The past few months of staying at home have encouraged a lot of us to engage in DIY home projects (or at least think about them).

Better yet, it has also encouraged artists and crafters to share some of their home improvement successes to inspire others.

Kelly Graham of Camias Jewelry Designs posted a particularly inspirational design in early May.

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A post shared by K e l l y G r a h a m (@celticsmithy) on May 15, 2020 at 1:04am PDT

It was clear that people would be interested after former reality TV star Kat Von D posted a similar project and got plenty of positive feedback a few weeks ago.

The project is a penny floor – and if you’ve ever looked at the price of flooring, you know that it costs a pretty penny.

Here’s Von D’s post about her own penny floor:

But, frankly, we’re head over heels for Graham’s project, which she completed 5 years ago.

It took a few weeks back in 2015 – as well as 7,500 pennies – to complete her foyer floor.

Take a look at the early days:

Her photos of the in-progress process even earned her a “like” from Kat Von D herself.

When the website Bored Panda reached out to Kelly, she told them a little bit about herself:

“I’m a jeweler and decided to branch out on my own via online only back in 2002. I’ve been running a website since, making my own designs, maintaining my photos and site, basically a complete one-person show who does it all.”

The jewelry designer’s finished project is simply stunning!

No wonder it’s been liked over 138,000 times and shared at least 18,000 times!

Think of the patience this would take.

“Before jewelry, I was a machinist and I think that really developed my eye for spatial reasoning,” Graham said.

While some commenters have accused her of appropriating someone else’s photos, the penny floor photos many people have seen online actually belong to Graham – she was simply resharing them from earlier posts.

And it’s not the first penny project she took on. Her initial attempt was an ambitious – yet ultimately unsuccessful – fireplace design which she intends to try again.

Luckily, despite not having a pattern in mind for the penny foyer, she was a bit more organized and used some helpful online tutorials.

She told Bored Panda:

“It took me 3 weeks to complete so ample time for me to change my mind (and I did often). The process was me having no idea what I was doing so I YouTubed some basic tutorials. I began by separating old and new pennies into distinct piles and the medium ones would designate the filler between the mosaic lines.”

She described it as a relaxing project, despite the attention to detail and concentration required:

“Once I sat down to do it, I rather enjoyed myself immensely. It was a cathartic experience I needed in my life and maybe that’s why the design worked like it did. The inner muse spoke and I listened.”

And in case you’re wondering, the floor is holding up nicely after 5 years.

In a Facebook post on her business page, Camias Jewelry Designs, on May 13th, she said:

“5 years later (now), all pennies heads up later, 7500 of them later, and grout/sealant later, I think my foyer has held up nicely. More warm, quite cozy while maintaining its mosaic quality…Once grouted, it’s pretty permanent.”

While you’ll need to find your own detailed instructions online, Graham shared the basics with Bored Panda:

“The process of making the floor was sorting the pennies, then I caulked each one on the back for a nice adhesion to the existing tile. After I put the last penny down, I waited a few days for the caulking to solidify and then I grouted. I waited a full week for the grout to harden and set and finally poured a resin coating on top. There is no penny odor, the floor isn’t slippery, and it’s 5 years later and it still looks good!”

It sure is! And we’re loving it.

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Source: Bored Panda, Camias Jewelry Designs via Facebook, Kat Von D via Facebook