I want our home to reflect me and Jeff, not what a designer or a company that sells interiors says I should have on my walls and beds. I would rather make something, if I can, than buy it such as curtains, quilts, artwork, doilies, etc…

Now I am no artist but I can snap a picture and play on the computer a bit.

I’ve been looking for something like this to hang in our dining area but didn’t want to spend the money.

Jeff had this old frame given to him. It was falling apart but I just love it so I knew that was the size of artwork I wanted. He re-enforced it for me and I added a couple of coats of white paint that I had in the bottom a of wall and trim paint can. I didn’t do a great job on it because I wanted it to look distressed.

I decided I wanted a picture that reflected our home. I love my crocheted table cloth that I use when we are having company or a special occasions.

I had this white pitcher I picked up from the thrift store a couple months ago for $3.

I had a few silk peonies (my favorite flower) in an arrangement in my bedroom so I took those out and put them in this pitcher and stuck in a few real roses.

I added a set of salt and pepper shakers I never use but love none the less to give it a bit of an old-world look.

(before)

I snapped a bunch of pictures as the afternoon light was shining in and then edited them in Picmonkey. I cloned out a lot of the background to make it darker, then played around with the lighting and color settings until it was how I wanted it. This does not take skill, it’s kind of like coloring, you just need a little practice.

(after)

I saved it at full resolution, but because it was being enlarged so much it lost a lot of its clarity, which I think makes it look much more like an old painting.

I went to Wal Mart and had a 16×20 poster made with a mat finish, that was about $12. Picked up a small bottle of Mod Podge (mat finish) while I was there, that was about $3 (it doesn’t take much).

I already had a piece of foam board (kind of like poster board but ticker) at home so that didn’t cost me anything. You could use a thick piece of cardboard or even a piece of thin wood such as plywood. If you want the canvas look it doesn’t have to be a super smooth surface, just make sure there are no huge gaps in the grain. Cut the board the same size as your photo/poster.

I used a 2″ paint brush to apply a thin coat of Mod Podge to the foam board (the Mod Podge will wash out of the brush when you are done).

I let it air dry for a minute so it would stick better. Then I laid the picture on top carefully, smoothed it out and then added a layer of Mod Podge to the top of the picture.

I did all the brush strokes in one direction (from side to side), let it dry for 20 minutes and then added a second coat of Mod Podge brushing from top to bottom and then letting it dry for another 20 minutes.

The brush marks show a little when the light hits it just right which is what gives it a canvas look. You could use a paint roller if you don’t want brush marks.

There is no glass in the frame.

I used my hot glue gun to seal the picture in the frame.

Maybe next summer when the roses are in bloom I may try to re-do this and make it look a little more like this color scheme!

I really want to use a picture of my grandmother’s farm for a nice piece of canvas-looking artwork. That would be something special to hand down to the children one day… when I get time.