Why DIY?- How To Make a DIY Inspiration String

Welcome back to “Why DIY?”, a new series here on Fuzzable about the joys of arts & crafts. Today I’m going to show you how to make your own string of quotes or pictures to hang on your wall to add some inspiration and creative flair to your room.

The wall above my bed was always a bit boring. I’ve been wanting to do something with that vast expanse of yellowness for a long time. For a while, I wanted to make an entire wall plastered full of my favourite pictures, quotes, and other inspirational stuff, quite like YouTuber IISuperwomanII’s famous video wall.

However, I quickly realized not only would it require a lot of effort and money to get everything printed, but I would probably get bored of the layout and images I chose. Like I mentioned in my last post about essential DIY supplies, it’s important to constantly change up your environment, even in the smallest of ways, to keep your mind stimulated.

I wanted to be able to take the entire thing down if I wanted, but also be able to easily switch out the images I chose. So, I decided to make a string of inspirational images and quotes, rather than an entire wall. After crafting up a storm for about 15 minutes, this was the final result. I’ve had it on my wall for about a year and I still love the way it looks!

Now let me teach you how to make your own in a few easy steps!

Materials

First you will need to gather all of the necessary supplies for this DIY:

  • Ribbon
  • Tape (make sure it won’t damage your paint)
  • Clothespins (paper clips or butterfly clips will also do the job)
  • Quotes, pictures, mementos, or anything else you want to hang
  • Optional: a string of fairy lights

1. The Foundation

Choose any ribbon that you fancy! Make sure it isn’t too flimsy, as it needs to hold the weight of whatever you’re hanging. I chose a simple purple ribbon for the foundation of my quote string to contrast nicely with the yellow of my wall. Once you’ve selected your ribbon, measure the length of the area you want to cover. You can cut the ribbon to that exact length if you want it to hang perfectly straight, or you can cut it a bit longer if you want it to dip in the middle, like mine. The longer you cut it, the more it will sag in the middle.

Once you’ve decided on the perfect length, tape both ends of the ribbon to your wall. You may want to get someone to help you tape the other side. I suggest using a couple strips of tape to form an ‘X’. I used clear Scotch Tape, and it’s held up the entire year I’ve had it on my wall. Now, step back and make sure it’s not crooked and you’re happy with how it looks.

2. The Decoration

Now comes the fun part! Gather all the materials you want to hang, and start attaching them to the ribbon using the clothespins. I wanted a very neat and uniform look, so I used images that were the same size and alternated between using 1 and 2 clothespins to hang them on the ribbon. I think a mismatched layout would also have a nice effect. It all depends on your preference and the kind of items you want to hang up.

The beauty is that if you change your mind, all you have to do is take off the clothespins and change your images around. Since my quotes are from my desk calendar, I switch out them out whenever a new one catches my eye. Now would also be the time to add any accents, like the bows I made for either end of the string. I used a different pattern of ribbon and attached them to the wall with tape. If you want to get even fancier, you could attach mini bows or short pieces of string to the main ribbon, in between each item.

3. The Illumination

This is an optional step, but I think it really enhances the look of your inspiration string. I added a string of fairy lights along the length of the ribbon, securing the wire with the clothespins and taping it to the wall on either end. The last section of the light string leads down to my side table where the battery pack can sit.

I used lights in the shape of dots with warm, white light, so it wouldn’t distract from the quotes too much. However, there are countless variations of colour, size, and style to choose from when it comes to fairy lights. In the evening, they make the inspiration wall look even more Tumblr-esque and almost dreamlike. It’s the perfect finishing touch!

So that wraps up this how-to guide! This inspiration string might be my favourite thing about my room. It is quick, easy, and cheap to make and will look good on practically any wall.The best thing about it is that it’s so easy to change it up whenever you want to switch out the photos or quotes. You can even make multiple inspiration strings of different sizes for the same wall! The possibilities are endless.

Let us know if you try this DIY inspiration string by tweeting us @Fuzzzble.

Written by Annemarie

Canadian arts & culture writer and journalism student.

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