Lucky's Completed Canvas

I've already posted a few pictures of Lucky's room that showed that her once blank canvas:

is now a piece of art filled with a picture from this photo shoot:

I just love this canvas!  I've had this project planned in my mind for months and months, so it feels great to see it hanging finally.

 

 

 

 

To complete this project, I first painted the edges of the canvas a bright pink color.  You can see the edge color better in this picture:

Next, we edited and sized the picture we chose to fill the 30" x 40" canvas appropriately.  We sent the picture to our local Staples and requested a blueprint black and white print out sized to 30" x 40".  When I went to pick it up, they told me that they were now charging the 'color price' for large photo print outs since they were getting inundated with orders and their printers were breaking.  I told them that in the past I had paid about $5 for a black and white paper print out in a similar size (for a project I have yet to share:)) and wouldn't be paying the $60 price they wanted to charge.  They told me they would charge $5 one last time as a courtesy...phew.  Lesson being...call around and get a quote first:).  I have a feeling that places like Kinko's still offer low priced black and white print outs.  

When I got the picture home, I realized that the print out was a bit larger than the canvas, so I outlined the canvas onto the back of the picture with a pencil and cut off the excess paper.  When it came time to adhering the paper onto the canvas, we first tried using a spray adhesive that I had on hand, but it didn't adhere for more than a couple hours.  It was a big bummer.  Then I went to Michael's and picked up some of this:

Aleene's Crystal Clear Tacky Spray

$6.99 at Michael's (less with a coupon:))

It seems to have worked extremely well thus far, but I should note that we were planning on sealing the paper/canvas combo this past weekend, and when we took the canvas outside to spray, it started bubbling up like crazy.  I ran the canvas back in and put it in front of the fire to warm it up.  Thankfully the bubbles all flattened.  I'm assuming this happened because we didn't achieve 100% adhesion on the entire large canvas.  The edges seem great, but there are places in the middle that must not be held as tightly and the colder outside temperatures made it more apparent.  One tip that might help in the future is to place books on the back of the canvas (edges and middle) after spraying to make sure the paper is sticking to the canvas appropriately.  I had turned over the canvas and put books on top of the wood frame parts of the canvas, but not the middle of the canvas.  Or maybe just keep the frame flat on it's back, picture side up and let gravity take care of it?  I'm not sure, but our canvas is not sealed now, which is a little bit of a bummer.  I may attempt to seal it again in the spring when it is warmer out, but for now, I'd prefer an unsealed canvas to a sealed, but bubbled up canvas:).  If anyone has any tips on spray adhesive or sealers, please pass them along!!

Homemade Canvas Photos

Would you believe that the big canvas images of Lucky and Charm seen here:

Were really made using these supplies?:

One 20" x 30" photograph printed at Sam's Club for just under $9 x 2

One 20" x 20" canvas from Michael's (on sale and combined with an additional coupon making them about $6.50 each) x 2

Scotch Poster Putty (less than $2 at Target)

Scissors, Pen and Yard Stick

Total Cost: About $30 total for both 20" x 20" Canvas Images

I just cut the images to size and attached them to the canvas using the putty.  So far, it's holding up great.  I was initially planning to modge podge them to the canvases (or canvi?  What is the plural of canvas anyway?), but I have a love hate relationship with modge podge.  Mostly it's a hate relationship because the stuff is so messy and sticky, and I wasn't feeling modge podgey on the day I decided to tackle the project.  I'll update this post if they fall down with the putty, but they have been up for a good week now.  I also figure if I want to switch the pictures out down the road, it will be super easy to pull a change up.  Another tweak that I may make down the road it to add ribbon to the sides of the canvas pictures or even paint them, but for now I like the simple look of white.

Has anyone else tried making a DIY photo canvas?

Charm's Winnie the Pooh Wall "Art"

 If you are familiar with this quotation by A.A. Milne from the Winnie the Pooh series:

“If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together... there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll always be with you.” 

