DIY Large Wall Decor On A Budget
6 Materials
$100
1 Hour
Easy
If you have been following me on Instagram or even if you have read a few of my posts then you should know things were bound to change on my mantel. I have had a mirror on my mantel since we moved in and while I liked the look of the mirror it was reflecting our dang ceiling fan that I'm not in love with. I live with hot blooded people and they would not survive without a fan in here (insert eye roll emoji). They ceiling fan reflection was.driving.me.nuts. But I am not a huge art fan. I can never find anything I love and usually when I do it's pretty expensive. Since I have commitment issues with my home decor I knew better than to spend tons of money on art at this moment in my life. So the mirror stayed up for over a year. There is beautiful art you can download and print on the internet for under $20. I spent days on Etsy and google looking at all the gorgeous prints until I found THE one! Head over to my blog to see where I found my beautiful print and how I had it printed at Staples for cheap! https://www.lanternlanedesigns.com/budget-friendly-diy-wall-art/.
Head over to your nearest craft store and pick up at large canvas. My canvas was a 36x36 and I purchased it at Hobby Lobby
Next up is to start adhering your print to your canvas. A few tips...be careful since your print is literally a piece of paper. It can rip easily. Ideally you should do this part outside since you are spraying glue. It was cold and snowing and I have no patience so I did this on my living room floor. I used Elmer's Craft Bond. This stuff is pretty easy to work with and isn't very messy (minus the part of it spraying glue). It's also pretty forgiving so if you mess up you can remove your print (carefully) and start over. Learned that the hard way.
I like to work in sections. I lightly spray some adhesive to the top of my canvas and adhere part of the print and work my way down, spraying and adhering. Try to spray light even coats...too much and your paper can wrinkle as it dries and too little and it might give you more air bubbles.
You'll also need to smooth out any bubbles as you go. A credit card works great. Since I don't cook I use this Pamper Chef thingy (seriously have no idea what this is) as my smoother outer. She works great on wallpaper too by the way!
Once your print is adhered you can technically be done or you can add a "frame" to your canvas. I wanted to frame mine so I walked around my local Lowe's and found 4 ft long lattice type strips. I didn't get the exact name of what I purchased. They might be pine (??). The sides of my canvas were about 1 1/2 inch thick so I knew I needed this size trim. I left my trim as is and didn't stain it since I like the look of light wood. If you want your "frame" to be painted or stained I would definitely do that step first. This is what I used.
If you are using a 36x36 canvas make sure your trim is longer than 36"-just trust me. I measured and cut my horizontal pieces first and then did the vertical pieces next. This trim was so easy to cut with my Mitre box saw. Also, depending how sharp your saw is you might need to sand some of your pieces after you cut them.
I did use my nail gun to nail the trim to my canvas since my canvas was wrapped around a wood frame. If you don't have a nail gun you can try to use wood glue or even a staple gun if your staples are long enough. I didn't fill any of my nail holes either since I am a rebel like that. I only used a few nails and most likely you won't see them on my mantle. You can use a wood filler if you want to cover your holes. But they are so tiny.
Once finished you can display your new beautiful art! This piece cost me less than $100 and looks like I spent so much more! Make sure to head over to my blog to get the full tutorial and few more helpful tips! https://www.lanternlanedesigns.com/budget-friendly-diy-wall-art/
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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2 comments
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i really love your carefree attitude! too many people stress out over such little details and get so hung up that they constantly overlook the simple joy of producing a personally made piece.....love your choice of print too by the way !! WELL DONE GIRL!😉
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Don’t know how I missed it , but I see you’ve already said where to get the print.
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I love it. Where can I find that print?