Years and years ago, before we had kids, the hubby and I spent one day & one night in Paris. We climbed the stairs of the Eiffel Tower and were rewarded with a great view of the city. The photos I came home with were lovely, but lacking one key feature of Paris since we were standing on it. So this last time we visited, in 2015, I was determined to get photos of the amazing city with the Eiffel Tower in the shot. We ended up making it to two famous landmarks with great views, the Arc de Triomphe & the towers at Notre Dame.

SUPPLIES

• 2 – 16″ x 20″ canvas
• 1 – 16″ x 20″ photo
• 1 – 12″ x 18″ photo
• Dark gray acrylic paint & paintbrush
• Mod podge
• Bling on a roll
• Hot glue

PAINTING THE CANVAS

Using dark gray acrylic paint I painted the sides, as well as the edges of the main part of the canvas . I was being frugal and didn’t see any reason to paint the section of canvas that wouldn’t be seen.

DECOUPAGE

I applied mod podge to the back of the photo and centered it on the canvas. Then, as a layer of protection, I brushed mod podge over the top of the photo and canvas.

ADDING BLING

Have you seen this? Bling on a roll! Brilliant.

This particular roll had 4 rows of bling connected. Four rows was too thick for my design so I cut the bling to 2 rows.

After the mod podge dried, I used a glue gun to attach the bling to the canvas.

AND, REPEAT

I repeated the entire process for the other photo and canvas.

FINISHED PIECES

I love how the pieces are matchy-matchy… but not perfectly matchy-matchy.

I would love to see how you display your vacation photos.

The post Eiffel Tower Canvas Duo appeared first on .

There was a blank space on our Travel Gallery Wall that fit a 20″ x 16″ canvas perfectly. Since Germany was only represented once on the wall, I was hoping the canvas could be German themed. I absolutely loved this view of the river when we were in Nuremberg, so it seemed an easy choice.

SUPPLIES

• 20″ x 16″ canvas
• 18″ x 12″  photo (I had this one printed at Costco)
• Acrylic paint
• Wood letters and wood shape
• Distress ink
• Mod podge
• Craft glue

PAINTING THE CANVAS

I rarely paint a canvas color straight outta the bottle. I prefer the not-so-perfect look of color blending. However, one color would work just fine.

The main background color is a mix of 7 different paints (left photo). I was going for a barn reddish gray.

After the background color dried, I went over the top of it dry brush style. I chose an orange color to bring out the roof on the building and a light yellow green to highlight the tree.

WOOD LETTERS

I picked these wood letters up at a craft store and love them. They were priced reasonably and I’ve used them for many projects already.

They are easy to paint. This time, though, I wanted the wood to show through to match the wood bird I was planning to add. So, instead, I rubbed the edges with a brown distress ink.

GLUING ON THE PHOTO

Sometimes when I glue a photo onto canvas I do it decoupage style – putting mod podge on the back of the photo to act as glue and also putting mod podge on the front to protect the photo.

For this project I opted not to put mod podge on the front of the photo. I did use it as glue, though, to adhere the photo to the canvas. I used a foam brush to spread glue on the back of the photo and also spread a little on the canvas itself.

I eye-balled where I wanted the photo and carefully set the photo in place. Then I gave the photo a little push rubbing it onto the canvas. There wasn’t anything supporting the canvas, making it a tad irritating to rub on the photo. So I flipped the canvas over and rubbed the photo on that way. It’s much nicer to press against a hard surface.

GLUING ON WOOD DECORATIONS

I used craft glue to attach the wood pieces to the canvas.

Again, I just eye-balled where I wanted to place the wood pieces. But, I did line up the top edge of the photo with a red line on a ruler to make sure the letters were parallel with the photo.

FINISHED CANVAS

Another home decor item of a memorable family vacation complete. Woop, woop! A feeling of accomplishment for the day.

The post DIY Travel Photo Canvas appeared first on .

Last May I went to Disneyland to run the Tinker Bell Half Marathon. I went with a couple girlfriends and no children. Such a weird, yet wonderful, experience.

