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| Stencil and Wall |
Sharpie permanent markers do more than make signs. Get creative with colored Sharpies for some amazing effects for very little money. Here are some great tricks to try:
1. Draw your own wallpaper!
A Sharpie and a stencil are all you need. Here they just did one wall with a wall paper design and I think it looks great. If you have a wall that is easy to get to with no doors or windows, it will be the easiest to work on. I wouldn’t attempt this in a bathroom because of all the fixtures you’d have to work around. Even a wide section of stenciled wall looks nice as a wide stripe. Click here to see a great stencil at Viva Full House. I like how they used a gray Sharpie for a subtle look. I’d give the finished project a coat of matte varnish to protect it. Even though they are called permanent markers, the marks do wear off in time if people are brushing up against it often. Or you could just “make repairs” as needed. That’s probably good enough in most situations.
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| Faux Snow Leoopard Print |
2. Draw designs on fabric with Sharpies.
You can make a faux leopard pattern with Sharpies and not much artistic talent. That would be my level of artistic talent. I found this leopard pattern at PS I Made This where they used it on a cloth bag. A leopard pattern could look very stylish on chair seat covers of dining chairs or on pillows. I’ve seen some cute patterns made of small triangles in different colors. Try out patterns on scrap cloth/paper first to see how you want to make it. Anything goes, so let your creativity run free! Be warned that you really can’t wash the fabric after it’s been decorated. Sharpie colors and even the black fades in the wash. Better to just vacuum it or spot clean.
3. Write swirly words with a Sharpie.
With cursive writing add words to a pillow for instant style. You can use any favorite sayings or just repeat the same word/words over and over. This makes a great gift using the person’s first name over and over. Practice on paper first to get your technique down and the effect you like. Teens might like making these for themselves and their friends. Try names of favorite places on a canvas tote bag (another gift idea). If you write in another language it’s another look–I often see this with French words. You could use this technique on a plain curtain valance. How about names of herbs for the kitchen? Choose a color of Sharpie that works well with your kitchen colors. If you are really good at this (and a little brave) use this technique on a lampshade. Personally, I’d write on fabric first on a flat surface and then use it to cover the lampshade. If you’re good at writing on curved surfaces, you can add names, dates, messages, or just decorative swirls to Christmas ornaments or votive holders. And of course you can take plain wrapping paper or brown paper and add your own swirls and messages to the wrapped package. You can do without name tags on gifts this way and your wrapping paper becomes all-occasion paper! Well, maybe not for a wedding gift.
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| DIY decorative Pillow |
4. Upcycle old items with Sharpies.
If you have something looking a little shabby, try adding some Sharpie designs to perk it up. If it’s almost ready to be thrown out, you don’t have to worry about ruining something new. I have used a black Sharpie on a pair of leather sandals and it has lasted for about 9 months so far. Click here to see how I renewed my sandals this way. I’ve also used Sharpies to touch up places on shoes or purses where the color has worn off. Sometimes I have to redo that when it wears off. A pair of plain light colored shoes, leather or canvas (Tom’s too) can be decorated with squiggles or whatever you like. I haven’t tried a Sharpie on a basket, but it seems like it would work fine.
Click here for ways to remove permanent marker from various surfaces. For most surfaces you can use alcohol or hand sanitizer. For marker on skin, you can also try tea tree oil. I have not written this article to promote Sharpies. I don’t have much experience with other permanent markers, but I imagine they work the same as Sharpies.
Have you used Sharpies or other permanent markers for a project? How did it turn out?
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