzles, and challenging your friends to an intense game of scrabble? Do you want to add unique character to a wall in your home or office? If you answered ‘yes’ to one or both of these questions, then this art project is for you!

Many home decoration pieces utilize the strength of words to portray a sense of family, welcome guests, or display the simple love of words. This project enhances the idea by putting the art directly into your hands. So gather those unused scrabble tiles and put them to use in a creative way – building a word art collage.

STEP 1: Choosing Words

You might be creating this piece for yourself or a friend who loves words, writing, and reading. It makes a great gift idea for teachers or someone from the office. Or maybe you just think it’s a unique way to decorate. In any case, the first step is deciding who the piece is for, where it is going to be hung, and which words to create. For example, if you plan to hang it by your front door, perhaps you could use the words “welcome” and “greetings.” For a teacher, you might choose “apple,” “desk,” “student,” and other appropriate words. For an office, inspirational words like “endurance” and “loyalty” might be best. In a home, you could use the names of your family members. No matter the theme, choose between two to five words to use. Keep in mind that these must cross in a crossword or scrabble pattern, so including a few longer words gives more options for the word layout.

STEP 2: Gathering the Scrabble Tiles

For this project, you will need scrabble tiles. These can be obtained from buying a cheap copy of the board game from stores or yard sales. If you have the tools and knowledge, you could also cut wooden pieces from flat plyboard and use black paint to replicate scrabble tiles. By choosing this method, it’s possible to create tiles of any size. It is recommended that they be no larger than 2×2 inches if it is your intention to frame the final product.

STEP 3: Positioning the Scrabble Tiles

Begin by laying out your tiles in the chosen words. They can be vertical and horizontal but not diagonal. The words should be able to cross in at least one perpendicular pattern. For instance, “welcome” could share its first “e” with the second “e” of “greetings,” thus “greetings” could lay vertical crossing through the horizontal “welcome.” Try to center the words on your piece of paper, cardboard, or canvas. You may mark the approximate placement of the letters with x’s where the tiles sit so that you may glue appropriately. (Centering and marking the placement are only necessary if adhering the scrabble tiles directly to your backdrop. See STEP 4 for options.)

STEP 4: Adhering the Scrabble Tiles

The simpler method of adhering the tiles consists of using a spray adhesive to permanently glue them in place on your sturdy piece of cardboard or industrial paper.

The more versatile method includes adhering velcro to your cardboard, paper, or canvas so that it acts as a backdrop to your tiles. Detach the opposing side of the velcro that is not adhered and cut it into squares matching the size of your tiles. Adhere these velcro squares to the tiles. Now you may velcro the tiles to the velcro backdrop in your chosen design. This method gives you the option of switching out the words and changing the design to fit your mood, the space, holidays, etc.

By embracing words in home or office decor, you can add inspiration, emotion, and character to a space. And what better way to accomplish this idea than being in control of the words and design in a do-it-yourself project? The scrabble tile collage is inexpensive, unique, and relatively easy to create. Finish off your masterpiece with a frame chosen by the experts at Frame Warehouse. We’ll work with you to choose the perfect frame to complement both your work and your existing decor.

Repurposing Old Fabric into Modern Art!

A closet can sometimes get a little cluttered. It’s difficult to throw out that lucky business tie or the bridesmaid dress collection, and so we often keep gathering until space runs out. Or maybe the favorite pair of jeans has worn through in certain places and is no longer wearable, but parting with it would be such sweet sorrow that you decide to leave it folded in a drawer. If you find yourself in this scenario, consider putting those old and unworn pieces of clothing into a fun art project!

Utilizing old fabric can be as simple as folding up and matting a beautifully printed scarf, or as detailed as cutting shapes from the fabric. In this tutorial, we will show you how to create a modern art fabric homage to those clothing items you just can’t throw out.

STEP 1: Finding Material

You can use any fabric, from tulle to jean. Make a decision about where the finished piece will be displayed and choose colors, textures, and patterns accordingly. Have a fair selection of fabric items with varying textures and patterns to try. Best results occur with bright hues and similar fabrics.

