Last year when my suite mates and I got our room assignment for this year, we ran directly up to the suite to knock on the door and check it our for ourselves. Even though we had never met the girls living there before, they were more than happy to show us around. After we noticed the amazing view, the next thing we focused on was how awesome the decorations were in their dorm. It looked less like a dorm and more like a little apartment! In an effort to recreate their decor, we have been hanging pictures and at on the walls. However, the real fun came when we decided to make our own art. This is an example of the mixed media art that we hung up and how to make it.
Materials:
- Your fabric of choice– we used pink elephant cotton fabric
- Paper to match your fabric
- Decorative hole punch
- A canvas
- Spray adhesive– you can’t go wrong with Scotch!
- A glue gun
- Fabric scissors
- Something to mark your fabric
My five roommates and I all have very different tastes when it comes to style; if our laundry ever gets mixed up we always know exactly what belongs to who. However, there is always one thing that we can usually agree on: we love bright colors. That is why when J&O sent me this colorful novelty fabric in the mail, we were all pretty excited.
Step 1: Draw out the basic plan of what you want your finished design to look like. Having a plan when making something with hot glue guns and spray glue is usually very beneficial.
Step 2: Assemble the pieces that you need based on your design. I cut out a lot of extras because I knew that paper would rip and fabric might get damaged somehow. It is much better to do this now than try to cut or stamp out more paper with your hands covered in liquid adhesive . Remember that scene in Chevy Chase’s Christmas Vacation when he is in bed trying to read a magazine and the pages are ripping out because he is covered in sap? Trying to cut paper with spray glue all over your hands looks a lot like that.
Step 3: Arrange your pieces as they were in the design. This step is really important to do even if you’re rushing! It is better to have proof of concept before you start gluing and realize that something is not going to turn out as you planned.
Step 4: Glue down the fabric with the hot glue gun. You can also use the spray glue to do this, but I found that using the hot glue gun was equally as effective for adhering the fabric.
Step 5: Press down the piece that you are gluing so that it is flush to the canvas. For this project, when the fabric has bumps under it, it looks messy and incomplete.
Step 6: Repeat steps 4 and 5 for the paper using spray glue instead of the glue gun.
Step 7: Add any finishing touches and voila! You have adorable and affordable mixed media art to hang on your wall.
Keep an eye out for more dorm room decorating how-tos! If you like them be sure to share them with your favorite college students. Also, if you have an idea that you think that I should try, post a comment and let me know. I’m up for a fabric crafting challenge and can try to make your vision come to life.
