Easy, Cheap and Fun Gifts to Make


Art projects aren’t just for kids — there are many easy and creative projects geared toward adults, as well. Look around your house for things that you can turn into beautiful and useful items with paint and simple decorations. If you’re feeling particularly creative, try your hand at a new art activity; just a few supplies and some imagination can go a long way. You might surprise yourself and turn out something that will get rave reviews from friends and family.

Get out your watercolor paints

Gather some basic supplies such as a watercolor tray of paints, a watercolor pad of paper, assorted brushes, plastic dishes for mixing paints, water containers and lots of paper towels for clean-up. Now, just paint a picture, even if you’ve never lifted a paint brush — there are no rules, so you can’t do it wrong. Make a simple drawing of a few objects around the house or look outside and draw any tree or flowers that you see. Experiment with color mixing and have fun sloshing the watercolors over your paper. If you find you enjoy painting, get an instruction book or join a class.

Outdoor Art

Liven up your garden by painting rocks in different colors. Purchase some acrylic paint at a craft store, along with a few bristle brushes in different sizes. Get your creative juices flowing by choosing rocks in a variety of sizes and shapes. Thoroughly clean the rocks with soap and water and allow to dry overnight. Use small brushes and detail brushes to paint flowers and other decorations on the rocks. Create a family rock garden, with the names and birthdays of each family member on different rocks.

Container Decor

Paint old glass jars, plastic bottles and tin cans to turn them into decorative containers for holding odds and ends, utensils, plants and cut flowers. Paint glass or plastic jars with liquid acrylic paint and decorate them by gluing on beads. Paint and decorate coffee cans to use them for an herb garden. Before decorating metal containers, clean and dry them thoroughly, coat them with rust-resistant spray and wait for the spray to dry completely. Add a coat of paint and use a stencil to write each herb’s name on its container. If you’ll be placing the cans outside, finish with a coat of acrylic fixative to shield the decorations from the elements. Poke drainage holes in the bottom of any container you use for growing plants.

Clothes Decorating

Painting and decorating clothes is an easy and quick art project. Go through your closet and take out all the clothes you haven’t worn for a long time so you can give them a new artistic look. Iron-on patches perk up worn-out jeans, as does painting names and designs onto them. Sew beads on the collar and cuffs of an old blouse. Use fabric paint, which you can apply with a brush or directly from the tube-spout, to paint up a creative storm on old sweaters, sweatshirts and t-shirts.


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