Coffee Stirrer DIY Wall Art
$7
1.5 Hours
Easy
I'm big on projects that anyone can do. And this is one of those projects. If you can smear paint on wood and use scissors, you can make this easy "reclaimed wood" art. All in, this project costs less than $7. That's a lot of eye candy bang for your buck.
And how do we ensure we get this awesome organic woody texture? Coffee stirrers.
Yup, you heard me, coffee stirrers.
And how do we ensure we get this awesome organic woody texture? Coffee stirrers.
Yup, you heard me, coffee stirrers.
My mom and I did this project together when she was in town visiting. Most of our time together on these occasions is spent planning crafts, buying supplies for crafts and making crafts. I feel so lucky that she was born with the "busy hand" gene and passed it down to me too.
COFFEE STIRRER DIY WALL ART SUPPLIES:
Okay, first things first. Choose a color palette. Doing this first--before I even crack the first bottle of paint--always helps reduce my hemming and hawing during the creative process.
So, once you've got your palette, it's time to paint your frames and your coffee stirrers! I just sort of guessed how many sticks I needed in total and I ended up needing to paint more which was kind of annoying. I'd suggest painting more than you think you'll need. Coffee stirrers are basically free anyhow.
My mom and I did our painting as the sun was setting, which is always a questionable decision. Seems to have turned out okay.
I was going for the reclaimed driftwood sort of look. Like these coffee stirrers were wood siding that had been battered by 100 years of ocean rain on the coast of Maine and freshly plucked from the side of dilapidated house. (A doll house. These sticks are tiny.)
Once your coffee stirrers are painted, it's time to trim them to fit into the frame(s) you've chosen. I found the quickest way to do this is to measure one stick to be the length you need it and then use it as the guide for trimming all the others. (Please excuse the paint under my nails. DIY dirty girl!)
I used some sticks at their full length and then I also combined multiple pieces to create more of a patchwork effect. The only key when combining sticks is to use sticks that are the same width so that you aren't left with awkward gaps in between the vertical rows.
Add a picture hanger to the back if your frame doesn't already have one and plop those puppies up on the wall! Voila! DIY wall art that cost less than $7 total.
Check out the link below for lots more affordable, modern DIY art ideas to freshen-up your walls. Most can be made for $10 or less!
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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2 of 67 comments
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I absolutely love this !!!!
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I love this. i haven't seen anyone make something using coffee stirrers. However, I had a crazy idea this winter and made a picture of my friend's lake house. First, I bought a large wooden picture, from GoodWill, then I painted over the picture that was on the board. Then I used coffee stirrers, (plastic for the window frames & wood for the bottom of the house and the wall by the driveway), styrofoam, (from take-out containers) for the siding, the brick wall and stairs, sand paper (for the roof), paper towels, (mixed with glue & paint) for the shrubs, and some (painted) red pepper flakes for the gravel, around the front shrub
. It was such a fun project! I've never been to my friend's lake house, but found picture of it on Google maps. My friends were so surprised, when I gave them their gift.
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
What did you use to trim them to the sizes? Looking for clean cuts. May cost a little more money yet better color choices getting paint samples from home improvement stores.
I wonder if this would work with paint stirrers too - much larger scale of course but the wood might be nicer. Another variation might be to dye the wood with food coloring (diluted with water) it would preserve the wood grain I think. Love this project.
How did you make the paint look crackled and old?