Project: Picture Canvas

Rick and I don't buy each other Christmas gifts, but every year at Christmas time, when all the sales are going on, we agree to spend between $30-$40 for a canvas picture of the family to go on the wall. Here are the last two we have done:

They are nice, but as I said, $30-$40 a pop ON SALE. So when I saw a BEAUTIFUL picture canvas at my hairstylist's salon of her three children, I commented and her response was, "Yeah, my sister did that for me for like, $11." I asked for details and it seemed simple enough. However, being well aware that my craftiness factor is in the negative numbers, I went into it understanding that I would probably be wasting $11.

Step 1: Gather Materials
16x20 canvas - $7 (with coupon)
Picture, blown up to 16x20 at Copy Max - $1.95
Foam brush - set of 3, $1.29
Mod Podge - free (my mom had it)

Step 2: Trim the Picture
You can pay the copy place to do it, but it cost more than the picture, so I had Rick do it. He has excellent fine-motor skills and a very steady hand.

Step 3: Apply Mod Podge

Cover the surface with a thin layer of mod podge.

Step 4: Apply Picture

Press the picture onto the glue by pulling it tightly and pressing. It took four hands for this. I was planning to wrap it around and glue it, but Rick said the staple gun would be easier. He was right.

Step 5: Apply Top Coat
Brush the top with a coat of Mod Podge.

Final Product:

:(
I was disappointed. The one in the hair salon did NOT look like this. I specifically asked if this was regular paper and she said yes, but I think if I had photo paper, it would have worked much better. Of course, it would have cost a lot more, too.

We went ahead and hung it up in the living room, and you can't tell from certain angles. I am going to look into blowing up an actual picture on photo paper and repeating the process, but I'm guessing that will be quite expensive. This will do for now.