You have a pencil, a piece of paper, and a burning desire to trace random things around your house. Welcome to the club.
Tracing is the ultimate lazy artist’s cheat code, and I love it. No drawing skills required, just a steady hand and a willingness to look a little ridiculous holding paper against a lamp.
Below are 28 ridiculous, useful, and totally custom DIY projects. Every single one starts with you tracing whatever object you happen to find first.
1. Custom Key Rack From Your Actual Keys
Grab your mess of house keys, car keys, and that mystery key from three apartments ago. Lay them on a scrap piece of wood and trace each shape with a pencil.
You get a perfect guide for drilling tiny holes exactly where each key’s head sits. Paint the traced outlines in contrasting colors so your family stops stealing your car keys.
Hammer in small hooks right on the traces, then hang each key over its own drawing. Now you look like an organized adult, and nobody has to guess which key opens the shed.
2. Lampshade Shadow Silhouettes
Trace the profile of your cat sleeping. Or your coffee mug. Or your own hand making a peace sign.
Cut out the traced shape from black adhesive vinyl and stick it onto a plain white lampshade. When you turn the lamp on, the shadow projects onto your wall like a tiny art installation.
3. Floor Mat From Your Boot Treads
Get your muddiest boots and press them onto a large sheet of craft foam. Trace every single tread groove like you’re a forensic investigator.
Cut along those traced lines with a sharp utility knife. Now you have a custom boot mat that catches dirt exactly where your feet land. Bonus points if you trace your dog’s paws too.
Paint the foam with outdoor floor paint so it doesn’t slide around. My version has lasted two winters without curling, which is more than I can say for my store-bought mats.
Just don’t trace your high heels unless you want a mat that looks like a crime scene. I learned that one the hard way.
4. Drawer Dividers From Your Spatulas
Open your kitchen drawer and trace every spatula, whisk, and measuring cup onto a piece of cardboard. Arrange the traces so they fit like a puzzle.
Cut slots along your traced outlines using a box cutter. Slide the cardboard into your drawer, and now every utensil has a custom home that screams when something is missing.
5. Wall Art From Your Kid’s Toy Dinosaur
Steal your child’s favorite T-rex while they’re at school. Trace it onto a large canvas, then fill the outline with metallic gold paint.
Hang it above your couch and tell guests it’s a commentary on consumerism. They’ll never guess you traced a cheap plastic toy from a birthday party goodie bag.
Add a second canvas with a traced unicorn if you want to start a series. My living room currently features a traced rubber chicken, and honestly, it sparks more conversation than my actual art degree.
Use a projector to blow up the traced shape if the toy is too small. Nobody needs to know your masterpiece started as a fifty-cent dinosaur.
6. Custom Phone Case From Your Hand
Place your phone case on a piece of paper and trace its exact outline. Then place your hand inside that outline and trace your fingers spreading out.
Scan the hand tracing, shrink it to fit the phone case dimensions, and print it on a clear sticker sheet. Slap that sticker on a plain clear case so it looks like you’re holding your phone from the inside.
People will do double takes. Your phone case becomes a conversation starter at every coffee shop.
Try tracing your pet’s paw instead of your hand. I made one with my cat’s beans, and now my phone feels aggressively adorable.
Cut a hole in the sticker for the camera lens before applying. Otherwise you’ll take blurry photos and blame the phone.
Use a permanent marker directly on a cheap silicone case if you don’t have sticker paper. Trace, color, and seal with clear nail polish.
Peel off the sticker after six months and trace something new. Your case evolves with your obsessions.
7. DIY Doormat From Your Sneakers
Trace the bottom of your favorite sneakers onto a blank coir doormat. Use a thick paint marker and fill in the tread pattern.
Visitors will wipe their feet directly on a giant version of your shoe print. It’s weirdly personal and a little narcissistic, which is exactly my style.
8. Cutting Board Pattern From Your Knife
Lay your chef’s knife flat on a wooden cutting board and trace its blade shape. Flip the knife and trace again at a different angle.
