DIY Diamond Stripe Canvas Art

Twelve DIYs of Christmas

Day 11: DIY Diamond Stripe Canvas Art

Every so often, a DIY project goes sideways. This happened when I thought I'd do something "fun" to relax at the end of a particularly stressful day by creating a piece of graphic artwork. I convinced myself that crafting would be fun. "You'll enjoy this. It'll be relaxing," I told myself. 

But, you see, this project was not fun. I was not enjoying myself. It was not relaxing. I was tired, my head hurt, and I was trying to replicate this graphic print, which had found online and thought was neat:

I had painter's tape, and a measuring tape, and a paintbrush, and a paint roller. For reasons I no longer remember, I also had a small container of joint compound, a hammer, a pair of scissors, and a hair pick. A hair pick.

Don't trouble your brain to figure out why I selected these materials. Don't try to process how these disparate items belong together because I, the creator of this project, still don't understand where I originally was headed.

I took a picture of myself to send to my friend, "This is me HAVING FUN doing a craft project. Good times, good times."

Right after I sent that picture, I gave up for the time being. If it's not working, it's not working. That's okay. When I came back to the project the next time, I was less tired and the whole process came together easily. All the steps that had seemed stupidly complicated (like measuring and thinking and drawing lines — everything really), was much easier while well-rested.

I'm so glad that I stuck with it because I love how it turned out. Do you think it captures the essence of the original print?

It's just lines and dots, which I painted on a frame that I bought at Goodwill. Once I was successful at getting the basic layout in place by forming the diamonds with painters tape, it was easy progress. Even more, I'm proud of the piece because I made it myself.

DIYs, for the most part, should be rewarding. When it's not, that's okay. Take a break. Walk away. Hit pause. If you're up to it, you always can come back another day, and perhaps you'll find, just like I did, that you really are having a good time.

May your DIYs be merry and bright

Keep visiting for all Twelve DIYs of Christmas.