First Dance + Song Lyrics Wedding Picture Part 2: How to Make a Photo Canvas

A few weeks ago, I showed you how to create a Wedding Song Lyrics Picture. Now it is time to mat that picture to a canvas to turn it into some beautiful + sentimental home decor artwork.

If you're like me, you love the look of those beautiful printed photo canvas's many places are now offering. Those things start at around $40 a pop! I figured out a way to make them- super cheap, without sacrifices any of the quality.

First I printed out the picture. I sized my picture to an 8x10 when I created it, so that's the size I printed it out as. I like to use Snapfish.com to order my pictures. I like the convenience of being able to choose if my pictures will be shipped to me, or if I am going to go pick them up at one of their pick up locations. I typically order them and have them shipped to me. It is cheaper that way, and I like their quality better than the in store locations. However, this time I ordered it online and picked it up at Walgreens. The quality was pretty good, thankfully.

For this project, you'll need: 

A photo ($3.99 Walgreens through snapfish)

A Canvas the same size as your photo ( $4 while on sale at JoAnn Fabrics)

Black paint (already had)

Paintbrush (already had)

A sponge brush ($1 at dollar store)

Mod Podge (not pictured above) ($10 for 16 oz on Amazon Mod Podge Original 16-Ounce Glue, Matte Finish, but you will use less than an ounce for this project. I already had some. It's great to keep around the house since it can be used for so many projects)

First, I painted the sides of the canvas black. I typically leave mine white because I like the look, but for this photo I did paint the sides because the photo I am using for this project is dark with a lot of black shadows. (I have also seen people use scrapbook paper or fabric for the sides, but when I tried it, it didn't work out too well, and I ended up giving up on that step.) 

You don't have to paint the whole canvas. Just the sides like in the picture below. 

After that is dry, put a layer of Mod Podge on the top of the canvas. 

{A little note about Mod Podge. This stuff is amazing. There are many different kinds and finishes of Mod Podge. For my canvas's I use the matte finish because canvas's are not shiny. There are also recipes out there to make this stuff. It's basically just like school glue.}
This link below will take you to Amazon.com to buy matte finish Mod Podge. If you buy using this link, I will get conpensation for your purcahse because I am a part of Amazon Associates, an affiliates program.
Mod Podge Original 16-Ounce Glue, Matte Finish

Lay the photo on top of the canvas, and make sure the sides line up with the sides of the canvas. 

With the sponge brush, coat the top of the photo with mod podge. This layer should be an even layer of horizontal strokes only. It goes on white, but don't worry, it dries clear. *Wash out your brush with warm water in between coats. The mod podge dries fast, and if it dries on the brush you won't be able to use the brush for the next coat.* Let the first coat dry completely before moving on.

Next, do a layer of even vertical strokes. Let it dry completely.

Lastly, I touched up my black painted sides with more black paint. Probably something I should have done first, but I was impatient.

I like to do my canvas's this way because the two layers of horizontal lines then vertical lines dries, and you can see the cross sections, so it looks like an authentic printed photo canvas. I have so many of these up around my house, and I get so many compliments on them. If you look at the picture below, you can see how good the cross lines look. 

I hung my photo canvas in our master bedroom above two frames that already had wedding pictures in them. I think it adds the perfect personalized touch. This would make an excellent anniversary present for someone. 

Here are a few other photo canvas's around my house: 

(This gallery is over our living room couch. Our amazing family photo's were taken by Hello Darlin Photography)

You can really do a lot with these canvas's. They look so good, and can transform any space. Send me your finished projects when their done! I want to see them! 

HootandBumble@gmail.com

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Elizabeth

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 {I did not receive any money from picmonkey.com or snapfish.com for recommending them. All thoughts are my own.}