I have been in love with #stringlights since forever, and I enjoy finding ways to incorporate them into #decor. When I found this short string of larger #bulbs for $5, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with them, but I was up for the #challenge. Luckily there was open #wallspace by my #coffeecart, allowing me to play around with some ideas from my other adoration…#tiny #clothespins holding up #pictures on #wire, and I pulled it together pretty quickly once I figured out a theme. Not having to dig too deep into my pockets since I already had a lot of the #supplies on hand, I couldn’t have asked for a better last minute craft on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

I was able to find a simple, #lightweight #posterframe for $6, and attached #upcycled #wire lights that weren’t working any longer to the clips on the back of the #frame. Since I had left over #canvas board from a previous #project, I hand #wrote #muglife on it with #fabricpaint and attached it to the bottom wire with black #paperclaws, allowing it to #hang outside of the frame for a multi #dimensional look. Next I cut up the #cardboard used as the original backing of the poster frame into small #scraps, #painted the background #white, and #drew little #mugs on them with the same #black fabric paint as the canvas. After impatiently letting them dry, I added them to the wire with the tiny clothespins I had laying around. ( I am big on random #crafts, which is why I have these things on hand, but all of the additional items mentioned could be found for under $10 total.)

Finally I added my prized string of large bulbs across the top, with an #uneven #drape to add interest. I like how #quirky the final look is, and appreciate the #whimsical touch it added to my coffee cart #corner. Even when I don’t have the lights turned on, the piece holds its own with the #layers of #texture and #simplicity. I also like that it can easily be #changed to host any #theme I care to change it to in the future, using up whatever else I have an inkling to upcycle. All of my art winds up being changed over time and I already have new visions for the canvas surrounding such a fun #hashtag, making it a “work in progress”, but the #idea was fun and I wanted to share what I had come up with so far.