My one friend wanted to try pin collecting, so we all jumped on that band wagon. I blame this new obsession on her.

I love everything about it… well, except the price tag. Those pins are not cheap. However, they are fabulous. I love searching the racks for a favorite ride or character. Even more, I love searching for cast members who may have just the pin I didn’t know I needed. Trading is fun.

I came home from that trip needing a way to display my new pins. I’ll be damned if I was going to spend all that money then throw those metal treasures in a drawer to be forgotten.

So, what I came up with was a canvas displaying my favorite ride. The canvas holds pins, as well as photos, from those rides at Disneyland and Disney World. I chose 4 rides and put together 4 canvases.

Materials

• 12″ x 12″ Canvas
• Acrylic Paint & Paint Brush
• Mod Podge
• Disney Pins & Photos
• Scissors or Paper Trimmer

Canvas Background

Because I knew there would be a lot going on with the photos and pins, I chose to keep the background super simple. It is painted in one color. However, I created 4 canvases and each canvas is a different color.

Layout

Personal Ride Photos

Trim photos to 2.75″ x 2.75″square. Or, for a horizontal photo: 5.5″ x 2.75″. Vertical photos are 2.75″ x 5.5″

Arrange photos in a rectangle along the left or right side of the canvas.

I used Mod Podge to adhere the photos to the canvas, but only gluing the under side of the photo. I chose not to Mod Podge over the top of the photos because I want to have the option of changing the photos after another trip to Disney. If you have a permanent design you could mod podge over the entire canvas to protect it.

Ride Image

On the opposite side of the photos I glued on a 4.5″ x 6.5″ ride image.

For the Splash Mountain canvas I used an image from the front of a folder when we purchased a photo at Disney World. The others are images I found online. You could also use a photo you took yourself while at the park.

Pins

Beneath the ride image is a blank space for pins.

The pins easily poke through the canvas. The pin back is shallower than the wood frame, so it doesn’t affect hanging the canvas.

Splash Mountain

I mean, who doesn’t love Splash Mountain? Of course, this was one canvas I had to make. Also, I was able to include a photo of the time we went to Disney World with Farmer John’s mom and brother.

Pirates of the Caribbean

Pirates of the Caribbean is one of my all time favorite rides. Yo ho ho! It is tricky getting photos inside the ride since it’s so dark. My favorite photo is outside the ride, though. When I ran the Tinker Bell Half Captain Jack Sparrow was waving and encouraging us in his drunken accent at the entrance.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is another one of my fav’s. I had a hard time finding Big Thunder Mountain pins, though.

Mad Tea Party

The Tea Cup ride is not my favorite, but it is my mom’s. So, this was the 4th ride I chose to display. Plus, I had a photo from my 1987 trip to Disneyland that I wanted to add.

On Display

My four canvases are grouped together on a wall dedicated to Disney.

This past January I went back to Disneyland to run the Star Wars Half Marathon. While there I collected a few more pins to add to these canvases. I also turned my kids into pin traders. Although, I high jacked their pins to add to my Disney wall.

The post Disney Pin and Photo Display appeared first on .

It is not the fanciest painting you ever did see, but it’s festive, fun and fairly simple to create.

Have you seen those places where you get to drink wine with your girlfriends while creating a fabulous painting? I’ve always wanted to go. Unfortunately, I have not.

I have especially wanted to take my 10 year old son to such a place, minus the wine, of course. I don’t, however, want to spend $50+ for the 2 of us to create the same painting. So, I came up with a painting we can all do. It’s simple enough for the kids. It’s also fun enough to be part of a girls wine drinking paint party.

My goal was to create a painting that was cute and something I’d actually want to display in my home, as well as be cost effective. I also wanted it to be doable for all artist levels.

