Portrait Canvasses {DIY Art}

This is one of my favorite projects ever. I'm thrilled with how these canvasses turned out, and for super-cheap! It's not a new project and it's certainly not the only how-to out there, but I wanted to share it because I still puffy-heart love it. So here's my original post from a year and a half ago!

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I love the look of canvas portraits, don't you? 

Sometimes you can find pretty good deals, but even those good deals times three kids can really add up! I decided to find out a way to do it cheaper. 

$2.50 each, in fact! 

Here's how.

I started by taking a jump drive to Staples and asking for 8 1/2 x 11" color copies of my high resolution images on card stock for 98 cents each.

Then I went to Michael's and bought a 10-pack of 8 x 10 canvasses for $25 on sale for $20 plus my 20% off coupon which means I really paid $16. $1.60 each isn't bad!

Next I painted the canvasses with white paint to act as glue. Mod podge would be better, but I didn't have any. I knew the paint would work as glue because of this project. 

I had already trimmed the white edges off the pictures--don't bother! Just try to center the picture on the canvas because you'll have to trim it down and you don't want to cut off too much of your kiddo's head!

Press and smooth out the back side of the canvas.

I was worried about the card stock wrinkling, so I weighed it down with books in the middle and left it overnight. 

The next day I trimmed the edges off the card stock with a razor--I'm fancy like that! I'm sure an exacto knife would do the trick.

Then I went over the edges with a fine-grit sandpaper. You could paint the edges of your canvas if you want, but I like the white with the bright colors.

To really protect your canvasses, you could paint on another layer of mod podge over the top, or polycrylic. I haven't done that yet, but I plan to! 

Here you can see that it did wrinkle a little, but it's only noticeable from a certain angle.

I love my new canvas portraits, and coming in at $2.50 each, I made a copy for the grandparents too!

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Just in time for the holidays! Break out those cameras and get some shots of your kids in the pretty leaves, then make some portrait canvasses for the grandparents!

This is Day 17! Come back for another two weeks of awesome DIY art ideas!

Gallery Wall V {DIY Art}

While some may prefer gallery walls with little structure and lots of room for growth, others prefer a more planned-and-organized approach.

Such is the case in my in-law's living room. When my mother-in-law, Helen, asked me to create a gallery wall for her to hang portraits of her grandchildren, we sat down with my computer and looked at Pinterest. I'm glad I took that step with her, because I learned immediately that she preferred the measured, evenly spaced gallery walls over the more organic ones.

This took some planning! I laid everything out on the floor and arranged and rearranged for quite some time! Then of course, in the next few days of painting frames to match and finding a couple more frames at the store, the layout changed before I got it on the wall. 

We had the freedom in this space to have the display be as big as it needed to be. We were working with that heating/cooling vent, however, and aiming to ground the middle of the room with our collected art display. I think everyone was pretty pleased how it all turned out!

We liked it even more after we rearranged the furniture. The gallery wall really frames the couch! The only picture I had of the new arrangement was with my cell phone.

If you're considering hanging a collection of art, especially if putting them together would create a bigger impact on your walls or work to center your room or play off a large piece of furniture, I highly recommend spending a few minutes online to see what style you like. Take the time to plan a more structured look, or start with a large piece and work out. Don't forget to have fun! Holes in the wall can be fixed!

This is day 16 of my 31-Day series of DIY Art for your home! We're at the end of the gallery wall section, but there's still half of the series left! 

See you tomorrow!

Gallery Wall IV {DIY Art}

Grouping like photos to make a giant display is art. For sure. It's bringing together many different though similar items and making a big statement out of them.

This particular gallery wall was in a stairwell and included a window and a corner. I collected black frames for awhile--many weren't originally black, but a can of glossy black spraypaint took care of that! I framed as many pictures of my boys as I could before starting my gallery wall. I included a few frames with blue mats, a couple pictures that were black and white, and one or two snapshots, but mostly posed pictures taken in a studio.

And then I started making holes in the wall.

I started in the corner and then the window. I filled in the space between and worked out. I was more careful than with yesterday's more organic approach, but tried not to line up too many edges so it could still "grow".

I also hung empty frames. There are pictures I need to print! Sadly we moved before I had time to print them, but I did do some and that's progress!

Here's a tip about hanging frames in a stairwell: They will get bumped. I hung most of these frames with two screws--something about how the wall was built made pounding nails impossible. Some of them still needed some poster putty or sticky-backed velcro strips to keep them from going wonky every time someone bounced down the stairs!

But I loved this gallery wall because I got to stare at my kids! It took the pictures out of storage and put them where they could be enjoyed! It also transformed a boring stairwell with ugly carpet, weird handrails and a desperate need for paint into something that was fun to look at! To see the original post about this stairwell gallery wall, visit this post!

And it taught me the value of a well-patched hole the day we moved out. Because I patched every one!

Today is Day 15! Are you planning a gallery wall yet?

Gallery Wall III {DIY Art}

My personal favorite gallery-wall look is one that is collected, organic, has time and space to grow, and has something about it that surprises you.  You can see the original post about this wall here.

In this gallery wall, the third version of itself, I threw in two rustic-looking signs too keep the white looking too clean and tidy.

And then there's the duck. What gallery wall display is complete with out a rubber ducky?

