Have you seen wall art in sets of nine squares, hanging on the wall like a tic-tac-toe board? I have, but wanted my own custom colors and design. I have a stack of scrapbook papers, pretty papers doing nothing but hiding in a pile. What a great source of colors and patterns!
It’s as simple as this:
Here’s what I did and how you can do this too:
- Choose nine coordinating but contrasting scrapbook papers. They’re usually 12″ x 12″. Use thicker scrapbook paper. Thin scrapbook paper tends to wrinkle much easier
- Get nine 12″ x 12″ panels. I got wood panels from Dick Blick.
- I painted the edges of the wood panels black with acrylic paint. But you can leave the edges plain, stain the wood, or paint any color you want.
- Apply a layer of Mod Podge to the panels, then apply the scrapbook papers to the panels. I did one panel at a time.
- Use a brayer, ruler or yardstick to smooth the paper and push out air bubbles.
- You can leave the papers undecorated or brush a layer of Mod Podge over them. I accidentally smeared Mod Podge on some papers, so I just brushed a layer of matte Mod Podge over all of the papers and this hid the smears.
- Here are instructions from Mod Podge to get great decoupage results.
There was a huge blank wall in my office. The wall was filled with a large black & white photocopy of a state map and legislative districts, but the laws I was lobbying for passed (yay!), the boring (but very useful) map came down, and up went some color and pattern:
You could embellish the papers even more. Paint stencils on the papers. Layer more papers. Distress the edges. Work in multi-media. Metal strips with rivets?
Beyond the Dick Blick wood panels used here, most craft stores sell less pricey 12″ x 12″ square panels, and panels of other sizes too. You could use a 36″ x 12″ panel and put three scrapbook papers on it. If you want longer panels, try using ready-made inexpensive shelves from stores like Home Depot, Menards or Lowes.
I really hope you try this! It’s a fast and affordable project that can cover a lot of wall space.
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If you like this, you might like my other DIYs shared here.
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See this project and more DIY ideas at:
CraftOManiac | DIY Showoff | I Heart Nap Time | Just A Girl Show and Share Day | Making the World Cuter | Passionately Artistic | Southern Lovely | Thrifty 101 | Weekend Warrior