12 Days of December

December 7th: Easy Christmas Tree Canvas Painting Tutorial

Items You Will Need

• Canvas – I used 11″ x 14″ canvas panels. The canvas panels are slightly cheaper than the wood framed canvas. During a holiday sale, I was able to get a 3 pack at Joann’s for $4.80.
• Paint – I’ve used both tempera and acrylic paints for this project. Both work fine. I prefer acrylic, though. In the following instructional steps I list the colors I used for reference purposes only. Feel free to use whatever colors you have on hand. And, don’t be afraid to mix your own colors if you don’t have quite the variety you would like.
• Paintbrushes – As much as I like painting with the “nice” brushes, I paint a lot with the kids, so I most often use the cost effective 5 pack of Crayola paint brushes. They are usually priced around $5 and will often be on sale for less. That set of brushes works perfectly for this project. I did, however, use a wider brush for the background.
• Palette – You just need something to hold your paint. It can be an actual palette, cardboard, or a paper plate. My favorite is the cardboard from a frozen pizza. It’s silly, but I like it because of the round shape.
• Table Cover or Easel – If you have an easel, that’s fantastic. Use it. Around here, though, we don’t have enough easels for the number of painters. So, I put white butcher paper on our kitchen table and we paint away. Newspaper would work fine, too.

Step 1: Paint the Background

• For the kids I used tempera paints in black, purple, blue, and red. The adults used acrylic paint.
• I also mixed in glitter. This is not a necessary step. I just like glitter.
• The kids used a foam brush to paint the background. Adults used a 1″ paint brush. Again, either one works fine. Use whatever you have.
• The trick to this background is not mixing the colors before applying the paint to the canvas. I squeeze blobs of paint onto the palette. Then brush them onto the canvas, blending them here and there. But, allowing the individual color to show through as well.

Step 2: Outline the Tree

• Using a light green acrylic paint, I painted an outline of the tree. You could draw it in pencil first, if you would like. But, I didn’t.

Step 3: Fill in the Tree

• Using the same light green paint, fill in the entire tree area.
• I used mostly downward strokes, resembling tree branches. No moving my brush horizontally.

Step 4: Adding Snow to the Background

• I mixed together white acrylic paint and pearl it medium from Crayola for the snow. The mixing medium isn’t necessary. I just have it, so I used it.
• Painting circles is super simple. Flip your brush over. The end of your paintbrush is now the brush you are using. Dip the end in white paint and dab onto the canvas for snow. Using different brushes will give you a variety of circle sizes.

Step 5: Adding Detail to the Tree

• Using a variety of paints (Cadmium Red, Cadmium Yellow, Light Green, Deep Green, & Phthalo Blue) I created depth to the tree. I used mostly a dry brush technique, but also blended colors right on the canvas.
• Again, I used vertical or sweeping strokes. No horizontal painting.
• The deep green, phthalo blue, and cadmium red were used where I wanted shadows. The cadmium yellow was painted where I wanted a highlight.

Step 6: Outline the Tree

• Using black acrylic paint, I outlined the tree.

Step 7: Painting the Star Glow

• I used lemon yellow acrylic paint and pearl it medium for the glow effect. White paint mixed with a dab of yellow would work as well.
• I used a dry brush technique. Each stroke began in the center and then pulled out.

Step 8: Adding Lights to the Tree

• Using the same technique as the snow, paint the lights using the end of the paintbrush.
• My paint colors were: Deep Magenta, Cadmium Yellow, Phthalo Blue, Cerulean Blue, and Cadmium Red

Step 9: Painting the Star

• Using Cadmium Yellow paint a star at the top of the tree.
• Allow the yellow paint to dry a smidge, then outline the star in black paint.

Step 10: Enjoy your Festive Painting

For a quickie version of the steps, print the jpg below.

Please enjoy this tutorial! However, do not sell or share the images as your own. Please link back to this original post.

All 12 Days of December:

December 1st: Hot Drinks Bar Party Kit • Printable
December 2nd: Warm Up Here Burlap & Canvas • DIY
December 3rd: Photo Booth Backdrop • DIY
December 4th: Snowman Photo Booth Props • Printable
December 5th: Let it Snow Gift Card Holders • Printable
December 6th: Christmas Gift Box • Printable
December 7th: Christmas Tree Canvas Painting • Tutorial {you’re already here}
December 8th: Hot Drink Pouch • Printable
December 9th: Build Your Own Snowman Gift Tags • Printable
December 10th: Let it Snow Gift Tags • Printable
December 11th: Christmas Word Search • Printable
December 12th: Let it Snow • Printable

I would love to see how you used these 12 Days projects. Please share your creation(s) with us here.

