DIY Wall Art Made from a Pantry Staple

DIY wall art that costs nothing to make? yes!

Today I’m starting a new series called Zero Dollar DIY. This is the first project in that series. This is his DIY wall art idea using a box of cereal and another one he had in his basket of crafts for his son.

The idea behind this series is to make cool/cute/useful things without spending any money. My main goal is to prove to myself that I can make something without spending money on something new. Here are the rules: You can only use what you have around your house (no cheating allowed). Ideally, those items are things you also have in your home. We all have stuff like that in our pantry, right?

Due to the materials used in this project, the artwork will be smaller. However, it can easily be made larger with other materials if desired. And using some small scrap pieces, I was able to create some very small squares that ended up being patchwork as well.

PS My 4 year old made a handful of his own and turned out pretty cool. So anyone can make these. Click through to see all the art pieces I’ve created from just a handful of boxes taken out of the trash.

DIY art supplies

• Cereal Box/Cracker Box You Already Have
• scissors
• Color or what to paint (I used kids paint sticks)
• (Option for hanging) Blue Painter’s Tape
• (Optional) Glue/Glue Sticks – only for making collages

How to make zero dollar DIY wall art

1. Grab a piece of cardboard.

I like to use very thin cardboard like cereal boxes. Because they are the right size for your artwork, they are sturdy and sleek. It’s also great for layering with other pieces if you’re creating more collages.

Other thin cardboard boxes that work as well: cracker boxes or other snack boxes, or some frozen food boxes (there are frozen waffle boxes we used, and some applesauce pouch boxes). use whatever You can also use larger boxes like the ones you get in the mail from Amazon and other deliveries. is not.

2. Next, cut the cardboard into flat sheets.

Cut the cardboard to the size you want for your artwork. I kept some of them in their original size and cut others into smaller pieces so I could collage them together.

The sides of the box are often too small and are not normally used. So I cut only the front and back and recycle the rest.

3. Now grab something to color/paint.

Create simple abstract shapes using whatever craft supplies you have on hand. You can search for “abstract shapes” on Pinterest or Google to get ideas. Or search for ‘aerial landscapes’ to find inspiration in the unique shapes found in nature. It may sound cheesy, but you can pull some really interesting shapes out of aerial photography.

You can also make cool “abstract” shapes by drawing letters in a more stylized way. For example, I made some “T” shapes that look like mushrooms. There are also upside down “M” and “N” shapes.

Back to coloring and painting materials… tempera paint stick This piece of art is all from my son’s Kraft Cubie. I stuck with just a handful of colors to make sure every piece feels cohesive. Again, this is his DIY for zero dollars, so use whatever you have on hand. This could be markers, crayons, wall paint left over from a room makeover project, etc.

4. Finish your artwork or hang it on the wall.

You can stop here and tape the piece to the wall right away. Make sure that the dolphin cannot be seen and that the wall is not damaged.

again Choose to collage several smaller pieces to make one big piece. Alternatively, you can add frames that you can build yourself, reuse existing ones, or buy new ones. But since this is a zero dollar DIY, I left it all frameless, at least for now. I have scrap materials in my garage, but they technically fit the bill for keeping costs to zero. Maybe that’s the next project.

If you’re a parent/caretaker with creative kids, this is a great project to do with your kids after school or on a rainy day. Yes, he also loves helping cut up cereal boxes and making small pieces with paint sticks.

I think it’s suitable for almost all ages. Also, if your child is not yet comfortable with scissors, have them stick to the coloring/painting part of the process.

Love this zero dollar DIY? Here are some creative ideas using materials you likely already have around your home…

• How to make paper towels using scraps of cloth you have on hand.
• How to make a cute notebook with just 2 ingredients. Another idea is to use some of the artwork left over from this project as covers for these DIY notebooks.
• A papier-mâché technique that uses cloth instead of paper to create a unique bowl. i love this! Messy but a lot of fun, the bowl makes a really cool imo.