All week I imagined posting a big reveal of the office stencil. Unfortunately, it’s not finished yet. DIY projects have a way of stretching out and testing your patience—utterly maddening and oddly rewarding at the same time. Even though this stencil hasn’t been a fast job, it’s turning out great and will definitely be worth the effort. I’ve already shed a few metaphorical (and literal) drops of sweat and maybe even a tear or two. Fingers crossed that by the weekend I’ll be doing celebratory laps around the house—music blasting, fists raised—and on Monday I can share photos and details of the whole thing. For now, here’s the wall that still needs the bottom edge finished above the chair rail:
While I wait for the stencil to get done, I wanted to try a quick, low-mess art experiment that’s inexpensive and easy: making ombré paper art using food coloring. John had the idea to soak paper in diluted food-colored water so the color would wick up the page and create a gradient. The plan was to let it absorb more in some spots and less in others for a subtle two-tone effect.
That particular experiment didn’t behave the way we’d hoped—the water didn’t travel up the paper to create a gradient; it just made the paper wet. So that approach was a no-go. But we didn’t stop there. We started experimenting with drops and drips of food coloring and had a lot of fun exploring different looks.
Some of our tests were a little dramatic. I made a handful of red drops that looked like something out of Dexter—playful, spooky, and perfect for Halloween-themed decor.
Imagine a wall of framed pieces like this for a Halloween party. You could even splatter red food coloring over regular family photos to give them a faux-bloody effect (or, if you don’t want to alter the original prints, draw splatters with a red Sharpie on transparency film and overlay it). It’s an inexpensive way to add playful eeriness to holiday décor.
As we played around with drips down the page, a simple and surprisingly elegant look emerged from the most basic technique: clusters of colored dots on cardstock. We were using plain card stock, free from special coatings, which let the color behave naturally.
Here’s how we made it: squeeze three drops of the same color in a row, applying a bit more pressure to the middle drop so it’s slightly larger. Repeat that trio in adjacent columns with different colors. Then let the pieces dry completely. The result is a soft, painterly effect that reads like intentional minimalist art.
Once dry, we framed the pieces.
And just like that: an instant, zero-dollar “food coloring masterpiece” for our ever-changing gallery wall. The bright, simple dots play nicely with the other framed elements nearby, picking up circular patterns in a fabric piece above. It’s fun to watch guests study the wall, guessing how each piece was made before we tell them it was created in five minutes with cupcake tools and a few drops of food coloring.
I love how these small, inexpensive experiments can look collected and thoughtful when framed. If you try this at home, consider varying drop sizes, mixing different color families, or using transparency overlays for more layered effects. It’s a forgiving technique that rewards play and curiosity.
Anyone planning to try food coloring art—or throwing a Dexter-inspired Halloween—I’d love to see photos of your faux-blood splatters or colorful dot pieces. Share what you create; I’m a total fan of playful, low-cost art experiments.
By the way, this might be the shortest post I’ve written in a while, but it feels good to squeeze in a quick, cheerful update between longer projects. Short posts can be satisfying too—like a tiny creative break for both you and me.