Yes Really, A Hexagon Shelf Made From Popsicle Sticks
I absolutely love DIY projects that transform utilitarian everyday objects into unexpected works of art. Not only do these become fantastic conversation pieces in your home, they also allow you to create super budget-friendly art that doesn’t feel too “crafty.”
(Don’t get me wrong, I love crafts. That’s why I made a whole website about them. But I especially adore DIY projects that achieve a high-end look for a fraction of the price, like this Coffee Stirrer Wall Art.)
The Inspiration
And if you’re reading this, I’m assuming you like to make stuff too, because, well, that’s what we do here. So I’m guessing that you can relate to having an idea for a project and how it can get tangled in your brain like a Bruno Mars song, refusing to dislodge until you just make the darn thing.
That’s what happened with this popsicle stick hexagon shelf idea. It came to me one night when I was pacing back and forth in our bedroom in the dark. (Comforting a baby, of course. I don’t do that otherwise. At least not often.)
I was thinking about additional three dimensional art pieces I could DIY for our bedroom gallery wall. I wanted something that would add texture, warmth and angles amoung our framed coloring pages and other DIY art. Unfortunately, most do-it-yourself geometric display shelf tutorials I’ve seen are waaay complicated.
Basic Supplies, Big Impact
So in a moment of frozen-dessert-craft-mashup inspiration, I realized I could make an awesome hexagon shelf with one of the most basic craft supplies out there–popsicle sticks.
Every night that I’ve paced back and forth since (and trust me, there have been many), I perfected my plans for this simple, mid-century-inspired hexagon shelf.
More Home Decor Crafts to Make with Popsicle Sticks
In fact, I’ve thought about it so much that I came up with an expanded hexagon shelf idea that builds on this one. It’s even more mid-century-y and popsicle stick-y.
Learn how to make these rockin’ DIY honeycomb shelves to complement your single hexagon version.
A Hexagon-Making Template
After experimenting a bit, I realized that having a template to guide my shelf angles would be super helpful. So I put one together and added it to the Make & Do Crew Vault.
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Hexagon Shelf Supplies
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• popsicle sticks (about 100)
• tacky glue (most other glue would probably work too)
• hexagon shelf template (Using the template makes getting the angles right a lot easier and elevates your shelf from 3rd grade art project to West-Elm-worthy home decor. Subscribe in the box at the bottom of the post to receive access to it instantly.)
Step-by-Step dInstructions
1. Add a drop of glue to both ends of three popsicle sticks and lay them as shown.
2. Layer three more sticks to complete the hexagon.
3. Continue glueing and layering like this until your hexagon shelf is a deep as you’d like it to be. Mine is about 16 sticks deep.
4. Allow the glue to dry. Do your best to keep your three-year-old from using your in-progress shelf as a wooden Bumbo seat for her dolls.
6. Stain your hex shelf, taking care to get stain in between all of the popsicle sticks.
7. If you’d like, glue a picture hanger to your shelf. I skipped this step because I opted to just put two nails in the wall that the shelf could hang on.
8. Find your cutest homeless home decor knick knack and place it lovingly in its new wall home. Then start planning your next popsicle stick wall art:
Honeycomb Shelves
Modern Bunny Shelf (perfect for Easter or a nursery!)
Geometric Heart DIY Wall Art
Snazzy blog photos can make it look like some people are doing it all (effortlessly!) while others of us (me!) are barely holding it together. So whenever I can, I like to introduce a little reality check in the form of a very un-Pinterest-worthy detail from my perfectly imperfect real life. My hope is that it’s a helpful reminder all of us that NO ONE is nailing it all the time.
Here’s a tip: When you’re trying to take photos of your project and decide you need to transplant a cactus mid-photoshoot, don’t do it in your bathroom sink. Instead, do it in your husband’s bathroom sink, like I did. (Shh…don’t tell him!)
amber says
cant get access really love this craft and would love the template but cant gain access to it, i have subscribed an still wont work.
Jess @ Make and Do Crew says
Hey Amber!
