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Eye Candy: A DIY Welcome


As I said in my previous DIY blog (where I made pixel art out of paint samples), I don’t have much money to spend on dorm decor. In fact, unless I already have it or I can make it for free, I don’t hang it on my walls. But I noticed I was missing something that a lot of my neighbors had - door decorations. A lot of them sported little drawings and scrapbooking stickers, some even had whiteboards, but I wanted something unique. That’s when I thought of creating a DIY welcome sign. Here’s what you’ll need:

Materials:

  • Cardboard (My piece is about 11in.x11in.)
  • Magazine(s) (I used one Fashion issue of Elle)
  • Scissors
  • Glue (I used tacky glue mixed with water)
  • Paintbrush
  • Clear Nail polish / Packing Tape
Note: I know some of this may not seem free - but it’s in the way you approach it. I cut my piece of cardboard out of a box found on my floor’s recycling room, the magazine from one of my friends who no longer wanted it and the glue from my roommate since I didn’t have any. I even used a makeup brush I don’t use anymore instead of buying a paintbrush. You have to thinking smart as a college student!

Step One:

Figure out what you want your background to look like. I decided on a rainbow gradient but you can do stripes, polka dots or any other pattern you want.

Step Two:

Go through the magazine(s) you have color by color until you have all the colors you need. There’s a lot of black and white and sometimes it’s hard to find specific colors, so you’re going to cut some pretty weird shapes from some pretty weird places. (Part of my turquoise is comprised of turquoise lips advertising eye shadow, go figure.) Create piles of different colors to keep organized.DSC01366

Step Three:

Layout your background on the cardboard as a draft. Mix your glue with a little bit of water to create a glaze and glue your background in sections.

Step Four:

Add details. I added the word “Welcome” out of different letters but you can add anything you want. Be creative! Make a weird face, a setting or just put your and your roommate’s names. It takes a while but even the simplest backgrounds look polished with lots of magazine clippings.

Step Five:

Use clear nail polish or packing tape to seal your project. Tape it to your door or hang it up with string and a command hook! Congratulations, you’re now the envy of your floor.

 

Contact me at adersch@asu.edu or @AlexDersch with questions, suggestions or comments. The more communication I get from you the better Eye Candy will be. Thank you!


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