Home Decor
Making Art from Plastic Bags
If you travel, whether it’s close to home or to some exotic local, you may come home with a few souvenirs. Sometimes what we buy comes in plastic bags that are stamped with interesting art that appeals to us as much as the treasures we bought. If you’re like me, you’re reluctant to throw these bags away.
Still, apart from lining the bathroom waste basket or using it to carry your shoes to work, what can you do with even an attractive empty bag? Make art!
Of all crafts to do, this one is super easy and, when you’re done, you’ll have another reminder of an enjoyable trip.
A few years ago, I was privileged to take a trip to England. As a fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his iconic detective, my family and I had lunch in a little pub that bore Sherlock Holmes’ name.
Later, I bought a mug and a poster to commemorate the visit and the bag I was given to carry them away in bore the famous profile, along with the email address of the pub.
To make poster art from a plastic bag, first cut out the complete front of the bag. You can trim excess later, but you need to leave enough edging around the picture to be able to wrap it around the canvas so it can be secured on the back.
For this picture, I used a 12 by 9-inch flat paint canvas. Simply centre the picture on the canvas, wrap the edges around the back and secure with tape. In the case of a wooden framed canvas, you could use staples to hold the edges in place.
The dollar store has different sizes of paint canvases but, if you can’t find the size you need, a stiff piece of cardboard, cut to the appropriate size, would serve as well.
You can then frame your art or, as in my case, leave it poster-style.
Make art with any size of bag, as long as you can buy or make the appropriately-sized backing. For me, the best candidates for plastic bag art have a central, easily recognizable picture, however, individual tastes will differ greatly and it’s for you to decide what makes a great piece of art.
***
If you enjoyed this post, sign up for the Dollar Store Style newsletter. Every month you’ll get a new article, my pick for a Find of the Week, a Quick Tip for decorating, a Product Review and much more.
