How to Make an Oversized Modern Wall Hanging for Under $10

I feel like I keep saying this, but time is suddenly flying by me!  I can’t believe that it was two weeks ago that I revealed my color blocked basement family room to you.  Before we know it, it will be time for the kids to go back to school (please please please!!!). I believe in the power of manifestation, so I am manifesting school going back, ok? Anyhow, let’s get back to why we are here today… our family room is filled with lots of DIY projects from the color blocked walls to the painted brick fireplace, and I promised I’d share the tutorials for each.  Today is all about the DIY artwork and I am going to show you how to make an oversized modern wall hanging for under $10.  That’s right… this piece is not only super easy to make, but also really inexpensive! (This post uses affiliate links through which I earn a small commission.  I appreciate your support!)

Now, full disclosure on this piece… I did not paint it!  I came up with the concept and put it all together, but I enlisted my daughter to do the actual painting.

Materials

• 4′ x 5′ drop cloth (I found mine for less than $6 here)
• paint (we used what we had)
• 1″ x 2″ x 8′ board, cut to slightly over 5′ (You can find it here for $2.80)
• stain (I just used what I had on hand)
• rope (I happened to have macrame cord on hand, so I used that.  This one is inexpensive.)

Instructions

I am going to show you how my daughter created the design for our piece as well as how I put it together, but I invite you to get creative with your paint and do something that you love!

Tip: Before attempting to paint your drop cloth, iron out all of the creases.  Believe it or not, I did iron this, but those creases were so deep that they still showed up a little.

1. Find a nice large flat surface to lay your drop cloth out. We placed ours on a table and placed a protective drop cloth underneath it. We used these which have a slip resistant bottom which is nice when you are working around a table and moving.
2. Create your pattern or design.  Emmy came up with a plan and drew some whole circles on the cloth, and then added frogtape in other areas and drew semicircles there. The water spots you see are from where I had sprayed it to iron.
3. Paint your design. Maybe watch netflix on your phone while you work. Allow to dry.  Because we were working with fabric as opposed to walls this time, we let the design dry completely before peeling off the tape because we didn’t want the paint to bleed into the canvas while it was still wet.  Typically on walls and hard surfaces, I remove tape while the paint is still wet, but I wanted to note this exception to that rule.
4. While your design is drying, stain your 1×2 board to your preference and allow that to dry.
5. Once your board and your drop cloth are totally dry, you are ready to assemble your wall hanging! Lay your board across the top of your drop cloth painting, about a foot down from the top.  Fold the top down and line up alone the top of the board. Staple to secure in place.
6. Cut a piece of rope about 6.5-7  feet or so in length.  You want to cut it so that when it hangs you have enough drop for the space you’re hanging it, so really it might depend on your wall. Staple each end (leaving about 6″ of length free) to an end of the board on the backside.  Make sure you staple it near the top of the board or the board will fold down on the wall.  Once you’ve stapled in place, tie a knot at each end to secure it so it won’t slip through the staple.
7. Hang on your wall!

Our piece is not by any means perfect, but I absolutely love it for so many reasons.  First of all, my thirteen year old created this for me. I asked if she would paint something to suit the space, and wanted sort of a modern vibe and told her to do whatever she wanted. It makes me proud, as her mom, to walk into this space and see what she made.

Secondly, I had a limited budget of $500 to design this entire space, and am thrilled that we came up with a solution that helps fill this big wall, suits the space, and has meaning since my daughter made it…. and we did all of that for under $10.

One last thing that I want to mention is how we hung our piece.  Last year I needed a hook for the bells in my entryway, which made their first appearance here. I came across these hooks which came in a set on Amazon, so I had extras that I just held onto. When it came time to put this wall hanging up, one of the extra hooks was absolutely perfect… simple, clean, modern.  It suits the vibe of the space and art, and doesn’t distract at all.

What do you think?  Easy and inexpensive to make, and helps fill a large wall in our space! Do you think you would attempt to make one on your own?  What do you have to lose?  Only ten bucks, and in my opinion, that is a cost worth trying for.

If you liked this project, I would love it if you would share it or pin it to save for later.

If you’d like to see the entire room makeover, you can find it here.  You can also find the fireplace makeover here, and I will soon be putting together a post on painting the paneled walls, as well as creating the color block design. If there is anything else you have questions on, feel free to comment below.