You'd Never Know This Striking Wall Art Was A DIY From Dollar Tree Straws

Distinctive wall art can be one of the best ways to add personality to your home and decorate a large, empty wall. Original art, however, can often come with a high-end price tag, with even reproduction prints costing a pretty penny from some retailers. This is especially true of three-dimensional art and gorgeously textured wall décor. A video from a TikTok DIYer demonstrates how to create cool, textural wall art using a surprising element you can get on the cheap at Dollar Tree stores. With several packs of plain plastic straws, glue, and some paint, you can create unique custom wall hangings of any size to decorate your home stylishly for only a few bucks.

Dollar Tree's Multicolored Plastic Straws come in packs of 150, making it easy to pick up a few packs for artmaking instead of beverages. This project would also be a great way to upcycle used straws in your home after you've rinsed them clean. While this DIY uses plastic straws, it would also work with paper straws, wooden dowels, or skewers.

To create unique art from straws, begin by grouping them together in flat bundles of 5-10 and securing them together with an adhesive (white glue or Mod Podge would work perfectly for this project). Once you have multiple segments in different sizes, you can cut them to your desired length. Lay out a layer of them in a zigzag pattern to form your base for subsequent layers. Layer upward, weaving and positioning pieces puzzle-style until it looks like a woven basket. 

Finish by painting the entire piece your desired color (the DIYer chooses black for a modern look, but you could also go with a distressed white or faux wood finish to add a rustic or natural vibe). Another fun idea is covering your straws in decorative paper to introduce additional color and patterns. To hang your completed wall art, add some wire, command strips, or small hanging hardware to the back of the piece. Or use a wood frame as the outer boundaries of the work for a more structured look.

This project can be customized in various ways according to shape, dimension, and orientation, making it great for all sorts of open wall spaces. You can go with an elaborately layered basket weave, as shown in the video, or a simple zigzag pattern. Or, after you've cut the straws into varying lengths, place them around a mirror or clock face to create a retro starburst pattern. They also make great additions to DIY wall sconces to create a semi-transparent fluted look.