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DIY Canvas Photos

March 3, 2016 By: Melanie

Did you catch our TV segment on Fox 13 ‘The Place’ last week?  Our segment was called “DIY or BUY.”  We talked about 3 projects to DIY and 3 projects we would rather buy.  (*Update* Click HERE to see the full TV segment.)  One of the most surprising projects we talked about was DIY Canvas Photos!  Did you know you can make your photos look like canvas for a fraction of the price?!  It’s true! We are all about finding the least expensive way to get what we want.  Of course, we want it to look like we paid top dollar- this technique is totally cheap but definitely doesn’t look cheap.  Steff and I have done this over and over and worked out all the possible mistakes.  We’ll show exactly how to do it!  You’ll want to canvas-ify every photo you have! 😉

DIY Canvas Photos (5)

Here’s what you need:

  • Blank white canvas (use a coupon at Hobby Lobby or Michaels)
  • Matte (NOT glossy) printed photo – the same size of your canvas
  • Wood glue (from the Wood Connection)
  • Texture cream (from the Wood Connection)
  • Foam brush
  • Foam roller brush

DIY Canvas Photos (1)

You have probably noticed we do a lot with The Wood Connection products.  There’s a really good reason for that…..they have AMAZING products.  This wood glue is the best for gluing paper to wood, and in this case gluing photos to canvas.  Their texture cream is the secret weapon for making photos look like canvas.  You can find it HERE.  There may be other ways out there to get the canvas look, but we think this way is the best way. 🙂

   DIY Canvas Photos (19)

Okay, now that you know what to use, lets get to the step by step.

Step 1:  Trim your photo.  Trim about an 1/8 inch on all sides so it fits just barely inside the canvas.  Remember the photo has to be MATTE finish, not glossy.  The texture cream will not adhere properly to glossy finished photos.

DIY Canvas Photos (18)

Step 2:  Glue the photo to the canvas.  Use a foam brush to spread wood glue all over the canvas in a thin, even layer.  Be sure to focus on the edges and corners.  DIY Canvas Photos (17)

Place the photo on the glue (canvas) and press from the middle to the all the edges to smooth out any bubbles.DIY Canvas Photos (16)

Step 3:   Turn the canvas over and continue to press from the middle out.

DIY Canvas Photos (15)

Place something on top if you can while it dries.  This will help ensure there are no bubbles.  A book or box is great!DIY Canvas Photos (14)

Step 4:  Apply texture cream.  Use the foam brush to paint a layer of the texture cream all over the photo.  It will look white and foggy.  Then use the foam roller to smooth it all out.  The foam roller is CRITICAL to get that canvas texture.  You can see the left side has been rolled, the right side has not.   DIY Canvas Photos (13)DIY Canvas Photos (12)

Here’s a closer look.  It looks white and foggy when wet, but it dries clear and has the exact texture of canvas!DIY Canvas Photos (11)

Let it dry for a few hours and it’s ready to display!DIY Canvas Photos (7)DIY Canvas Photos (3)

Can you see the canvas like texture?  I tried to capture it the best I could with the camera.  It looks and feels just like canvas!  It’s amazing!  I can see all the $$ savings already.DIY Canvas Photos (2)DIY Canvas Photos (6)

Another finishing option is to paint the edges of the canvas as in the example below.  DIY Canvas Photos (20)

For this look, use a foam brush and dab black paint on all the sides of the canvas BEFORE applying the texture cream.  Dab the paint on the edges of the actual photo just a bit too to blend it all together.  I love both looks!  DIY Canvas Photos (21)

What do you think?  Are you ready to rock your photos?  This DIY canvas technique is definitely on my favorites list of projects we have DIY’ed.   I will never pay for canvas photos again.DIY Canvas Photos (4)

 

Linking up to some of these parties:

Sunday: Keeping it Simple-Block Party
Monday: Creatively Living Blog-Monday Funday,  Skip To My Lou Made by you Mondays, Your Homebased Mom– Inspiration Monday, Home Stories A-Z, DIY Showoff, Sand & Sisal-Inspire Me Monday, Sugar Bee Crafts-Show and Tell, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia-Inspire Me Monday
Tuesday: Tastefully Frugal-Dream, Create, Inspire
Wednesday: Cherished Bliss-Moonlight & Mason Jars, Oh my! Creative-Whimsy Wednesday,  Gingersnap Crafts-Wow Me Wednesday, The Life of Jennifer Dawn-A Little Bird Told Me, The Turquoise Home-Work it Wednesday
Thursday: Artsy Fartsy Mama,  The Happy Scraps-The Creative Exchange, Love Grows Wild-The Inspiration Gallery, Love of Family & Home-Inspire Me Please, Practically Functional-Creativity Unleashed
Friday:  Craft-O-Maniac-The Creative Collection, Lady Behind the Curtain-Best of the Weekend, Fry Sauce and Grits-BeYOUtiful, Just us Four-Pinworthy Projects, Today’s Creative Blog-Link Party Palooza, Craftaholics Anonymous-Friday Finds
Saturday: Whipperberry-The Party Bunch

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Comments

  1. Anjie Behunin says

    March 5, 2016 at 4:29 am

    Missed your segment…darn work! But I want to try this soon! Just gotta choose a great picture. Thank you!

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