Decorating with Pictures at Clean and Scentsible

So happy to have Jenn joining us today! I love the 3-d canvas art she is sharing, and I like ‘em BIG, a girl after my  own heart;) Also lovin’ that sweet image of her boys at the end…adorable.

Hello! My name is Jenn.  I blog over at Clean and Scentsible where I share my organization projects, easy DIY projects and crafts, and fun ways to celebrate the holidays.   I’m very excited to be participating in Kristen’s series as I have always LOVED decorating my home with photos.  It is amazing how photographs can always bring you back to your favorite moments and make you smile when you are having a rough day. Our house is filled with photos -from the walls to the shelves, you can always find at least a few special photos in each room! One of my favorite things to use to display my photos is canvas.  You can find them in almost any size and they are so easy to customize.  Although you can always send away to have your photos mounted onto canvases, they are so easy to do on your own and cost so much less!  Here are a few of the canvas projects that I have done…

Right now I am working on decorating up one of our walls in the hallway.  I added a couple of shelves and wanted a large photo mounted on a 26×20 canvas for the top shelf.

I generally buy our canvases at one of our local discount stores {the prices are all under $10} but you can find deals at any of the major craft stores as well.

MATERIALS

• canvas
• photo of the same size {make sure that it is a MATTE finish rather than glossy}
• mod podge or Quick Grip Glue
• sponge brush
• roller
• sanding block

TO DO

• Before you start, place the photo over the canvas and make sure that it does not need to be trimmed down.  The canvases are not always even and I do occasionally trim the photos down slightly.  Do not worry if it is not a perfect match.
• I often like to paint the edges of the canvas out in a darker color {although I did not do it with this project}.  If you want to paint, paint the edges of the canvas with a slight overlap onto the front of the canvas.
• Spread the mod podge evenly around the canvas with the sponge brush, paying close attention that you are getting the corners and the edges as well.
• Using a roller {you could always use a rolling pin or cup as well} roll along the edges of the photo.  Turn the canvas over and roll over the back of the photo to get rid of any little bubbles.
• Take a sanding block and sand along the edges of the photo {just sand down rather than up and down so the photo does not lift off}.  This helps to blend the photo more into the canvas.

Thank-you so much to Kristen for having me today!  I hope that this gives you some inspiration for incorporating some of your favorite photos into your home.  I would love to have you drop in at Clean and Scentsible to say hello!