The post 12 Days: Christmas Tree Canvas Painting Tutorial appeared first on .

12 Days of December

December 2nd: Warm Up Here Burlap & Canvas Sign

Materials

16″ x 20″ Canvas
Burlap – at least 20″ x 24″
Red Acrylic Paint and Paint Spouncer
Exacto Knife and Cutting Mat
Scissors, Stapler, Paper, and Tape

Attaching Burlap to the Canvas

Top Left: Center canvas right side down on burlap
Top Right, and Middle Photos: Fold burlap over edge of canvas, pulling slightly so it has a snug fit. Staple in place.
Bottom Left: Trim burlap edges
Bottom Right: Flip over and enjoy how easy it was to add burlap to your canvas.

Creating and Painting the Stencil

I’ll admit this is a little tedious. Not difficult, just not all that fun.

Click here to download the 4 pages for the stencil.

Using an exacto knife and cutting mat, cut out the letters. This is a stencil, so the actual letter piece is not being used. Don’t forget to keep the insides of the A, R’s and P. Tape the stencil together, then tape the stencil to your burlap canvas.

Using red acrylic paint, dab the spouncer into the blank parts of the stencil, paying attention not to get paint under the stencil. You are dabbing, not brushing on the paint.

Carefully lift off the stencil and your cold weather sign is complete.

You will notice on this pdf printable little dots inside the letters. Those are in case you want to forgo the burlap and instead would like to add lights to your canvas. You will stencil the letters on in the same way as the burlap canvas instructions. Then, poke holes where indicated through the canvas. Attach small Christmas lights behind the canvas and push one light through each hole. I love this idea. However, I was going for a rustic look so I went with the burlap version.

Have fun with this Warm Up Here Printable! However, do not sell or share the file as your own. Also, do not post the pdf on your social media page, please link back to this original post.

All 12 Days of December:

December 1st: Hot Drinks Bar Party Kit • Printable
December 2nd: Warm Up Here Burlap & Canvas • DIY {you’re already here}
December 3rd: Photo Booth Backdrop • DIY
December 4th: Snowman Photo Booth Props • Printable
December 5th: Let it Snow Gift Card Holders • Printable
December 6th: Christmas Gift Box • Printable
December 7th: Christmas Tree Canvas Painting • Tutorial
December 8th: Hot Drink Pouch • Printable
December 9th: Build Your Own Snowman Gift Tags • Printable
December 10th: Let it Snow Gift Tags • Printable
December 11th: Christmas Word Search • Printable
December 12th: Let it Snow • Printable

I would love to see how you used these 12 Days projects. Please share your creation(s) with us here.

The post 12 Days: Warm Up Here Burlap and Canvas appeared first on .

The 2015 Tinker Bell RunDisney event was a huge milestone for me. It was the first time I finished a half marathon. I wanted to commemorate the weekend by displaying items from the 2 events I participated in – the Neverland 5k & the Tinker Bell Half. I came up with these simple canvases to hang on the wall and I adore them.

This post contains affiliate links.

SUPPLIES

• Acrylic Paint (I used Violet)
• Paint Brush
• 9″ x 12″ canvas
• Mod Podge
• Race Memorabilia (Bib, medal, photo, etc.)
• Staples and/or Push Pins

STEP 1: PAINT CANVAS

Since most of the canvas is going to be covered, I didn’t do a fancy paint job. My canvas has 2 coats of violet acrylic paint.

STEP 2: ATTACH BIB

As much as I like this canvas of my race accomplishment, 20 years from now I may decide I don’t want it hanging on my wall. So, I didn’t want to permanently adhere the bib to the canvas. I want the option of moving the bib to a photo album or box. As opposed to mod podge or glue, I used staples and push pins. Push pins were used on the front of the canvas simply because I like the look of them. Staples were used on the sides and back.