Use a wood-burning tool to etch the traced lines into the board. Now you have a permanent cutting guide that shows you exactly where to chop.
9. Coasters From Your Coffee Mug Rim
Place your favorite coffee mug upside down on a sheet of cork. Trace the rim, then trace it again four more times in a neat grid.
Cut out the circles with scissors. Decorate each cork circle with a mini tracing of something else—a spoon, a tea tag, a crumb. Seal with Mod Podge so your coasters don’t disintegrate after one spill.
Use a different mug for each coaster to build a mismatched set. My set has traces from a chipped diner mug, a travel thermos, and a wine glass that saw better days.
Paint the cork edges with bright acrylic so they don’t look like plain brown garbage. Nobody wants depressing coasters.
Stack them inside the original mug when you’re done. Now your mug doubles as a storage container, and you look like a design genius.
10. Stencil For Painted Furniture From A Leaf
Find a cool-looking leaf outside. Trace it onto cardstock, then cut out the inside shape to make a stencil.
Tape the stencil to your old nightstand and dab white paint through the holes. Repeat until your furniture looks like a forest fairy threw up on it.
11. Rug Design From Your Yoga Mat
Unroll your yoga mat and trace its entire perimeter onto a large piece of drop cloth fabric. Then trace your hand, foot, and water bottle inside that rectangle.
Paint the traced shapes with fabric paint in calming blues and greens. Cut the drop cloth to size, hem the edges, and you have a custom meditation rug that shows you exactly where to place your sweaty palms.
Add a traced circle where your candle goes. Add a traced line for your phone. This rug basically tells you how to relax, which is hilarious and also weirdly effective.
Use a sponge brush to fill large traced areas quickly. Nobody has time to paint every inch with a tiny brush.
Sew a non-slip backing onto the rug using puffy fabric paint in dots. Otherwise you’ll slide into your altar and knock over your crystals.
Trace your cat’s sprawled body if they insist on joining your practice. My cat now has a permanent traced spot on my rug, and she uses it every single time.
12. Wall Decal From Your Favorite Necklace
Lay a statement necklace flat on a sheet of removable vinyl. Trace every link and charm with a fine-tip marker.
Cut out the traced shape and peel the backing. Stick it to your wall above your dresser, and now you have a permanent jewelry installation that cost you nothing.
The vinyl peels off without damaging paint, so you can trace a new necklace every season. I’ve done three so far, and my wall looks like a pawn shop exploded.
Combine multiple necklace traces into a giant wall collage. Just make sure you don’t accidentally trace the same necklace twice—I have two identical blobs on my wall right now.
Use a Cricut or similar cutting machine if your hands get tired. But honestly, tracing by hand feels more personal, even when your lines look like a drunk spider drew them.
Place the decal near a window so sunlight hits the vinyl and makes it shimmer. Your cheap DIY suddenly looks expensive.
Trace a broken chain instead of a perfect one. Imperfect traces tell better stories.
13. Pencil Holder From Your Scissors
Stand your scissors upright on a piece of scrap cardboard. Trace around the blades and handles as if the scissors are doing a weird yoga pose.
Cut out that traced shape and use it as a template to cut a slot into an empty soup can. Slide your scissors into the slot, and the can becomes a desk organizer that holds your scissors upright.
14. Bookmark From Your Thumb
Press your thumb onto a piece of thick cardstock. Trace around it, then draw a tiny face on the nail area.
Cut out the thumb shape and laminate it with packing tape. Slide it into your book so your paper thumb points to the exact line you stopped reading.
15. Charging Dock From Your Phone’s Outline
Place your phone on a block of air-dry clay. Trace around it with a toothpick, then dig out a shallow rectangle inside the traced lines.
Carve a channel from the rectangle to the edge for your charging cable. Let the clay harden, paint it neon yellow so you never lose it, and you have a custom charging dock that fits your phone like a glove.
Trace your smartwatch too if you have space on the clay block. Now both devices live in the same spot, and you stop hunting for your charger every morning.