STEP 2: Cutting

It’s best to designate a box or bin for fabric scraps, because hopefully you will have a lot of them to choose from! Determine before cutting if the fabric requires ironing to be able to lay flat. Once the fabric is prepared, cut the item into strips approximately 1-2 inches wide. The width does not need to be measured, and the widths of fabric can vary. However, it is recommended to have no more than two width sizes.

STEP 3: Preparing the Background

Find or cut a piece of cardboard with at least a 1’ x 1’ area. If the cardboard product is not a desirable color, consider painting it. White works well as a backdrop for your fabric. The darker the color, the more difficult it may be to see your finished design.

STEP 4: Application

Coat the cardboard with spray adhesive. Lay strips of your fabric in horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines across the cardboard, and press down firmly. Depending on the size of the cardboard, it may be best to use only two or three fabric strips or to use as many as ten. Using minimal fabric typically turns out better than overusing and cluttering your design. If the fabric strips are too long, cut away the excess on either side. Allow the piece to dry.

Voila! You have now immortalized that lucky tie into a modern art masterpiece. Or maybe you have created a way to display the memories of past bridesmaid adventures. Keep your unused scraps for future projects and creating modern art to give as gifts. Of course, the piece wouldn’t be complete without the proper frame. Take it in to Frame Warehouse to find the frame which will compliment the colors and give your creative memories that special touch!

Creating a Stamp Art Print with Yarn

Stamping is a simple and efficient way to create a modern art print for your home or office. More importantly, it’s fun!

Yarn stamping is one of the least expensive and most precise techniques to add a little more pattern to the typical stamping idea. Because of the simplicity and cost effectiveness, it is also a great family project. Kids of all ages enjoy playing with colorful paint, and parents can proudly hang the resultant pieces. Spice up a boring wall with this classy do-it-yourself modern art project!

STEP 1: Choosing the Body of Your Stamp

Yarn will determine your stamp’s pattern, but the body of the stamp determines its shape. For instance, during Christmas the body of your stamp might be a Christmas tree. Or for every day, the body of your stamp could be a simple square. Many stamping techniques use a wooden block as a stamp body, but you can also cut out a cardboard shape or find something else to wrap the yarn around. (Keep in mind, the body of the stamp will get paint on it.)

STEP 2: Adding Yarn to Your Stamp

Now that you have selected a stamp shape, it is time to design your stamp pattern. Simply hold one end of the yarn against the back of your stamp with your thumb. Wind the yarn around the stamp tightly. As you wrap the yarn around the block or cardboard, allow it to deviate slightly from simple vertical lines. When you look at the bottom of your stamp, it should have some lines of yarn that cross paths. When you are satisfied with the pattern, tie the yarn off on the top and tape it in place.

STEP 3: Applying Paint to Your Stamp

Choose a bright color (or few colors) of paint. Dip your paintbrush into the paint and begin by lightly sweeping the paint over the bottom of your stamp. Apply the paint in only one direction so that the fibers of the yarn lay to one side. If the paint covers the body of the stamp as well as the yarn, you are applying the paint too thickly. Rinse off, blot dry, and try again. The paint should cover the yarn but nothing more. Test the stamp by pressing it into a scratch piece of paper. Does the pattern stand out? If the pattern is clear, you can begin stamping.

STEP 4: Stamping

Using the correct amount of paint and pressure, press the stamp onto a clean sheet of paper or canvas. You can do this in a systematic way such as rotating the stamp 90 degrees for each time you stamp it, measuring out the distance between stamps, etc. Or you can stamp the pattern more chaotically, with overlaps and no set system. In this way, you will achieve clusters and additional shapes, almost like an inkblot image.

Whether decorating for a holiday, adding style to a wall, or just looking for a creative outlet as a family, yarn stamping is a simple and fun method to create a modern art print. When the paint dries and you decide where to hang your one-of-a-kind creation, don’t forget to add a complimentary frame. Frame Warehouse can work with you and your style to add the perfect finishing touch to your inspired design!