STEP 3: ADHERE PHOTO

I used mod podge on the back of the photo to adhere it to the canvas. I was careful not to add mod podge where the photo overlapped the race bib. Normally, I also add mod podge over the top of the photo & canvas. But, in this case, I skipped that step.

STEP 4 (OPTIONAL): ATTACHING DISNEY PINS

This Tinker Bell inspired trip to Disneyland was my first time going with friends, as an adult – without kids. My naughty, naughty friend decided she wanted to start collecting pins. So, we all tagged along with her. They are crazy expensive, but it was so much fun. The pins are super cute and we had a great time keeping our eye out for cast members and kiosks to trade pins. It was like a treasure hunt.

When we got home, though, I wasn’t quite sure what to do with my new, awesome Disney pins. This canvas idea incorporated many of my favorite elements of that trip. I added Peter Pan themed pins directly to the canvas. They poke right through and the Mickey shaped back is on the back of the canvas.

STEP 5: ADDING THE MEDAL

For this canvas, I just wrapped the medal over the top of the canvas and called it a day. It’s not attached in any way. It stays perfectly well. The 5k medal, though, is made of a rubbery/plastic substance making it light. Heavier medals don’t work quite as well.

STEP 6: MAKE MORE CANVASES

I also made a canvas for the Tinker Bell half marathon. The medal was too heavy to hang on the canvas, so I pinned it next to the canvases.

How do you display your favorite race events?

The post DIY Race Bib & Medal Canvas appeared first on .

Our fireplace mantel was in need of a summer redesign. I chose to go with a patriotic theme, but needed a couple more items to complete the look. The area was calling for a picture or graphic, so I created this collage style canvas. It has a rustic feel, is filled with imperfections, and works perfectly in this spot.

This post contains affiliate links.

SUPPLIES

• Acrylic Paint
(I used Engine Red, Poppy Red, Dutch Blue, Charcoal & White)
• Paint brush, spouncer & sponge
• 11 x 14 canvas
• Denim patterned scrapbook paper
• Mod Podge
• Letter Stencils
(I used these ones from Martha Stewart Crafts)
• Clear Glitter
• Glitter Glue

PAINT RED BACKGROUND

Using Engine Red paint, I brushed paint around the edges, sides and in the area the text would be going. I skipped the middle area because the scrapbook paper will be covering that spot.

Next, I sponged Poppy Red paint on the canvas.

BLUE DENIM MOD PODGE

I trimmed the straight edges off the scrapbook paper by tearing it against the edge of my table. This gives a less than perfect feel to the project, which I like.

Then I tore the scrapbook paper all the way across at 2.5″ leaving me with two pieces of paper.

I used mod podge to glue the two pieces of denim paper to the canvas.

Next, I sponged on Poppy Red paint to soften the edges around the mod podged paper. Then I did the same sponging technique with Dutch Blue and a tiny bit of Charcoal paint.

TEXT & SPLATTER

For the text, I used Martha Stewart stencils and white paint. I used a spouncer to apply the paint.

Then I used a paint brush and the splatter technique to add white “stars” to the canvas.

After the paint dried I applied a coat of Mod Podge over the entire canvas.

When the canvas was dry, I brushed glitter glue over the letters and sprinkled on glitter.

FINISHED CANVAS

Thank you to our Service men & women who protect our freedom!

The post DIY Freedom Canvas appeared first on .

Over the summer, the kids created fun butterfly paintings. I gave them the same step by step instructions, yet all 3 of their paintings are original. I absolutely love that!

Supplies

• Canvas, we used 11″ x 14″ canvas panels
• Paint, acrylic or tempera – red, yellow, green, blue, white, and black
• Paintbrushes and/or sponge
• Pipe cleaner
• Sequins & Glitter Paint
• Misc pieces of cardboard
• Glue Gun

Step 1: Paint Background Blue

Step 2: Add Details to Sky

Farm Girl chose to paint the more typical clouds & sun.
Farm Kid2 went with an abstract look.

