DIY photo canvases

July 21, 2012 by

I had been wanting to buy a canvas of our family picture for quite some time now and the cheapest I found after tons a research was 90$. No. Way. So then I decided I would make my own. Little did I know how EASY it was & how much money I would actually save! Turns out you can make your own for under 10$ after buying the initial jar of mod podge! What a savings!

You will need:

  • mod podge (matte)
  • canvas
  • pictures
  • scrapbook paper (optional)
  • acrylic paint (optional)
First you will want to line the picture up to the canvas to see if you need to do some trimming (you almost always do). You will want the picture to fit the canvas size exactly or even better, cut the picture so it is a little smaller than the canvas. It is important that the picture does not hang over the edges of the canvas. When you are certain the picture is exactly the size you want it, brush a thin layer of mod podge over the entire canvas and place your picture down. Let dry completely (about 2 hours).
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Next brush two thin layers of mod podge right over your picture. Key is to stay thin. Let dry for another hour.
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Now you have two options for the sides of the canvas.
1.You can cut a thin strip of scrapbook paper and wrap that around the edges, using the mod podge the same way as you did with the picture.

I used this “paper ribbon” from Creative Memories which worked perfectly, so much so that it needed no trimming.

2.If you don’t do the scrapbook paper along the edges of the canvas you can paint them black with acrylic paint. This looks really sharp with black and white photos.

After everything was dry I went back around the edges using a paint brush to make the corners and edges look a little warped. This not only looks awesome but helps cover up areas that your picture may not have lined up correctly.


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DIY chalkboard

July 10, 2012 by

Step by step instructions on how to make your own chalkboard! Great for outside, inside, or in the garage on a rainy day. Also a really good project for kids to do with daddy. Our son Jack got a gift card to Home Depot, chalk, & chalkboard paint for his birthday (what an awesome gift!) so he could build this with daddy.

You will need:

  • piece of plywood (ours was already sanded but if the wood is rough you will need to sand it)
  • chalkboard paint
  • primer
  • 4 2×4’s
  • 2 door hinges
  • spray paint
  • 2 inch wood screws
  • 2 pieces of 8 ft decorative trim (optional)

First prime the piece of plywood. The trick is to keep the primer & paint very thin so the chalkboard will be smooth. Let dry overnight.

Next paint two coats of the chalkboard paint over the primer. Let dry over night. While that is drying you can spray paint the 2×4’s your color of choice.

Next screw the door hinges onto the ends of two 2×4’s to act as feet.

Measure and mark an inch from each corner of the chalkboard. Then screw the chalkboard into the feet where you made your marks.

Now comes the tricky part: adding the trim. Spray paint the trim your color of choice. Saw trim so pieces are slightly longer than each side of the chalkboard. Next measure 45° angles where the corners of the trim meet. Saw off the extra wood at those angles. Nail trim to chalkboard.

 

 

 

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Filed Under: gift ideas, home, kids, projects Tagged With: , ,
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