Paint the middle part of a cotton swab & put together this effortless concept

Express your love of abstract art with this wall decor made with cotton swabs. Not only does it anchor an accent table topped with accessories, but it also provides hours of relaxing fun as you create the piece. Before you know it, you’ll have a one-of-a-kind focal point for your den, dining room or bedroom.

This project is a perfect opportunity to use those cotton swabs cluttering your medicine cabinet. You can also use acrylic or chalk paint that's left over from other DIY projects, which besides being economical can help you tie the look of the room together. Play around with the placement of the swabs to find a design that suits your style and complements the space.

- Cotton swabs, 56
- Folk Art Home Decor chalk paint in “Glacier”
- Folk Art Home Decor chalk paint in “Nantucket Blue”
- Folk Art Home Decor chalk paint in “Provincial Blue”
- Folk Art Home Decor chalk paint in “Turkish Tile”
- Folk Art Home Decor chalk paint in “Parisian Grey”
- Small paintbrush
- Large paintbrush
- Canvas
- High-temperature glue gun
- Hot glue sticks
- Gold metallic acrylic paint

1. Paint the middle part of a cotton swab with “Glacier” using the small paintbrush. Repeat until you have 14 painted swabs. Allow the swabs to dry.

2. Paint 14 more swabs with “Nantucket Blue.” Repeat with “Provincial Blue” and “Turkish Tile.” You should have 56 swabs in total. Allow the swabs to dry.

3. With a large paintbrush, paint the canvas with “Parisian Grey.” Allow the paint to dry completely.

4. Put a line of hot glue on the middle of a swab painted in Glacier. Place the swab on the left edge of the canvas near the bottom corner. Continue gluing swabs in Glacier next to each other. Stagger the swabs, so that they gradually trend up toward the opposite edge of the canvas.

5. Once you’ve glued down all the Glacier swabs, glue down the Nantucket Blue swabs, followed by the Provincial Blue and Turkish Tile swabs. The final Turkish Tile swab should be on the right edge of the canvas, several inches higher than the Glacier swab on the left edge.

6. Paint a rough outline of the swabs with the metallic gold paint using the small paintbrush. The outline should be about ¼ inch above and below the top and bottom of the swabs. Allow the paint to dry.

7. Your cotton swab art is ready. Hang it on the wall and enjoy!