What I'm trying to say is that fear can get in the way of a really great gallery wall. I've tried the planning-it-out method, and for some looks, that's great--and important. But for this free-verse version, don't plan it! Just start with a center piece and work out.

Here's my scientific gallery wall hanging method:

I used the frame with the paint strips in the center of the wall at a height that I liked. I then hung the two baby-in-the-bathtub frames beside the paint strip art so the tops would line up. Then I added the "I am a child of God" sign so the right side would line up with the right side of the paint-strip frame. Next, I centered the "family" sign under the center frame. The last few items--the box and moon and star on the right and the small mirror on a ribbon on the left--were hung where they felt right. 

So much for being scientific.

I planned to move the small sun frame when I had more pictures to hang, which would help with balance and scale. See, those things are scientific!

What I'm trying to say is that there is no right way to hang a gallery wall! If you want the collected look, start with your largest piece in the middle, then work out from there. They eye likes things to line up and be centered, so try to loosely follow those guidelines. Also watch for balance and scale, but pay attention to how colors play with each other. Just make sure you own a small bottle of nail-filler and learn how to use it!

Today is day 14 of my 31-Day Series! Hope you're enjoying it--I am!

In other news, I opened an Etsy store! It's called ElliesAshes and you can find it here! I'll be listing more items soon!

Gallery Wall II {DIY Art}

Yesterday we reviewed a gallery wall that originally hung in our third son's nursery in Iowa. Today we're looking at another gallery wall that many of those original pieces ended up in. It's from our guest room in Ohio. This time the collection looks more organic, like I added pieces over time. It's also less rustic and a little more colorful. Which version do you like better?

It's Day 13 of my 31-Day Series for October!

(This is a re-post from May. Dude, it's the weekend!)

I knew since most of the furniture from Josiah's nursery would now be used in our guest room, the white frames would follow suit. Here's where it is now.

I've been picking things that are a little more colorful for the guest room than for the nursery. I added the two pictures of my little guys in the bathtub too (still need to edit and print the third--oops!). 

This wreath hung on the barn door headboard at our old house. Remember it? I hung it on an empty frame that used to feature a cute little outfit in the nursery.

And then there was this empty frame from the nursery that had twine strung on it. Why not clip some paint chips to it? Instant color! 

Moral of the story: If it's cute, put a frame on it! Or if it's the right size or texture, or if you can group like items together, or if you just like a bunch of pretty things, frame them! And if your frames don't match, spray paint is your friend!

Gallery Wall I {DIY Art}

 

 As part of my 31-Day Series, I have to include gallery walls! In the next few days I'll be posting about different styles of gallery walls that I've done. It's also the weekend, so it's time for a re-post! This one was written in July of 2011 when I was finishing up our third son's nursery. It remains one of my most popular posts, despite the lack of photography skills and complete neglect of photo editing. I still love this gallery wall, even if it only exists in pictures on my blog!

It's hard to get projects done around my real job!

I'm sure all you moms out there know what I'm talking about. You wouldn't think it would take several days to get a few things hung on a wall, but it did for me this week. It seemed there was never a chunk of time to get it done!

Guess how much this gallery wall cost? No? Ok, I'll tell you! $1!!

I know, I know, major blogger faux pas--nighttime pictures. Please refer to above paragraph!

I also use a point-and-shoot camera! Another faux pas! 

I really like how this gallery wall came together. And all for $1!

Oh, look! Daylight pictures! Yeah, my flash still went off and the blue looks too blue.

My husband made this star for our first married Christmas tree. Aw... 

I like the natural element and the texture it brings.

This is a Creative Memories item. I'm using it for a calendar to mark all of baby's firsts. 

(I have to admit, I'm not doing so well keeping up on this! Third child syndrome!)

I love the idea of displaying a special outfit as art! So cute!

I chose this tan knit Wendy Bellissimo puppy outfit to bring some warmth to the wall. This outfit was a gift from my dad and his wife for our oldest. I just hung the hanger from a loop of ribbon attached to the back of the picture frame--nothing permanent. I plan to switch it to something else if and when the mood strikes.

This is where I spent the big bucks. A whole dollar! At the one yard sale I've been to all summer.

First I gave the frame a couple coats of spray paint (it was brown), then I threaded twine thru the staples sticking out of the back of the frame. You know, the ones that should be holding the glass, the photo or art, and the back of the frame together? The ones that kill your fingers when you decide to pry them off to switch out the picture? Yeah, those!

I've had this little star mirror for longer than I've had kids. It's painted metal of some kind--tin? My Mom bought it at our favorite coffee shop near her old house. Where she still lived when she bought it. Where we all used to live, like, when we were still kids. 

This lovely piece of fencing will soon display baby's name. At this point in the game, all I wanted to do was get. everything. on. the. wall. Now.

This piece is a couple inches deep and opens up. There are little hooks inside for keys. Before it found a home in the nursery, it was in storage for a few years. Before that, I used it in my condo during my single days. Before that, my BFF/SIL used it in her apartment. Before that it was for sale somewhere. Ross? Before that it was probably made is some factory with special attention to making it look old and shabby... Even though it was brand new. Hmm.

So there you have my nursery gallery wall for $1!

And I can get a good night's sleep knowing I got a project done today!

I love my real job.