Couture Popsicle Stick Crafts

What we once thought of strictly as a camp craft for kids has been elevated to an all-new level.  These popsicle sticks can be sculpted, carved, dyed and spray painted neon pink. Popsicles sticks have come a long way baby.

My fascination with popsicle sticks really started with my collection of tramp art, intricate works that can be as basic as a box or basket, or as detailed as a jewelry box or lamp with shade.  I have a small basket in my kitchen that kept calling my crafty name.

This brown basket was the inspiration behind the dyed tramp art basket I made for I Love to Create.  I love the way colored sticks look on my version of this traditional basket. I decided that if the sticks looked great dyed, they would look amazing with neon spray paint.

First things first: You need to construct your basket. There are tons of tutorials for doing this online. For my planter, I studied the vintage basket I had. For this dish, I winged it and came up with my own plan. Play with your stick placement until you have something you like.

Using craft glue start, layering your sticks. I prefer using craft glue as opposed to hot glue because it gives you a little wiggle room with the drying time. With hot glue what’s done is done. With craft glue you can tweak, slide and move your pieces for a bit.

Once you have the design you want to take outside and lay on the spray paint. Any color will work; I’m just partial to all things neon.

Your best bet is several light coats allowing for drying time in-between. Be sure to get all the angles of your basket (this means flipping it over and putting it on its side for a few coats of paint).

When your basket has completely dried, fill with whatever you have on hand and display. I thought summer was the perfect time to bring out my collection of vintage beaded fruit.

This DIY originally appeared on BlogHer.

Posted July 12, 2015 & filed under BlogHer, Crafts, Home Décor Crafts, Retro Crafts.