Faux Canvas Prints

Ever since my friend created some super-cute Faux Canvas Prints in September, I've been anxious to make some myself. It wasn't until my crafty-nesting bug (yes, instead of just having the urge to clean while preggo, I get uber crafty) hit me in December that I finally got inspired and made it happen.

This is what was originally on the wall above Jackson's dresser/changing table. I got these picture frames from a thrift store and painted them when I was pregnant with Jackson (see, I'm telling you... pregnancy = craftiness). There were a few pieces of broken glass and the frames were a funky size to ever get it replaced. The weird size also made getting prints to fit very tricky. Anyway, I was ready for something new.

 

I had grown to love several of the pictures though, so I knew I had to incorporate them into my new project. I browsed through the hundreds (thousands?) of photos of Jackson looking for the best face shots and I used Picasa to crop the pictures into squares and to make the black and white. Diane used 12x12 prints, but since I was going to be making a collage of the prints, I thought 8x8 would suffice. Thanks to a friend, I was able to purchase through Costco, as well, and I paid a total of $16 something for all 9 prints. That included shipping to the house. 

Step by step instructions can be found on her site here and she answers questions here. She took photos of each step so it's easy to follow along.

If I were to do this again, I would:

• probably consider the 12x12 size anyway
• be sure to pay for nicer plywood- (she used birched, I have no idea what I used... it split when it was cut and was very, very rough)
• double check the cuts by the Home Depot Guy (I had 3 perfect 8x8 pieces, and the rest were all off).

So this is what it looks like all up on the wall. It is impossible to keep the pictures straight when a little squirmy two year old can't keep his finger and toes off of them during diaper changes! The prints are in chronological order from just weeks old until two years old. I love looking at how he's changed and I absolutely LOVE the personality that shines through each picture!