Boo. I’m sorry you’re having trouble! I don’t want anything to stand in the way of your crafting 🙂
When you subscribed, you should have received an email asking you to confirm your subscription. Once you click that, you’ll receive another email that gives you the password to enter the Make & Do Crew Vault. (It’s the same password for everyone.)
Have you gotten that yet? If not, just check your spam folder for the confirmation email or do a search within your email for “Make and Do Crew.”
Let me know if this works for you. I’m happy to help if not.
jess
Savannah says
It won’t let me get the template either. I signed up as a subscriber and it keeps asking for a password over and over
Jess @ Make and Do Crew says
Hey Savannah,
I’m sorry you’re having trouble! I don’t want anything to stand in the way of your crafting 🙂
When you subscribed, you should have received an email asking you to confirm your subscription. Once you click that, you’ll immediately receive another email that gives you the password to enter the Make & Do Crew Vault. (It’s the same password for everyone.)
Have you gotten that yet? If not, just check your spam folder for the confirmation email or do a search within your email for “Make and Do Crew.”
Let me know if this works for you. I’m here to help if not.
jess
Stephanie (Travelcraft Journal) says
Neat project! And love your “reality check”! 🙂
Just wondering, is it any easier to stain the popsicle sticks before putting together and gluing?
Jess @ Make and Do Crew says
Thanks Stephanie! Sometimes I feel a bit vulnerable sharing the “reality checks,” but I know I love to see that other people online are human too. (And in our case, very messy humans sometimes :))
That’s a good question about staining the sticks. I think you should always do a project however makes the most sense to your brain. There’s usually more than one right way. I think staining after you assemble the shelf might be a little quicker (it really didn’t take long!), but staining beforehand might ensure all your sticks are perfectly, evenly stained. Let me know what you decide to do. I’d love to know!
Happy crafting!
j
Stephanie (Travelcraft Journal) says
Thanks! I think we’d all rather appear perfect, but it’s important to tell the messy side of the story too!
Also, it probably is a lot faster to stain afterwards. I was just curious. 🙂
jim says
excellent quick project
Jess @ Make and Do Crew says
Thanks, Jim! I really hope it is. I sure enjoyed making it. Let me know if you have any questions as you’re whipping yours up.
Happy shelf-building!
j
Chelsea @ The Johnsons Plus Dog says
I love this project!!! I think it is so creative. Thanks for sharing. I’ve wanting to buy or make a shelf in this shape but didn’t want to spend the money or bug my hubby to help me figure it out. This one seems so simple! Brilliant.
Jess @ Make and Do Crew says
Thanks so much, Chelsea! I’m all for independent non-husband-engaging crafting. I suppose it’s the feminist in me 😉 Just kidding, I totally know what you mean though. Some of the other tutorials I’ve seen have SO MUCH MATH. For better or worse, you don’t have to be very smart to make this one. Ha.
Happy crafting!
j
Betty says
Like honey comb look would like to have template.
Jess @ Make and Do Crew says
Hey Betty,
Thanks for reading M&DC. To receive access to the template, simply subscribe by entering your email address at the bottom of this post (in the box right above here). You’ll receive a confirmation email (check your spam or promotions folder). Click the link in that email to confirm that you indeed meant to sign up. After that, you’ll immediately receive an email with the link and password to download the template. Seems like a lot, but it’s pretty easy. Let me know if you have any other questions. I’m happy to help you.
j
Laurie says
Jess, this is really cool! Love your projects! Thanks for sharing with us at Brag About It. Pinning to share and look for your feature next week! Happy New Year!
~Laurie
Jess @ Make and Do Crew says
Thanks so much, Laurie. You are always so full of encouraging words. They are so nice to read at 12:30am when I’m in the middle of finishing a blog post 🙂
As always, thanks for visiting M&DC.
j
the cape on the corner says
i love that this isn’t just made with wood, which would still be cool. but this is even more diy than that, and pretty much the fanciest looking thing made with popsicle sticks. awesome.
b
Jess @ Make and Do Crew says
You’re so right! I love that intersection of utility and “fancy.” I smile every time I see this shelf on my wall. I’m posting a tutorial tomorrow for a way to make an even fancier hexagon shelf with popsicle sticks, so check back if you need a great DIY project for the weekend 😉
Thanks for reading M&DC!
j
Katie says
Super cute! I love your ‘reality check’ 🙂 cacti can be such prickly lil suckers! The final result is adorable, I’m considering making one for my gallery wall. Thank you for sharing!
