One day, My Mr. Right found a whole box of picture frames on Craigslist, in the free section no less. He grabbed them for me. Because I’m a lucky girl like that… who needs flowers, right? I’d rather have craft supplies any day. Well, as to be expected, there was a reason the frames were free. They weren’t totally trashed but had definitely outlived the stage of being an actually picture frame. I hung on to them because, well, I’m a packrat. It’s a genetic disease, it’s not my fault. I got it from both my mom and dad. I knew, eventually, I’d figure out something to do with them though.
After I made my Crate & Barrel inspired knock off lantern out of Dollar Tree picture frames, I got to brainstorming what else I could do with my box of frames. Yes, I have an entire box of nothing but picture frames. No pictures in them or nothin’! We’re talking about a banana box from the grocery store… Total waste of space in front of my dresser. And it makes it kinda hard to get into the dresser… So, I got to brainstorming. I had a canvas drop cloth that I had originally planned to make curtains out of, but when I found black out panels at the thrift store for $3 a piece I scrapped that idea. The drop cloth was two times that expensive and all I had to do with the panels was hang them. It was a done deal. But, I never returned the drop cloth.
I’m really loving the canvas gallery wall look right now, but pre-stretched canvases can be expensive if you’re trying to create a whole wall. So… I created my own.
You’ll Need:
– Picture Frames
– A Staple Gun
– Staples
– Iron
– Canvas Drop Cloth
Here’s the How:
1) I took two 8×10 picture frames that were identical, even down to the way they were losing their finish. I used LocTite glue and glued them together so that the front of the frames were touching. I set some heavy books {my box of} scrapbook paper on top of the frames and let them dry overnight. I also grabbed a couple of identical 8×10” and didn’t glue them together. Both worked, it just depends on how thick you want your canvas to be.
2) I spread out the drop cloth and laid the frames on top of it. I cut around the frames, leaving enough excess to pull the fabric around the frame and to the back.
3) Iron the canvas. You’ll be sorry if you don’t. Trust me.
4) Lay your frames back on top of the canvas. Pull it tightly, as tight as you can, around the frame and use a staple gun to secure it to the back. I folded the unfinished edges under, to help prevent fraying. You could also Fray-Check it. Continue until you have secured all four sides. You’ll have to play with the corners a bit to get them to lay nicely.
Trim the edges of the canvas if you want to. If you do that, make sure you fray check or super glue around the staples so your canvas doesn’t tear free of the frame.
Turn it over and decide what you’re going to decorate it with. A photo, paper, vinyl… the sky, and your creativity, are the limits. Bask in the thought of your own canvas on the cheap.
This project was free for me (except the box of staples I had to buy for the staple gun – $3 for 1250 staples, that’s A LOT of canvases). If you have to purchase everything you may be better off buying canvases on sale at the craft store. I used a HUGE (6×9’) drop cloth that set me back $10, but I bought it several months ago and never returned it so it was just sitting in my craft stash. I also have some other plans for it too. Use a smaller cloth if you try this. Unless you plan to make several or grab some friends and split the cost. (A 6×9’ cloth will give you approximately ten 16×20” canvases).
Happy decorating!
Krista
