DIY Stunning Wall Art You'd Never Know Was Made From Old Toilet Paper Rolls

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It's probably not stunning DIY textured wall art that you think about when you see those old toilet paper rolls in the bathroom trash. However, maybe it should be — or rather, it can be — if you stop looking at the leftover cardboard tubes as the once-holders-of-toilet-paper and start looking at them as art project raw materials just waiting to be discovered. Moreover, the art that you create from your paper refuse doesn't just keep your TP tubes out of the waste bin. It presents you with an opportunity to repurpose all kinds of other crafty materials, too.

Your TP tubes and a pair of scissors are among the primary tools you'll use to make this abstract, floral wall art piece. How many toilet paper tubes you'll need depends on how large your artwork is. To be on the safe side, try to have up to a dozen tubes ready to go before you dive into the DIY art project. A glue like E6000 Craft Adhesive ensures that the transformed toilet paper tubes adhere to the sheet of scrap wood on which they'll be mounted.

Thin wood trim, the kind that you'd use for molding, becomes a frame with the help of a handsaw and wood glue, or small nails and a hammer. If you'd like a beveled, fancier look, consider using textured trim like Cinnvoice Fluted Wall Molding for the picture frame instead. Finally, the acrylic paint of your choice and a handful of brushes help you cover up the tubes, thus erasing their toilet paper holder past for good.

The upcycled toilet paper tubes should get a good inspection before you start the art project. Treat the tubes like you would if you were recycling them. That is, peel off any glue and TP that might remain. If any of them are damaged or wet, toss them out. Once that's out of the way, you'll prep the TP tubes for the craft project by flattening them. Try to make each flattened edge as crisp and sharp as possible without wearing through the cardboard. The flattened tubes need to be cut into strips. Depending on the effect you want from the tubes, the thickness can be anywhere from about 1/2 inch to 1 inch. If you press on the flattened edges of the tube, the tube should open back up and look a bit like a smashed napkin ring.

After you've cut the strips, glue them onto your scrap board. You won't glue the flat sides of the tubes to the board but rather the edges. You know you're doing this correctly if the shape of the strips start to resemble the petals of a flower. Both the scrap board and the recycled toilet paper tubes will get painted eventually. However, if you'd like full, even coverage, consider painting the scrap board before you glue the TP tube strips onto it. There's no rule about how the paint should go on — tie-dyed, monochrome, or something in between, so let your creativity flow. Finally, you'll create a frame for the piece from the molding and hang it up when it's done.

Since this project is all about recycling, you may want to consider doing more with the frame and the wood that the piece is mounted on, and that starts with a visit to the local second-hand store. Check out the framed art section. If you find a piece that has a great frame but, frankly, hideous art, you've struck gold. You can cover both the piece's frame and the art inside with layers of paint. From there, paste the toilet paper tube strips onto the front. This hack allows you to skip the frame-making stage of the craft project and to reuse the canvas or cardboard backing of an old art piece.

On a related note, you're not limited to what you put on the front of that recycled old wall art. More specifically, you can glue the cut TP tube strips onto the front of the piece in any shape that's pleasing to you. While this project lends itself to abstract art styles, you can get creative with how you place the strips as well as the kind of materials you use alongside the strips. For example, if you attach a round mirror to the middle of the artwork, you can create a sun-shaped design by gluing the flattened TP tube strips around the mirror in the shape of solar flares. Just play around with the art materials until you end up with a piece of DIY art that you love.