This wall art is perfect for an apartment which doesn't allow too many nail holes or a wall that cannot handle heavy artwork. This is also a great way to recycle boxes and get a great wall hanging on the cheap!!

Step 1: Materials

You will need the following:

For the wall hanging:
Cardboard box(es)- 1 box makes 2 wall hangings
Scissors
Tape or glue
Paints of your choice (I used acrylics)
1 wider paintbrush (1"-3")
Smaller paintbrush(es)- it helps if they are kinda stiff
Pushpins

For the stencil:
Box cutter
Cutting board
Picture to copy from
Paper
Pen or pencil
Extra cardboard

Step 2: Prepare Your Box

You should probably start with a box that is not too wide across the ends. This way the box won't stick out too far from the wall. The boxes I chose were 10" x 18" x 10", so each wall hanging only sticks out 5" from the wall.

You will need to start by cutting your box in half. Do this by cutting the box in a line down the ends, top and bottom rather than the front or back. It helps if the box you are using has a "seam" where the 2 flaps meet on the top and bottom. This will give you the halfway mark where you should begin cutting.

After you have cut your box in half, you will need to either tape or glue the edges together where the box was originally opened. I used several strips of masking tape. Remember to only tape on the inside of the box so your paint will be smooth on the outside.

Step 3: Create Your Stencil

You may want to give your boxes a coat of paint to give you a clean background to work on (use the wider paintbrush for this). While this is drying, you can create your stencil.

You can look at design magazines or fabric designs to get ideas for your stencil. I modified this design from a rug I saw in a magazine. Draw your design on paper, cut it out, and trace it onto your extra cardboard. Using the box cutter and cutting board, carefully cut out your design.

There are a couple ways of doing your stencil:
1) Trace the design from the cardboard onto your boxes first and then paint them in. OR
2) Hold the stencil steady and dab the paint around the stencil to make the design.

If you want to spend money, you can just buy a stencil at a craft store, but the nicer ones can be pretty expensive.

Step 4: Hang Your New Art

Because the cardboard is so lightweight, you will need nothing more than ordinary pushpins to hang them on your wall. Just find the spot you want to hang them, insert your pushpins and hang!