If you love DIY artwork and inventive wall art ideas, these two quick projects are for you. Using simple materials you may already have, you can create framed art that looks polished and intentional in about five minutes—no paintbrush required.
Both approaches rely on selecting a bold pattern or striking material and presenting it in a frame. Below I explain two easy methods I use: one with a patterned tea towel or fabric napkin, and another using wallpaper or wrapping-paper scraps. Neither requires any art training—just a good eye and a frame.
Clever DIY Art Hacks
I didn’t actually make any painted pieces for these projects. Instead, I repurposed items from the studio and placed them into frames. For my larger, Matisse-inspired piece I used a patterned tea towel gifted to me. For the monochrome design I used a small wallpaper sample I love. Both look intentional when displayed in frames, and the results are surprisingly high-impact for very little effort.
The key is to choose a fabric or paper with a strong, confident pattern or color. Once you have that, the rest is just assembly.
Tea Towel or Fabric Napkin DIY Art Hack
1. Smooth and prepare the fabric
Lightly mist your tea towel, napkin, or any fabric with a damp spray and iron it on the appropriate setting to remove wrinkles. I prefer to iron from the back to avoid any risk of damaging a printed front. Once the fabric is crisp, set it aside.
2. Mount the fabric in a frame
Remove the backing from your frame and use the hard backing as the support for your fabric. Wrap the fabric around the backing and secure it with tape. Using tape instead of staples or glue lets you remove the fabric later without damaging it.
Place the mounted backing back into the frame and secure it. The fabric will sit smoothly against the glass and create a neat, flat artwork. You can hang it on the wall or display it casually—either way it looks polished.
Tip: If your fabric is slightly larger than the backing, trim or fold the excess so the edges sit flat. If it’s a lighter fabric, consider mounting it to a thin foam board first for extra support.
Wallpaper or Wrapping Paper DIY Art Hack
1. Choose and size your paper
Wallpaper and decorative wrapping paper are perfect for this approach because they often feature bold patterns and a durable finish. Pick a scrap that has a composition you like and either find a frame of roughly matching size or trim the paper to fit a chosen frame.
2. Mount and frame the paper
Remove the frame backing and position the paper on the hard backing board. Secure it with tape so the paper lies flat and centered. Replace the backing in the frame and close it up. The paper will hold its shape and look gallery-ready once framed.
Because wallpaper and wrapping paper are usually stiffer than fabric, this route is even quicker: often no ironing or additional support is necessary, just careful placement and taping.
Final Thoughts
These two hacks—framing a patterned tea towel or fabric napkin, and framing wallpaper or wrapping-paper scraps—are fast, budget-friendly ways to refresh your walls. They’re particularly useful when you need a statement piece quickly or want to test out a pattern before committing to a larger project. The best part is that both methods are fully reversible and non-destructive, so you can swap materials seasonally or whenever you want a change.
Give one a try: pick a frame, select a pattern you love, and in minutes you’ll have a custom piece of art that feels cohesive and thoughtfully styled. Which method will you try first?