Then you know that it has to be one of the most appropriate quotations for a child's bedroom.   I seriously love it, and honestly wish I would have wrote it to my children myself:).  I actually considered doing a painting with this quote in Lucky's room on a big empty canvas that I am currently in the process of working on...more on that later.  I also seriously thought about purchasing this print from an Etsy seller in orange for one of the frames in Charm's Gallery Wall that I later filled with a vintage-like t-shirt:

Winnie the Pooh Quote

Raw Letter Press

  I may need buy a black and white copy of it anyway for my room:)!  I love it that much!

Anyway...I decided to fill one little corner of Charm's room with a chalkboard paint covered clip board version of the sweet sentiment:

Now, Charm can never forget how amazing he is and most importantly, how much he is loved!!

And with this post, all I have left to post about regarding Charm's room (for a little while anyway) is the final reveal...coming to a blog near you (this blog, that is) next week!  Have a wonderful and relaxing weekend!!

Gallery Wall Art

Last year, we purchased these lights from Pottery Barn for our stairwell, and I was immediately inspired by this image:

Pottery Barn

Rustic Glass Sconce

I love the black and white photographs with gold accents! 

I decided that I wanted to make a gallery wall(s) in similar fashion in our all too bland stairwell.  Here is the blank slate I wanted to work on in our stairwell leading from our main level to our bedrooms upstairs:

I measured out the wall space I had to work with and taped out the area on the floor in our front room.  Next, I laid out picture frames I had on hand (including Target clearance frames, frames purchased at Goodwill, and frames or items I had around already) until I found arrangements that I liked.

I traced the frames onto newspaper and cut out the pieces so I could play with the arrangement on the wall a bit.

And now it looks more like this:

Can you even believe my 'nail in the wall' phobic husband let me do this?  I had originally planned on using Command Hooks but instead decided to just go for it and use nails aka 'railway ties', according to Bill who insists I could have used smaller nails:)!

While I have a good chunk of work to do in this area (lots of the pictures in the frame are the wrong orientation or the frames are empty, etc), I like where it's headed.  And I love making personal art for our home.  This post shows the art work that I made for Bill for Christmas this year.  Now and then, I'll post changes or updates to the walls, including any artwork I make for this little part of our home.

And with that, go put a hole in a wall to hang some fantastic art this weekend!!  It'll be so worth it:)!  And Happy St. Patrick's Day too!!  See you next week.

Linking up to The Rooster and The Hen.
Linking up to Thrifty Decor Chick.

Charm's Gallery Wall Including T-Shirt Art

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!  Today, I have another 'old' project to share with you.  (The holidays really made things busy around here, so I apparently got behind with posting updates as they happened, so this is another catch up post:).)  We installed this artwork in Charm's room in November, along with the gutter bookshelves.

At the top is an antler set that Bill and I picked up at a Hobby Lobby in Des Moines, way back in June.  It was $20 on sale 50% off.  Below the antlers is a square frame picture that I picked up at Target on clearance for $4.98.  The clock was $5 from Walmart.  The canvas feet are Charm's.  We inked up his feet with black acrylic paint on his birthday last summer.  I just love them!  The little canvases are from Michael's and came in a 4 pack.  I believe they were about $5 or so for the four pack combining a sale with a 'take an additional percentage off coupon' (about $1.25 each).  The metal 'H' is from Urban Outfitters and was on sale for $6. 

 

Below that are the two brand new IKEA Ribba frames that I picked up from Goodwill for $10 each.  I filled them with t-shirts that I found on clearance for $4 each at Target.  I like the vintage feel of the images on them and since they are size small boys, Charm will be able to wear them in a year or two. Multipurposed art:)!  I probably should have ironed them a bit before sticking them in the frame, and I still might do that.  Finally, there is a magnet board from IKEA that we've had around for a long time. I'm telling you that magnet board has provided hours and hours of entertainment!  Charm has several different sets of magnets and he uses them for his 'ship' or 'car' buttons.  A little boy's imagination is truly an amazing thing.

The table and chairs are from IKEA.  

Total cost for the wall art: $65-ish

Anyone else stick something unconventional in a frame and call it wall art??

P.S.  Check out how our house looks right now:

 And how our kiddos looked on Saturday:

Hooray for Halloween in March:)!

Linking up to Thrifty Decor Chick.