Jess @ Make and Do Crew says
Yes, those darn cacti! I always underestimate them 🙂 Thanks so much for your kind works and for reading Make & Do Crew. I’d love to see your hexagon shelf if you make it!
Happy gluing!
j
Marwa (@Enthralling_g) says
This is spectacular, so easy to make definitely easier than what I have come accross!
Thanks for sharing!:)
Jess @ Make and Do Crew says
Oh, thanks so much, Marwa. I made another one last night and it really IS so easy! Happy New Year!
j
Kayla says
Hello, Jess, I’ve been trying for 2-days to get the templet and it’s still not working please help I copied and paste the password and still no luck
Jess @ Make and Do Crew says
Hey Kayla,
Make sure the first letters of both words are capitalized with no space between. Sometimes an extra space can get included afterwards when you copy and paste, so you might want to watch for that too!
Jess
Joyce says
I am also unable to link to the template. I click on the box “Name” and it takes me to a picture of the finished product.
Jess @ Make and Do Crew says
Hey Joyce,
Thanks so much for clearing that up. I see what you mean and I’ve fixed it. What a goofy little tech glitch. I’ve sent you the template as well, but please feel free to subscribe if you’d like access to the rest of the free resources vault. So sorry about the trouble!
j
Amy says
Can’t get access to the hexagon template and would love to keep following your sight! It just links to a pic of the finished product.
Jess @ Make and Do Crew says
Hey Amy-
I’m so sorry you’re having a hard time! Can you tell me which link you’re clicking on that’s giving you trouble? Is it on the blog post page or did you sign up in the subscriber box and then run into trouble? I’d love to know so I can make sure everything is working properly. In the meantime, I’m just going to email you the template to make sure you can get crafting asap 🙂
Thanks for reading!
j
Jess @ Make and Do Crew says
Amy, I tried to send you the template, but I got an error sending it to the email address you provided. Let me know a better address for you and I’ll be happy to send it your way or just send me a note at makeanddocrew [at] gmail [dot] com and I’ll make sure you get it. (The signup box is working now too if you’d like to use it.)
Thanks again for helping be my tech troubleshooter!
j
toosweetloni says
I cannot access he hexagon template. When I use the link that was sent to my email address, I get redirected to this site and it ask me for my password which I put in but it just keeps reloading and asking me for my password again.
Jess @ Make and Do Crew says
The password is in the email you received with the link. It’s the same for everyone and case and space sensitive.
Jessica says
Dear Jess,
Please provide me with the password.
I subscribed before, but the email is no where to be found. I tried again, but did not receive any Email.
Thanks Jessica
Jess @ Make and Do Crew says
Hey Jessica,
I’m sorry you’re having trouble getting into the Vault! Perhaps search your email for something from “MakeAndDoCrew.” It might be in your spam or junk folders. If you can’t track it down, please let me know and we’ll figure it out together 🙂
Jess
Jessica says
Dear Jess,
Sorry I can’t find any mail, not even in the spam folder.
Thanks, Jessica
Jess @ Make and Do Crew says
Jessica,
Did you get what you needed? If not, please send me an email and I’ll make sure you get the template!
Jess
Jessica says
Dear Jess, sorry I didn’t get anything. Looking forward to the Email.
Cheers, Jessica
Jessica Meissner says
Dear Jess,
I never received anything from your side and I like to get started on my projects.
Thanks in advance Jessica
Jess @ Make and Do Crew says
Hey Jessica,
Perhaps it got stuck in your junk or spam folders? It would have been an email from me that explains how to download your template. Please email me if you need further help and I’ll be happy to make sure you get into the Vault 🙂 (Jess (at) makeanddocrew (dot) com)
Jess