A Little Thanks....

As I look around the web, I see tons of people giving thanks. This is so awesome and I should be doing it myself. When I start to think about the things I am thankful for, sarcasm tends to get the best of me! 

Just as I read the first few posts on Facebook this morning, my husband gives our two daughters whistles. Whistles-wth?! The first thing that pops into my head is--I am so thankful my daughters have those whistles. I will NEVER have to worry about them getting attacked by wild animals now! I guess I should just be thankful I have those two amazing little girls and shut my big mouth! 

Anyways, I just finished a massive monogram order. 45 items was a lot to get out in 4 evenings after recovering from the stomach virus vacation we all took. So back to reality and crafty land! Today I had a couple of photo canvases to work on for my sis-in-law. 

PHOTO CANVAS HOW-TO

These canvases are amazing. I have a whole wall done in my living room and they look fabulous. There is no way I could have afforded to have that many pictures in canvas otherwise. This awesome little trick allowed me to do 10 of these for less than $50!!!!

First pick a photo and decide on a size. If you choose to do a larger size canvas, make sure your photo is a high enough resolution. I usually put a dark vignette around my pictures using Photoshop or Picasa (FREE) before printing them. This will help the picture blend with the edge of the canvas. I print most of my pictures at Sam's. It is only $6 for a 16 x 20.  You can pick up a two pack of canvases for about $5 using the 40% off coupon at Hobby Lobby. You will need your photo and canvas (the same size, whatever you pick) plus these items. 

I almost forgot the ModPodge....the greatest stuff ever! I use matte finish ModPodge for black and white pictures and glossy for color pictures. 

Lay the picture on top of the canvas and then trim the picture so that you can see a little bit of canvas on all four sides. 

Paint the outside edges of the canvas black and make sure you get about 1/4 of the canvas on top as well. You don't have to be neat about this. No one will ever see! Let the paint dry for about 5 minutes before you go on to the next step. **If you want a nice damask or other print on the outside edges of your canvas, you will need to add that now with ModPodge.** I started skipping the decorative stuff after I made about 20 of these because you never really notice it. 

Next, you put a generous coat of ModPodge on the canvas and the back of the picture. As soon as you get them both coated, you will turn the picture over and place it on the canvas. Be sure to smooth it out. 

This last step is the ONLY step that is really, really important. You will apply a thin layer of ModPodge over the photo. You need to start on one side and make long, smooth strokes all the way over to the other side. Make sure you apply it evenly and that you leave straight brush marks. It will make a huge difference when it dries. The picture will look all cloudy like this until it dries. You can see here that the bottom is already starting to dry. 

This is another beautiful canvas that I made today. Love the gorgeous canola field (pic taken in Canada :) 

Have fun!