Use a second block for your tablet if you’re feeling ambitious. My nightstand now has three clay docks, and I feel like a tech wizard from 2003.
Paint the channel with glow-in-the-dark paint so you can find the cable at 2 AM. Game changer.
Don’t trace your phone with a case on unless you always use that case. I made that mistake and now my naked phone rattles around like a loose tooth.
16. Gift Wrap From A Potato
Cut a potato in half. Trace a shape from a cookie cutter onto the flat potato flesh, then carve away the area outside the traced line.
You just made a stamp. Dip it in acrylic paint and stamp homemade wrapping paper with your custom potato design. Your friends will ask where you bought the paper, and you get to say “I carved a potato.”
17. Garden Markers From Your Seed Packets
Trace the shape of each seed packet onto a plastic yogurt lid. Cut out the traced rectangles, then trace the vegetable name from the packet onto the plastic.
Shove these plastic tags into your soil next to your actual plants. When the rain washes away the marker ink, you trace again. It’s a system that fails regularly but looks adorable.
Use a permanent oil-based paint pen for longer-lasting labels. I finally switched after my third batch of unlabeled mystery plants.
Trace the actual vegetable shape instead of the name. Draw a tiny tomato or carrot so even non-readers can identify your garden.
Punch a hole in each tag and thread it onto a bamboo skewer. Now your markers stand up instead of flopping over like sad little flags.
Laminate the traced tags with clear packing tape before sticking them outside. This buys you an extra two months before the sun bleaches everything.
Write the planting date on the back so you know when to harvest. Future you will thank present you, even if present you is currently covered in dirt.
18. Mirror Frame From Your Hairbrush
Trace your hairbrush onto a sheet of craft foam, then trace it again twenty more times in a circle. Overlap the brush shapes so they look like weird petals.
Cut out all the traced brushes and glue them around a small mirror. Spray paint the whole thing gold, and you have a frame that celebrates your daily battle with tangles.
19. Tray Pattern From Your Remote Control
Place your TV remote on a wooden serving tray. Trace its entire shape, then trace every button individually inside that outline.
Paint the traced buttons with glow-in-the-dark paint. Now your tray glows in the exact spots where you should place your remote, snacks, and reading glasses. No more searching between couch cushions.
Add a traced circle for your drink so you don’t accidentally put a sweating glass directly on the wood. Your tray becomes a landing zone for all your lazy evening needs.
Trace your phone next to the remote so both devices have designated spots. I did this and my coffee table has never looked so aggressively organized.
Use a fine liner brush for the tiny button traces or you’ll end up with blobs. Ask me how I know.
Seal the painted tray with waterproof polyurethane if you plan to actually use it for drinks. Otherwise your masterpiece will turn into a sticky mess.
Trace a second remote if you have a partner who refuses to put theirs back. Passive-aggressive organization is still organization.
20. Earring Holder From Your Earlobe
Trace your earlobe onto a piece of air-dry clay. Cut out the lobe shape, then poke tiny holes where your earring posts go.
Bake or air-dry the clay and glue it to a small frame. Hang your earrings through the holes, and now you have a holder shaped like the thing that holds your earrings. It’s very meta.
21. Bread Box Label From A Loaf Of Bread
Trace the entire outline of a bread loaf onto a sheet of chalkboard vinyl. Cut it out and stick it to the front of your bread box.
Write “BREAD” inside the traced loaf shape with a chalk marker. Anyone who opens your cabinet will see a labeled picture of exactly what’s inside, which is hilarious and also helpful for guests.
Trace a bagel instead if you’re a bagel household. My bread box currently has a traced croissant, and I don’t even like croissants.
Add a traced knife next to the loaf so people know where to find the cutting tool. This level of instruction implies your friends are very dumb, but they’ll appreciate it anyway.
Use magnetic chalkboard vinyl so you can swap out the shape later. Trace a hot dog bun in the summer and a dinner roll in the winter.
Draw an arrow from the traced loaf pointing to the actual bread inside. Redundant? Yes. Funny? Also yes.
Erase and rewrite the label every week with a different bread pun. “Loaf You” was my personal best.
