Girls Craft Night #7: Canvas Art

We’ve had this project on our list for many months now, and FINALLY the girls and I made us some cutie canvas masterpieces last night!

Yay! I think they turned out so cute! We’d been seeing this idea on Pinterest so much, like this oh-so-pretty one from It’s Doable…Crafts, Food and Life:

and one using toddler art (ADORABLE idea!) here, from Squash Blossom Babies:

Great use for all those kiddie masterpieces, right!?

The gals and I thought it would make a great Craft Night (aka  ‘Hanging Out in Our Pjs/Drinking Wine/Discussing Important Life Topics, Such as Christian Grey and Magic Mike/Stuffing Our Faces with Deliciousness While We, um, Make Something Crafty Night!’) project. Here’s what you need:
-a canvas (any size you want)
-scrapbook paper/toddler art/fabric – whatever you want to use for the petals
-Mod Podge
-foam brush to apply the MP
-scissors
-spray paint (optional)

Some of the girls kept their canvases white, and some spray painted ahead of time (needs to be dry before you apply the design!). I opted to spray mine. I took my 16×20 canvas outside and used some Krylon Pebble spray paint on it. Wasn’t sure just where I’d end up hanging it, and this is a nice neutral gray/beige-y color so I went with that.

A few coats will do – just have to make sure you can’t see through it, then you’re good;)

Then I sketched out a pattern to use, just to have an idea…

I apologize in advance for these pictures – my basement is not the best environment for taking great pics! 😉

Then I just started cutting out some petals – a mix of large and small ones. I had a bunch of scraps of scrapbook paper (ha!), so I just went with those. I cut a circle for the center and started laying them on the canvas (and didn’t mod podge anything until I knew how it was going to turn out!)…

As you’re laying out your design, see where you have empty space to fill and cut accordingly.

When you’re satisfied with the design, use your foam brush to brush the Mod Podge on the back, lay it on the canvas, and brush again over it. That’s it! When you’re all finished, you’ll want to brush over the entire canvas (even the plain sections) with Mod Podge, because even using matte finish, there’s a slight sheen on the spaces around the petals. You can only see it at certain angles, but still. Gives it a nice, finished look.

Ames in action, gettin’ her mod podge on.

One of my friends thought a little outside the box and decided to create a map of the United States on a large canvas, for her boys’ room. She brought a kids’ puzzle to help her trace the shape of each state! She didn’t get to finish last night, but it’s going to be SO SO cute, right?! I might have to make one of these for the playroom!

Here are some more pics of the different projects…

Super cute, right!?

Here’s how mine turned out…

So that was this month’s project! I don’t think this one will be the last canvas art I make! I think they’re so fun, and you can be so creative – the possibilities are endless. Between the colors you choose, the size, the design…you could make them a zillion different ways. What a great idea!