This Clever Wall Art Hack Will Instantly Brighten Up Your Space (It’s So Easy!)

I love embarking on a DIY project, but I tend to hesitate whenever I see a really good idea because the materials are always so expensive. The cost makes me not want to even get started. So, when I see a super fun DIY wall art project that could cost you almost nothing (depending on what materials you have at home), I’m very intrigued.

Once I saw this easy, inexpensive DIY that was featured on Dorm Therapy’s TikTok, I knew it was the perfect candidate for a low-cost yet impressive project. All you have to do is thrift a frame — or use a spare one — and then get a deck of cards, which you may already own (or can also thrift!). In the end, you can create a superchic art piece for barely any money. 

To make this customizable, low-cost wall art, here’s what you need: 

• An 11″x14″ frame, matted to 8″x10″ (you can also use whatever size frame you have at home and adjust your design accordingly)
• Transparent Tape
• A deck of playing cards

First, place your matted frame face down, and then start arranging your deck of cards in whatever design you choose, with the suits facing you. Flip over one card so that the suit will show in the final product — it can be fun to choose a Joker or something like the queen of hearts. 

You can tell what your finished product will look like based on how the design looks as you’re looking at the back of it. When you like what you have, tape them down with long pieces to hold your design in place and close the frame. When you flip it over, you’ll see the back design of most of the cards and the suit you chose to flip standing out among them.

It’s a fun art piece you can display anywhere, from your bedroom to your living room to your hallway. Make sure you use Command strips if you’re hanging it somewhere you can’t make holes. 

You could also choose to switch it up and make this DIY more fun, and make multiple frames in multiple sizes to create a collage wall. You can also use any set of cards, like UNO or Apples to Apples if you’re more of a wordsmith. You could even DIY more and design your own cards. Wanna go simple? Just put in a photo in place of one of the cards. People in our TikTok comments even say, “Getting married in Vegas might have to add some Polaroids of our wedding pictures.” Another great idea that could be a great maid of honor gift or just a keepsake in general!

And for those who are not convinced of the DIY, no worries, because I have two similar already-made playing card wall decor options for you.

These two 16″x24″ navy blue-and-white king and queen card prints come unframed, and they could be great if you’ve got coastal vibes going on in your design. 

This mini red-and-white ace of hearts art print is great if you just want a touch of this playing-card whimsy. You can also get it unframed for $12.75. My favorite part is that it says “love ya x” in a pretty black cursive print. 

This post originally appeared on Apartment Therapy. See it there: This Clever Wall Art Hack Is a Fun Way to Update Your Boring Walls (It Costs Almost Nothing!)