It's doable...the flower wall art
Monday, January 23, 2012 at 12:58PM What started it all...
This was inspired by another Pinterest viewer, of which I've tried desperately to track down, I'm in the works though!-- The search comes to an end!! Thank you, CANDICE for such a beautiful and fun craft!! I have loved seeing all of the flowers that others have come up with :)
This is quite an easy project and it cost me a total of $13! I went to Michael's and bought the following:
-1 12x16 inch canvas $5.99 (with 40% off coupon, originally $9.99)
-1 Artist's Loft 4 oz acrylic grey paint $3.99 (I used the excess on this project)
-5 pieces of scrap book paper $3 total
I had the following:
-Mini hot glue gun and glue sticks (Michael's has these for about $3)
-Foam paint brushes (Michael's has these for about $1.50)
-Mod Podge (Please read reader comments before using)
STEPS:
1) Paint your canvas. Put the paint in a disposable container and paint it on, it will be see through at this time. Before you add a second coat, you must let it dry completely or it'll come off when you brush over it.
2) While your first coat is drying, cut a 2 inch wide strip off the bottom of each of your scrap book papers. Don't measure these cuts, just eyeball them.
3) Then cut that strip into 2-3 inch rectangles.
4) Starting at one corner of the square make a curved cut to the opposite corner.
5) And back again.
6) Ta-da you have a leaf now! Repeat this process and make them smaller and larger... I found that I made too many large ones (over 3 inches) and had to scale them down later.
7) Once you have a good sized pile of them, add your second coat of paint to your canvas. Remember to paint the edges too!
8) Let your canvas dry completely (I watched a movie). And begin to lay the leaves out starting with your center circle. (You can follow my picture below to get you started).
9) As you lay them out you might have to trim some leaves smaller or cut other larger ones. If you look closely I started with smaller leaves and as I worked my way out I used larger ones.
10) Now comes the fun part (sarcastism). Carefully pick up the center circle and stick some hot glue on it and put it back. Work your way out doing the same things on the leaves. When it gets to the edge wrap it over.
That's it!
IMPORTANT: Use Mod Podge wisely, I did not use Mod Podge because I liked the matte finish. One reader used it and said it ruined it because of the canvas. However, another reader used it and said it came out just fine. I would test the Modge Podge, (maybe on a side corner) before painting over the whole thing.
I'd love to see your creations and hear your comments so send 'em my way!!
Like this project? You might also enjoy this one!
Reader Comments (184)
I really appreciate your efforts. I love your ideas and concept. I might say you have made it just right.
I made it today and it worked out great! Awesome idea for artistically challenged people like myself haha super easy but fun at the same time. Thanks for the idea!
AWESOME PROJECT! :) Question though: I worked at Michael's for 5 years and did MANY crafts with Mod Podge on canvas, wood, metal, plastic, paper and various other mediums while teaching demos. I also have a friend who is an artist and he uses it in place of thickening mediums when he paints with acrylics. I'm not sure how it would ruin this project, so I'm a bit curious. What exactly happened to the canvas? Has anyone else had that problem with it? The mod podge could double as a base glue in place of the hot glue gun if you are like me and burn your fingers too much. :) (Obviously if the paint on the canvas is not dry, the mod podge will mix with it, and not dry clear...)
Please disregard that last comment, I realized the issue! Many people are using basic cardstock and construction paper which are generally pigment dyed papers, and they will bleed ink when wet. (Not all cardstock will bleed, but it's probably best to test it before putting any type of liquid on it.) If you do decide to do cardstock/construction paper, I would suggest sealing it with a spray seal if you want the gloss finish, it may still bleed a little, but it won't have the same dripping effect. Many spray paint manufacturers carry a gloss finish. :)
SUCH a wonderful idea! Thank you so much for posting! I made two 16x20 sized with the flower in the lower left corner for the left canvas and the upper right corner for the right canvas. In between the two, I put a third 16X20 canvas with a cute phrase made from wood letters. Now the three are on the wall above my bed, side by side, in place of a headboard! Thank you so much for the inspiration!
How about using those individual color paint chips from the paint store for some (all?) of the leaves? You can find some very good sized paint chips at certain stores (and smaller chips would work well for a smaller canvas). Lots and lots of different color choices and they are FREE! (You might have to make a few trips however.........stores might get a little upset if you walk away with 200 different color chips at a time!)
I was so excited to try this and it turned out really good. I used a 36 x 24 canvas. I also used the matte mod podge and it worked just fine. VERY happy with my results!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/81688246@N07/7484337266/in/photostream/
a closer up picture
http://www.flickr.com/photos/81688246@N07/7484397596/in/photostream/
We have a second-hand store that raises money to help women who are unemployed, leaving abusive relationships, etc. They sell tons of funky things for crafting, and among them, they sell wallpaper scraps for 10 cents each. I bought enough scraps for several projects for about $3. Check your second-hand stores before you drop big money on craft paper at art supply stores like Michaels. Don't get me wrong, I love Michaels, but saving money is good, too. You can also use wrapping paper that you buy off-season for a steal and make themed pictures.
Love it, thank you
I just made one of these and it came out beautiful! I used a 16x20 canvas. I did use Modge Podge to glue the leaves on the canvas and also to seal it. No problems. I just bought two 6x6 inch canvases and will be making matching ones to go with the larger one for my bathroom.
For those of you saying that mod podge ruined it... check the paper you used! If your paper is too thin and cheap quality the ink will run if you're not careful. Most scrapbooking paper is thick enough that this isn't a problem, but sometimes you find a cute pattern on a really thin paper... just wouldn't use those for any mod-podge project. I do mod podge on canvas all the time-- the canvas can handle it! Also, make SURE that you follow the directions on the container!!! They tell you to let it dry COMPLETELY between layers FOR A REASON! :)
how funny, i just picked up all of my supplies and got yellow paint as well as at least 2 of the same pieces of card stock as jessicam. super excited to get this going!
This was such great fun! I am not a crafty person in the least, but I had so much fun putting this project together. I love how customizable it is. I spent 45 minutes in Michael's picking out my favorite scrap book paper. I ended up choosing 13 different pieces, but it came together well. My grand total wasn't nearly as low as yours, but it was well worth it.
I love this project! I also Mod Podge all the time and agree with other comments just be careful if the paper is super thin, try to pick thicker paper to work with for Mod Podge projects and you should be fine!
This is adorable! definitely doing this!
i made this didnt read you instructions just did it and i used mod podge to glue down paper and go on top to seal looks fine if you tilt it you can see a slight out line uner the light of the mod podge but other then that perfect ive done 2 in the last 3 days
Crystal-
I LOVE how your canvas turned out! My daughter and I were looking for a fun project to create together for her bedroom and this was PERFECT! I found your canvas on Pinterest! Thanks so much for your "Pin"spiration......
Here's the one that we created http://agirlandapin.wordpress.com/2012/07/05/day-2-scrapbook-flower-canvas-art/
Thanks again! I love your blog and seeing your creations!
Blessings:,
Kirsten
I think I will try this project too. It looks easy and very creative.
I did find a few other inspirations for different versions, but using a tree. Here's what I mean.... http://freescrapbooks.blogspot.com/2011/05/clip-art-leaf-tree.html . It's only a picture of a tree, but I think the leaves are the same shape of this flower.
For Christmas, maybe this site...scroll down to the tree. http://www.flowervector.com/tag/drawn
Or a tree with swirly limbs similar to tree #2 http://www.quiltinglodgeblog.com/2012/03/stash-bee-tree.html .
I am definitely doing this! I love the idea!!