Social media is full of crafty inspiration. In fact, do-it-yourself videos are one of the most popular categories on social media platforms such as TikTok. As well as introducing you to activities you may not have considered before, they’re a great way of connecting and sharing with like-minded individuals, bringing personality to your home decor and adding a personal touch to your gifts. They could even inspire you to set up your own creative side hustle!

The good news is there are craft projects aimed at every skill level, from newbies through to seasoned pros. If you’re looking for cool DIY projects to get stuck into, we asked four influencers to share their simple craft ideas for adults. Even better, most of the art supplies are from the Officeworks Born range!

SEE ALSO: DIY Painted Terracotta Pots and 6 Other Adult Craft Projects

This creative DIY painting idea makes for a thoughtful, personalised gift. 

1. Easy Housewarming Artwork

This easy yet gorgeous line painting comes from Sophie Brown, the creative mind behind lifestyle blog Nestï, which she started in 2019 following the birth of her second child. She’s since built up a following of almost 26k followers on her Instagram account, and amassed more than 1.2 million likes on her @nesti_home TikTok channel. 

Sophie Brown, a lifestyle influencer and DIY expert, shows how to create her favourite homemade gift idea.

“Being back in the baby bubble at home made me feel really nesty (well, mostly tired… but also nesty!),” she says. “I really wanted to reconnect with that creative part of myself again. I love to make things that are appealing but also functional, to make a gift more personal or to get organised.” 

Sophie’s project is just the thing if you’re looking for a homemade gift for a loved one or even a meaningful wall decor idea for your own home. “This simple line painting makes the perfect housewarming gift; or even just a special piece of art for someone you love,” she says. “I love that you can customise the colours and style to suit the recipient.” 

You can customise the colours to suit your gift recipient or home decor in this DIY painting project.  
In the image with the two photos of the houses, above is the original image and the image below has been inverted.

‍Step 1: Paint your canvas board with your preferred acrylic paint colour using a flat ½” brush. I combined Ocean Blue and White to create a pale blue colour. Wait for the paint to completely dry.

Step 2: Take a photo of the house you want to capture using your smartphone or a digital camera. Upload the image to a computer and use image software to flip the photo horizontally so that it is inverted. Print out the inverted image on A4 paper.

Step 3: Place a sheet of tracing paper over your inverted image. Using a pencil, outline the image using a continuous line. You can erase any mistakes as you go! The traced image should represent a simplified outline without all of the smaller details.

Step 4: Flip the traced image over and position it face down on your painted canvas board so that the pencil lines are touching the canvas. Ensure the canvas is completely dry before completing this step. 

Step 5: Using a pen, trace over the entire drawing. This will transpose the entire image onto the canvas.

This inexpensive craft project will make a lovely homemade gift or add a personal touch to your home decor.

Step 6: Paint over the transposed image using the #2 round brush from the Born Taklon Paint Brush Set. Alternatively, you can use a Born Acrylic Paint Marker in your preferred colour.

Step 7: Write a name or a personalised message underneath your drawing. Complete the gift with a compact easel – perfect for displaying your beautiful DIY craft piece!

Watch the video on Instagram and TikTok.

What You'll Need:

Basic paint supplies are all you require for this wall decor idea, which is a great personalised gift for a housewarming.

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‍SEE ALSO: How to Create a Watercolour Painting of Your House

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Planning a celebration? Make these cute DIY craft party hats for your guests. 

2. Fun and Simple Party Hats

No party would be complete without a cute and colourful party hat, according to Colours & Honey’s Hayley Marlow, a designer and content creator from Melbourne who says she loves “all things colourful, sweet and happy”.

Designer and content creator Hayley Marlow knows how to get the party started – with her DIY craft birthday hats.

“I absolutely love hosting dinner parties, so I thought I’d make something that I could use over and over again whenever we have people over for a celebration,” says Hayley. “With just a few simple materials and a little bit of creativity, you can make the cutest little hats for each of your guests.”

These birthday hats are a must-do for your next DIY craft project.

‍Step 1: To begin, you’ll need to draw a party hat shape onto a sheet of cardstock. If you have a pre-made birthday hat on hand, you could open it up and trace the shape. Otherwise, use our party hat template and print it out onto your cardstock. 

Step 2: Cut out your party hat shape and it’s time to decorate! You can use paint, coloured paper, stickers, fabric; basically anything that will sit flat against your hat. (We’ll add the bigger bits like pom-poms, ribbons, etc., after gluing.)

Step 3: After you’ve let everything set and dry, it’s time to use a glue gun to stick your birthday hat together. You’ll need to roll your party hat cut-out into a cone so that one side of the cut-out shape overlaps. Once you’ve got your shape sorted, pop hot glue along the seam of the hat where the two sides meet. Hold the cone shape in place while the glue dries. 

Step 4: Now it’s time to glue any additional decorations on. You can use things like pom-poms, pipe cleaners, beads, ribbon, etc. 

Step 5: Use a hole punch to create two holes on the opposite sides of your hat. Thread a piece of elastic cord or ribbon through it to help keep the birthday hat in place on your wearer’s head. To determine the length of the elastic or ribbon, you’ll need to measure it. The best way to do this is to drape the elastic or ribbon around your chin and up to where the hat would sit on your head. 

Hot Tip: If you’re using elastic, the amount needed will be less as it’s quite stretchy. 

