Sweet Rak from some Sweet Ladies!

Thanks again to Nik, and April & Scarlet from Studio Calico!

Easy Kitchen Canvas

Just wanted to share an easy project that I finished today. It will be hanging in my freshly painted kitchen right above my sink. Maybe it will make the task of washing dishes a little more bearable!!!

I really love to make canvases. They are quick, fun, and best of all you get to showcase them in your home, rather than getting stuck inside a scrapbook that you may only occasionally look through.
I took a couple "in-progress" photos of my project to help you along.

Step 1:
paint the edges of 8x24 inch canvas with brown acrylic paint. I did a very uneven coat of paint to give it a varigated look. After the paint dried, I rubbed on the Adirondack paint dabber on the edges of the canvas and made uneven horizontal marks across the width of the canvas giving it a "wood-look" finish.



Step 2:
Cut your paper to cover the canvas. For the striped pattern, I cut 2- 6x12 inch pieces of paper. For the accent stripe along the bottom, I used 2- 2x12 inch strips.
I had to cut about 1 to 1-1/2 inches off the 2nd strip to fit onto canvas, leaving a 1/2 inch border on all edges. The papers I used were from the Felicity Line from Scribble Scrabble: Forget-Me-Not&Aqua, and Ferns,Flowers & Gumdrops.

Step 3:
Attach your paper strips to canvas. I used Golden Gel Medium brushed directly onto the canvas. I have also used US ArtQuest Perfect Paper Adhesive with good results as well, although this is a bit runnier than the Gel Medium and can wrinkle thin papers. Now your canvas should look a little bit like this:

Step 4:

Cut flowers or other motif out of patterned paper. I used the Crimson Daisy&Chocolate paper from Scribble Scrabble.

Step 5:
Now comes the fun part--adding the decorations.
First I used Glue Dots to add the decorative trim to separate the striped pattern and the brown flower pattern. The trim is from my February add-on kit from studio calico. I want to say it might be from Paper Valise, but am not sure on that! I also added 2 blossoms from Petaloo, in opposite corners of the canvas. I added 2 paper flowers cut from the patterned paper on either side of the large blossom in the upper left. In the center of the paper flowers I added vintage turquoise buttons.

I used the Prima Times Chipboard Alphabet to spell out my saying "make every day count"


And if you're looking for other ideas...here's another canvas that I did a while back. Give Thanks Canvas

If you have questions, I'd love to help you out. Just post a comment, making sure your e-mail or blog is accessible!

HAPPY CRAFTING!!!

5.08.08

Give yourself a perfect day.
Do what makes you happiest.
Look upon what gives you joy.
Speak to those who warm your heart.
Listen to that which lifts your spirit.
Surround yourself with sights and sounds
and people who give you pleasure.
For all the happiness you give to others
all year long, give yourself a perfect day.

This is what I'll be doing today.
Until next time...