Crafting Classics: Calming Collage Cool Down
Let me guess— you’re bored, you’ve had way too much time to pick apart everything in the house that you want to change, and you really need a place to channel that creative energy.
Sound familiar? Me, too! So, here’s a fun little idea: Collage and decorate with homemade art!
I think art that tells a story is everything, I truly believe it makes a space. With this in mind, an awesome DIY Decor Activity during quarantine time is COLLAGING! Partly because it is just so much fun, and also because it doesn’t require much prep at a craft store; most of the supplies you already have in your home!
By doing this, you are creating, it’s a double win! Plus, this activity is kid, teen, and adult friendly! You can get the whole family involved.
This is an excellent time to allow your sticker or post card collection to have its moment. Embed polaroids of favorite memories, evoke a feeling or finally find an excuse to frame designer calling cards from your personal collection. Create a dream board, set the mood for your mood with creative cuts and color.
Color can also be instrumental in setting your mood. Pick fiery colors to energize you, select cool blues to create a calming effect, go green to manifest growth and success, seek happiness in yummy yellows and creamy hues. Pick a palette or go monochrome!
Here is what you need:
-old magazines
-post cards
-pictures
-old illustrated books
-newspapers
-stickers
-some glue
-a pair of scissors
Then: Find a base to glue your pieces onto. It can be a small piece of printer paper, an old canvas meant for painting like I used above, a poster board, or even the front of a journal or notebook! (For reference: Both collages by me shown here are on paint canvases of different sizes.)
When it comes time to cut:
You don’t need a particular theme or color scheme, just start by thumbing through what’s in front of you and get to cutting! It can be fun to give yourself a color scheme or an aesthetic (beach, greens and pink, sunshine, fashion, etc), but it also is such an exciting process to have the whole be organic and just cut what you’re drawn to and see how it comes together!
Then you lay them out and try out different combos of layering and such, then find a look you love, snap a picture of it to reference for glueing, and get to it!
Yes.... it is THAT easy!
My motto is “decorate your life” and what better way to do that then with something you’ve handmade that has meaning and is exactly to your taste? Happy collaging!!
XO Schuyler Johnson
Founder of Wiley Interiors
PS a fun little bonus idea— snap a picture of your finished collage and tag me in it at @wileyinteriors and I’ll post your original creation to my story! Let’s spread the love and the sunshine!
On the left are two collages Skye made 15 years ago! I think I miiiiiiiiiiiight have been with her for the one furthest on the left! I vividly remember sitting at the kitchen island with she and my aunt Susie, drinking yummy Earl Gray Tea, thumbing through Teen Vogue magazines, Harpers Bazaar, Hello! and of course, Vogue. I love the concept of selecting words that speak to you- might be a great exercise for a writer or a branding session.
On the right are two of Schuyler’s most recent collages!
One of the beautiful things about making these throughout your life is that you have the capacity to see what bits about your remain constant and are reflections of your truest self and recognizing what about you has evolved! It is one of the reasons that I love to photograph my work and keep my sketchbooks.
Enjoy!
xo,
Brooke