Step 6: Once you’ve got your elastic or ribbon ready, thread it through each hole in your hat and tie little knots to secure it in place. Now you’ve got yourself a cute birthday hat. 

Watch the video on Instagram.

What You’ll Need:

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‍SEE ALSO: Fun Party Themes and DIY Craft Projects for Any Celebration

Creating a still-life DIY painting can double as a party idea – just add mates.

‍3. Simple Still-Life Painting

For this next easy DIY project, why not gather your mates and host your own creative crafternoon session? Interior designer and stylist Jono Fleming created this project with a few simple craft supplies, got some friends over for a still-life soirée, then shared it to his socials.  

Jono Fleming invites his mates over for DIY craft afternoons, complete with snacks, drinks and tunes. 

“I assembled a little still life of pears and ceramics, and everyone had their own take on the subject matter, which I loved!” he says. “I suggest getting some canvases in various sizes, as this allows your friends to pick how big or small their artwork is and gives variety to your session.

“Have some snacks, drinks and tunes and get the good times going with your friends. This is such a fun, creative out-of-the-box way to spend time with people and, at the end of it all, you walk away with a beautiful new artwork for your home.”

Hot Tip: “I recommend a variety of paint colours, starting with primary colours: red, blue, yellow, and don’t forget black and white. This way you should be able to mix any variety of colours, but a few extras will always help get different tones and shades.” 

When you attend a DIY craft afternoon with Jono Fleming, you’ll leave with a keepsake artwork to brighten your home decor.

‍Step 1: At home, I set up a table with a drop sheet to protect it and lay out all the supplies. In the centre of the table, I place some fruit and ceramics to create a still life as a reference point for us to paint from. Make sure everyone has a nice angle of the subject matter.

Step 2: I picked up some gesso, which helps prime the canvas. This will give you a great surface to paint onto and, depending on the thickness you lay it on with, you can get some texture onto the canvas. Wait for your gesso to dry. 

Step 3: After priming the canvas with gesso, I then sketch out block shapes of the subject matter, nothing too detailed. I'm just trying to get big forms onto the canvas.

Step 4: Then after roughly sketching out the objects, I go in with big base colours; for example, a blue background, green for the pear, dark green for the bowl and brown for the cloth. The way to think about it is that you’re layering colours and shadows, starting from the base up. 

You then add layer upon layer of colour, shadow and detail. Don’t stress if this isn’t your forte. This is all about experimenting and having fun with your craft project. Mistakes can be painted over, nothing is permanent! 

Step 5: Don’t forget to take a step back and let it dry a bit before you make too many changes – taking a moment may also change your perspective on your DIY painting after looking at it for so long. You don’t want to overwork it, as paint colours can get muddy if you layer over it too many times when it isn’t fully dry. You want to get to a place where you’re happy with your artwork.

The main thing is to enjoy the day – anyone can give DIY craft a go! 

Watch the video on Instagram and TikTok.

What You'll Need:

These art supplies from Officeworks will have you and your guests creating DIY craft masterpieces in no time. 

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SEE ALSO: How to Draw Flowers: A Step by Step Guide

Try this simple and stunning home decor craft by artist Bobbi Lockyer.

4. Stained-Glass-Style Photo Frame

Artist and fashion designer Bobbi Lockyer was named NAIDOC Artist of the Year in 2021, and has had her work appear on runways and magazines all over the world. Her fun style and bold use of colour has attracted more than 56.7k followers on her Instagram and TikTok accounts, as well as added personality to her own home decor. 

Always loved stained glass? In her vibrant craft idea for adults, Bobbi Lockyer shows how to create this effect with a photo frame. 

Here, the proud Ngarluma, Kariyarra, Nyulnyul and Yawuru woman explains how to make your own faux-stained-glass artwork.

“This is a really easy and affordable way to add a pop of colour to your home,” she says. “The way light shines and dances through the colours of the stained glass in my kitchen brings me so much joy!”

Artist Bobbi Lockyer gives step-by-step instructions on making this stunning DIY craft idea. 

‍Step 1: Prepare the glass photo frame by taking off the backing of the frame and taping the glass back in (in some frames you can clip the glass back in easily without the wood backing).

Step 2: Sketch out your desired stained glass design using pencil and paper. Next, mix some gesso with a little water in a fine tip bottle. This will make it easier to apply to the glass. Place your design behind the glass, then trace the design on the glass with the gesso mixture. This will create the lines of the ‘stained glass’ and give it a more realistic, raised effect. Once finished, allow the gesso mixture to fully dry.

Step 3: Mix white glue with Born range paints in your desired colours. (Experiment with the quantity of paint vs. glue to get the consistency and colour you most like for your craft project.) Then, using a paintbrush, fill each space in your design with your chosen colour. Be sure to cover the entire surface evenly. Allow the paint to fully dry.

Step 4: Using a black paint marker, draw over the raised gesso mixture lines to create more defined details and outlines. This will add depth and dimension to your stained glass effect.

Step 5: Once you are satisfied with the design, allow the entire piece to fully dry. Then, clean any excess glue or paint from the glass and frame before displaying in your window. Congratulations! You have just beautified your home decor with this cool stained-glass-effect DIY craft piece. 

Watch the video on Instagram and TikTok.

What You'll Need:

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‍SEE ALSO: Family Craft Projects: Create Craft Box