To make the rays of the sun, Farm Girl dipped the edge of a cardboard piece in a mix of yellow, orange & red paint then pressed the edge on her painting.

Step 3: Creating Grass

The kids created grass using the same method Farm Girl used for her sun’s rays.

I like mixing a variety of colors together – but, not blending them completely together. The base color was green right from the bottle. But, we also mixed in varying amounts of yellow, blue, red & white.

Step 4: Adding Flowers

Farm Girl glued flower sequins in her grass.

Farm Kid1 & Farm Kid2 painted their flowers.

Step 5: Painting the Butterfly

I cut butterfly shapes from cardboard and the kids painted them. They painted the entire butterfly. But instead, you could paint only one side of the wings, then squish it over onto the other side to make a perfect reverse copy of it.

The kids formed the body & antennae from a pipe cleaner. I used a glue gun to attach the pipe cleaner to the butterfly, then to attach the butterfly to the painted canvas.

Finished Masterpieces

I love that this project was simple, yet had great results.

The post Butterfly Canvas Painting appeared first on .

One of my goals this year was to figure out something to do with at least a few of my photos. I love photographs printed on canvas, but they’re a little spendy for my ordinary every day photos. So, I came up with my own much cheaper version. Mine all cost less than $5 each & the smaller ones were much less than that.

I bought all my canvas when it was 40% off at Joann’s. I had Costco print the pics. The paint and other odds & ends I already had in my craft stash.

I had intentions of getting fancy & using my cricut to add embellishments. I even thought I would add a meaningful quote to one or two. I still like those ideas, but I was really liking the simplicity of the not-so-fancy. So, that’s what I went with on all my pics.

• Basic Technique •

Items Needed

• The 2 main ingredients are canvas & a photo. There are many size options. I’ve done itty bitty 3″ x 3″ square canvases, as well as large 16″ x 20″ canvases. And, everything in between.

• You will also need paint – I typically use acrylic. And, a paintbrush.

• Decoupage or mod podge medium is also needed. And, a brush to spread the glue.

Trimming the Photo

For many of the photos I wanted a rough edge. So instead of using a trimmer to cut the edges I folded them, then tore the edges against my craft table.

Painting the Canvas

Next, set the photo aside & paint the canvas. I chose gold acrylic paint to match the frog’s eyes in the photo. Let the paint dry before moving to the next step.

Adhering the Photo to the Canvas

To glue the photo to the canvas, I use decoupage or mod podge medium. Either one works fine.

I put a little glue on the canvas itself. Then, I spread glue on the back of the photo, paying attention to reach the edges and corners. After gluing, position the photo on the canvas and rub out any bubbles so the photo lays flat on the canvas.

In Mr. Frog’s case, I decided he needed a border around the photo edge to help him stand out. So, I let the glue dry, then painted a border. After the paint dried, I applied a layer of mod podge over the top of the entire photo and canvas. This helps the photo stay in place as well as protect it from everyday elements.

Instead of waiting for the initial glue to dry, like I did with Mr. Frog, you can apply the final layer of mod podge right after gluing your photo to the canvas. I don’t seem to have better luck one way or the other. Either method can occasionally result in unwanted bubbles in the photo. Sometimes I don’t even bother with the final coat of mod podge.

Mr. Frog, The Complete Masterpiece

More Canvas Ideas

Blended Color Background & Straight Edge

This is one of my favorite photos & was taken a few years ago at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Fest. I definitely wanted to add this one to our spring display.

Instead of painting the background just one color, I blended a few shades of pink. Also, I used a straight edge for the photo, as opposed to a torn edge.

Wood Block & Crackle Effect Paint

For this western bluebird photo I used a wood block, as opposed to canvas. The background has a crackle effect.

Glitter Edge

Glitter! I love glitter! For the Love Park canvas I used my basic technique, then added one extra step for the finishing touch. After the decoupage glue was dry, I brushed on glittering glue around the edges of the canvas, then sprinkled glitter over the glue.

On Display

I have the finished pics on both sides of our china cabinet. I change the photos with each season.

The post Photos on Canvas: the basics appeared first on .