diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 6eb47347..f1e0f5cb 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -99,3 +99,4 @@ add_executable(gala ${VALA_C})#src/main.c)
 install(TARGETS gala RUNTIME DESTINATION bin)
 install(FILES ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/data/gala.desktop DESTINATION share/applications)
 install(FILES ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/data/gala.css DESTINATION ${PKGDATADIR})
+install(FILES ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/data/texture.png DESTINATION ${PKGDATADIR})
diff --git a/data/texture.png b/data/texture.png
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..271dd5eb
Binary files /dev/null and b/data/texture.png differ
diff --git a/src/Widgets/WorkspaceThumb.vala b/src/Widgets/WorkspaceThumb.vala
index 709fb481..6657ec17 100644
--- a/src/Widgets/WorkspaceThumb.vala
+++ b/src/Widgets/WorkspaceThumb.vala
@@ -30,6 +30,10 @@ namespace Gala
 		internal static const int APP_ICON_SIZE = 32;
 		static const float THUMBNAIL_HEIGHT = 80.0f;
 		static const uint CLOSE_BUTTON_DELAY = 500;
+
+		static const int PLUS_SIZE = 8;
+		static const int PLUS_WIDTH = 24;
+		static const int PLUS_OFFSET = 8;
 		
 		public signal void clicked ();
 		public signal void closed ();
@@ -39,7 +43,7 @@ namespace Gala
 		
 		unowned Screen screen;
 		
-		static GtkClutter.Texture? plus = null;
+		static Actor? plus = null;
 		
 		Gtk.StyleContext selector_style;
 		Gtk.EventBox selector_style_widget;
@@ -132,22 +136,43 @@ namespace Gala
 			close_click.clicked.connect (close_workspace);
 			
 			if (plus == null) {
-				var css = new Gtk.CssProvider ();
-				var img = new Gtk.Image ();
-				try {
-					css.load_from_data ("*{text-shadow:0 1 #f00;color:alpha(#fff, 0.8);}", -1);
-				} catch (Error e) { warning(e.message); }
-				img.get_style_context ().add_provider (css, 20000);
-				
-				plus = new GtkClutter.Texture ();
-				try {
-					var pix = Gtk.IconTheme.get_default ().choose_icon ({"list-add-symbolic", "list-add"}, (int)THUMBNAIL_HEIGHT / 2, 0).
-						load_symbolic_for_context (img.get_style_context ());
-					plus.set_from_pixbuf (pix);
-				} catch (Error e) { warning (e.message); }
-				
+				plus = new Actor ();
+				var canvas = new Canvas ();
+				plus.content = canvas;
+				canvas.draw.connect ((cr) => {
+					// putting the buffer inside here is not a problem performance-wise, 
+					// as the method will only be called once anyway
+					var buffer = new Granite.Drawing.BufferSurface (canvas.width, canvas.height);
+
+					buffer.context.rectangle (PLUS_WIDTH / 2 - PLUS_SIZE / 2 + 0.5 + PLUS_OFFSET, 0.5 + PLUS_OFFSET, PLUS_SIZE - 1, PLUS_WIDTH - 1);
+					buffer.context.rectangle (0.5 + PLUS_OFFSET, PLUS_WIDTH / 2 - PLUS_SIZE / 2 + 0.5 + PLUS_OFFSET, PLUS_WIDTH - 1, PLUS_SIZE - 1);
+
+					buffer.context.set_source_rgb (0, 0, 0);
+					buffer.context.fill_preserve ();
+					buffer.exponential_blur (5);
+
+					buffer.context.set_source_rgb (1, 1, 1);
+					buffer.context.set_line_width (1);
+					buffer.context.stroke_preserve ();
+
+					buffer.context.set_source_rgb (0.8, 0.8, 0.8);
+					buffer.context.fill ();
+
+					cr.set_operator (Cairo.Operator.CLEAR);
+					cr.paint ();
+					cr.set_operator (Cairo.Operator.SOURCE);
+
+					cr.set_source_surface (buffer.surface, 0, 0);
+					cr.paint ();
+
+					return false;
+				});
+
+				plus.width = PLUS_WIDTH + 2 * PLUS_OFFSET;
+				plus.height = PLUS_WIDTH + 2 * PLUS_OFFSET;
 				plus.x = wallpaper.x + wallpaper.width / 2 - plus.width / 2;
 				plus.y = wallpaper.y + wallpaper.height / 2 - plus.height / 2;
+				canvas.set_size ((int)plus.width, (int)plus.height);
 			}
 			
 			add_action_with_name ("drop", new DropAction ());
@@ -165,6 +190,22 @@ namespace Gala
 			
 			content = canvas;
 		}
+
+		public override void paint ()
+		{
+			// black border
+			Cogl.Path.rectangle (INDICATOR_BORDER, INDICATOR_BORDER, wallpaper.width + INDICATOR_BORDER + 1, wallpaper.height + INDICATOR_BORDER + 1);
+			Cogl.set_source_color4f (0, 0, 0, 1);
+			Cogl.Path.stroke ();
+
+			base.paint ();
+
+			// top stroke
+			Cogl.Path.move_to (INDICATOR_BORDER + 1, INDICATOR_BORDER + 1);
+			Cogl.Path.line_to (wallpaper.width + INDICATOR_BORDER, INDICATOR_BORDER + 1);
+			Cogl.set_source_color4f (1, 1, 1, 0.3f);
+			Cogl.Path.stroke ();
+		}
 		
 		void over_in (Actor actor)
 		{
diff --git a/src/Widgets/WorkspaceView.vala b/src/Widgets/WorkspaceView.vala
index b89cdbc7..bf95ab54 100644
--- a/src/Widgets/WorkspaceView.vala
+++ b/src/Widgets/WorkspaceView.vala
@@ -171,6 +171,11 @@ namespace Gala
 			
 			background_style.render_background (cr, 0, 0, width, height);
 			background_style.render_frame (cr, 0, 0, width, height);
+
+			var pat = new Cairo.Pattern.for_surface (new Cairo.ImageSurface.from_png (Config.PKGDATADIR + "/texture.png"));
+			pat.set_extend (Cairo.Extend.REPEAT);
+			cr.set_source (pat);
+			cr.paint_with_alpha (0.6);
 			
 			return false;
 		}