22. Mouse Pad From Your Computer Mouse
Place your computer mouse on a sheet of neoprene. Trace around it, then trace a larger rectangle around that mouse shape.
Cut out the rectangle and glue it to a piece of non-slip shelf liner. You now have a mouse pad that shows a ghost of your mouse right in the middle. It’s useless but deeply satisfying.
23. Light Switch Cover From Your Finger
Trace your pointing finger onto a thin sheet of craft foam. Cut it out, then cut a hole where the fingernail would be.
Glue this foam finger onto a plain light switch cover so the hole lines up with the switch. Now you flip the lights by poking through a traced finger. Your guests will be confused and delighted.
Trace a whole hand if you have a double switch. Each finger controls a different light, and you’ll never hit the wrong switch again.
Paint the foam finger bright red for maximum absurdity. I did neon pink, and my toddler now fights me for the honor of turning off the bathroom light.
Use outdoor-grade foam so the finger doesn’t yellow over time. My first one turned into a creepy old-man finger within six months.
Trace your cat’s paw instead of your finger if you want to be extra. Just don’t let the cat see you tracing—they get weird about it.
Add googly eyes to the traced finger for no reason. This is your home, and you can make terrible decisions.
24. Picture Frame Mat From Your Favorite Spoon
Trace a spoon onto a piece of mat board. Then trace the same spoon rotated 90 degrees, and again, and again, until you have a circular pattern.
Cut out the center of the mat board and place it over a photo of your grandmother. The spoon traces become a whimsical border that looks like tiny leaves or possibly spoons, depending on how much wine you’ve had.
25. Desk Organizer From Your Pen Cup
Trace the bottom of your pen cup onto a piece of cardboard. Then trace each pen and marker standing upright inside that circle.
Cut slits along the pen traces and insert the cardboard into the bottom of a shallow box. Slide your pens into the slits, and now they stand at attention like tiny soldiers waiting for a war.
26. Fridge Magnet From Your Bottle Cap
Trace a bottle cap onto a sheet of magnetic paper. Cut out the traced circle and stick it to the back of the actual bottle cap.
Trace a tiny picture of your face onto a second circle and glue it inside the cap. Now you have a magnet that looks like a bottle cap with your face in it. Stick it on your fridge and confuse everyone who opens the door.
27. Plant Pot Design From A Weed
Pull an annoying weed from your garden. Trace its entire root system onto a terra cotta pot using a permanent marker.
Paint over the traced roots with clear nail polish to seal them. Now your pot shows the ghost of the weed you defeated, which is a weird flex but also a great conversation starter.
Trace the weed’s leaves on the opposite side so the design wraps around. I did this with dandelions, and my pot now looks like a botanical illustration of chaos.
Use a white paint pen on dark pots for better contrast. My black pot with traced bindweed roots looks genuinely artistic, even though I just wanted revenge.
Add the date of the weed pull underneath the roots. This turns your pot into a victory monument against garden invaders.
Plant something pretty in the pot to complete the irony. A delicate flower growing out of a pot decorated with dead weeds? Chef’s kiss.
Trace the same weed pattern on three matching pots for a set. My patio now has a dandelion trilogy, and the neighbors think I’m deep.
28. Coffee Sleeve From Your Hand
Trace your hand onto a strip of kraft paper. Cut it out, wrap it around your coffee cup, and tape the ends.
You just made a coffee sleeve shaped like your own hand giving the cup a hug. Walk into your local café with that thing, and the barista will either laugh or call security. Either way, your coffee stays warm.
Trace your friend’s hand and give it to them as a passive-aggressive gift. “Here, this is how I feel about holding your coffee.”
So there you have 28 ways to trace random objects and turn them into something useful or stupid. I’ve personally made eleven of these, and my favorite is still the phone case with my cat’s paw.
Go grab whatever is next to you right now and trace it. A spoon, a shoe, your kid’s toy. See what happens.
Try one project this weekend and tag me in your disaster photos. I promise to laugh with you, not at you. Probably.