DIY Abstract Art Using Tissue Paper

Hi there! Sadly, I’m still without my computer, so my blogging is relegated to sharing my ideas with you via a combination of my husband’s laptop (where I have NO pics stored) and my iPad. But I’m jumping on quickly tonight to show you how I made some DIY art recently. I really love the way it turned out, and I hope you do, too.

It may be obvious from the above pic how I did this; but, I’ll go ahead and explain it anyway.

DIY Abstract Art
Nap Rating = 1 nap

Tools & Materials

• picture frame with cardboard backing
• white poster paper (or you can just flip over the picture your frame came with and use the back of that, which is what I did)
• Mod Podge in gloss finish
• Scissors
• Foam brush
• Paper plate
• Tissue paper in colors of your choice
• Stencil (optional)
• Craft paint (optional)–I used Mother of Pearl from the Martha Stewart line
• Stencil brush

Steps

1. Disassemble your frame and remove the cardboard backing
2. Paint some Mod Podge on the cardboard and lay the white poster paper on top
3. Trim the edges
4. Start tearing strips of tissue paper and laying them out on your poster paper
5. Once you have a pattern you like, paint some more Mod Podge on the poster paper and lay the tissue paper on top, pressing it down flat. Don’t worry about wrinkles, they just add some texture.
6. Once all of your tissue paper strips are glued down, paint Mod Podge over the entire surface, being careful not to rip the tissue paper.
7. Re-assemble your frame

Now this part is totally optional, but I wanted to add some subtle sparkle, so I stenciled a very faint pattern on top, using a stencil kit and paint from the Martha Stewart line. You can see the closeup of that detail here:

So that’s my DIY art using only tissue paper and supplies I had on hand. Super cheap, and super simple! I just love using old art I have around the house and making it totally different. Here’s the before shot of what this looked like…(Hey Mom, recognize this?)

And another after:

I had to spray paint my frame, but you may not have to. Enjoy making your own art! This was completely liberating for me, and I felt rejuvenated afterwards from using the right side of my brain for an hour. Take care…