DIY Tribal Inspired Wall Hanging {acrylic paint stamped on drop cloth}

February 11, 2015 /

Even though I have been hit with the winter blues, I am forcing myself to try and get creative every day, hoping it might pull me out of my rut. We are buried deep in snow in my neck of the woods, and it is freezing outside, so between the lack of sunshine and being cooped up for months on end, I am not at the top of my game.  Life has been rough. I am working my way through it by decluttering, redecorating certain areas around the house and making some new decor pieces like the one I am going to share today: a bohemian style wall hanging painted on drop cloth fabric.

This piece was sort of a happy accident that started out as practice stamping on canvas drop cloth. I have lots of drop cloths around this place (you might have seen this post where I turned them into curtains). I was thinking of painting triangles on it, to see if I could make throw pillows, but then I just started playing around with stamps and paint and ended up with this “tribal inspired” wall hanging.

Supplies you will need for this project:
(This list contains affiliate links*)
-Canvas drop cloths (I prefer Blue Hawk Canvas Drop Cloths)
-acrylic paint (I used gray, yellow oxide
and white)
-sponges
-found branch or wooden dowel
–jute twine

I started this project at night, so some of these process photos are not the best (the lights were on and I was working on this in the dining room – my only free spot to create these days! Thus the need for decluttering!

I honestly, did not have a plan when I started but began by tearing a piece of drop cloth in the shape of a rectangle to have a frayed edge. I also cut a dry kitchen sponge into the shape of a triangle (in hindsight, I should have gotten it wet and rung it out very well. When I rinsed it to do another color it expanded and was larger in size). I covered it in gray acrylic paint. It worked best by spreading it on with a paint brush.

Then I started stamping the triangles in a row on the drop cloth. I filled in empty spots the stamp missed with the paint brush. And played around with painting straight onto the fabric with the brush as well.

The interesting thing about painting on drop cloth for me, was that it actually leaked through to my table, so I had to keep wiping it up before it dried. Although, I guess I could have put another drop cloth underneath to protect the table but didn’t think of that at the time…sigh.

After stamping the gray triangles and painting the center, I decided to add in some mustard yellow (my two favorite colors!). I cut a small triangle from the excess piece of the sponge that I had previously cut.

 I created a pattern in the center alternating yellow and white triangles with lines in the middle.

At this point, I decided to rinse out the gray paint of the large triangle sponge and alternate white between the gray ones. Thus realizing my error with not getting the sponge wet in the first place or having two dry sponges. When I went to stamp the white triangles in between, I had to be careful not to put the whole sponge down so that it didn’t overlap the middle pattern. Not a big deal really, just a slight annoyance, I guess you could say.

I had excess fabric at the bottom, so I decided to cut it as fringe. So simple!

This practice piece was surprisingly coming together into something I was liking. Here is the finished piece:

It’s not “perfect” by any means, but I kind of like it that way.

I decided to hang it from a branch that I had (I am always saving bits of nature during warmer months for future projects). I cut strips from the drop cloth (five in total) all the same length and hot glued them together into loops. Then glued those to the back. Just make sure you leave enough space for the branch or dowel to fit through!

Once the branch was through the loops, I finished it by tying jute twine to each end, and then it was ready to hang. For now, I have it in the living room, but it might end up in my kids’ room when I give it a makeover. If only there were enough hours in the day!

It was a super simple project that makes me excited to try more with different patterns and colors. It would also be a fun project to do with kids. I think I will let mine have a go with it and see what they come up with.

Getting into a creative zone is one great way I can perk myself up when my spirits are low. How are you beating the winter blues? Would love to know!

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Till next time…

~Alice W.
You might also enjoy…

Eclectic Bohemian Style Inspiration


*I may receive a small commission for any sales made through links in this post. The cost for you is the same. Thanks for the support!

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13 Comments

    • Alice Wingerden

      February 11, 2015 at 6:51 pm

      Thank you Jennifer! I keep meaning to get out my sewing machine. Now you are motivating me to actually do it and get working on the stacks of projects I have in my mind to do hehe 🙂

  • Melissa

    February 11, 2015 at 6:18 pm

    How very cool! I've been eyeing up the Nate Berkus wall hangings at Target for awhile, but they are just a bit more than I'm willing to spend for a piece of fabric! 🙂 Making one is a brilliant idea!

  • Amy B

    February 11, 2015 at 8:00 pm

    This is my first winter in a long time that I am not working which is a mixed blessing…over the past two years my hubby and I have lost both our moms and his grandmother. This made us rethink our lives and all the crazy hours we worked so I wound up quitting! While spending more time with him is wonderful, the winter does get long and boring when the weather keeps me in so I love to sit and read what my blog friends are up to. I am now in the process of updating our 70s bilevel house-you name it and I'm doing it: painting, removing carpet, redoing furniture, making pillows, crafting some new decor…love the painting on drop cloth idea…will have to add that to my to-do list!

  • Nicki

    February 15, 2015 at 2:39 am

    This turned out so great. I had to take a second look to see that it was stamped. Love the color and patterns and rustic look. It's a perfect addition to that little corner!