I love some of the nursery and kid’s room art I see in some of the high-end home decor catalogs. But then I see the price tag and quickly flip the page. But I got to thinking that my Cricut has some great artwork, and I’ve got a canvas on hand, and some Mod Podge….well, this came together in about 2 hours and took only about $15 in consumable materials!
Now, I used the cartridges I had on hand for this project- and depending on your kid, you may want to go a different way with it. Customize it however YOU like and make it your own!
For this project, I used:
- Cricut Expression
- Paisley Cartridge
- Winter Woodlands Cartridge
- Songbird Cartridge
- 12X24 cutting mat
- Gesso
- 16 X20 canvas
- foam brushes
- Core’Dinations Cardstock in colors that match your decor
- Distress Ink & applicator, optional
- Zip Dry Glue
- Perfect Pearls (blue, gold) You could also use a spray ink like Tattered Angels
- Mini Mister
- Fine-line paint brush
- Mod Podge
- Stickles
First I coated my canvas with a nice coat of Gesso with a foam brush. (It comes unprimed.)
While that was drying, I selected the cute owl image from the Paisley cartridge, and cut out all the layers using my Core’dinations paper. I cut it out at 7.5 inches. I love how all of the layers were programmed in, so all I had to do was choose the colors and load the mat! I glued them all together using the Zip Dry. Now, if you like, you can add some dimension by using the applicator and using some Distress Ink along the edges of the owl, under his chest ruffles, etc. It’s up to you.
Then I cut the branch from the Winter Wonderland cartridge, using the 12X24 inch mat. (It was also 7.5 inches high.) If you don’t have extra long paper, don’t worry! Just put TWO 12X12 sheets of paper on the mat and make sure they are REALLY stuck down- then cut out your large shape. You can hide that little seam later! I also cut out the berries for the branches and attached them. If you like you can use the gold Pearl-Ex mixed with a little water to create some detail on the “top” portion of the branches, as if the sun was shining on that area. Again, that’s optional…but I think it added a nice touch. I’d guess you could use paint pens or markers to add some details like bark or shading, too.
By now, the Gesso was dry, so it was time to add some color to my white canvas. I mixed up some Pearl-Ex in a mister bottle and spritzed the canvas. To blur the spatter marks, I dabbed it with a wet paper towel and created a little texture.
While that is drying, cut out the letters for the name- mine ended up being 2.5 inches high so that it would fit.
Now it’s time to glue everything down. Adhere the branch, and then perch your owl on top. Use a generous amount of Mod Podge- don’t skimp out. Add the name on the top, too. Then let it dry. I added a second coat about an hour later. Lastly, I added some to Stickles to the berries, chest ruffles, and flower on the owl wing.
All done! Don’t forget to sign your canvas art- folks will be amazed that it’s hand-made!
Disclosure: Originally published on CraftsUnleashed.com for their Design Team. Some of the product was provided by ConsumerCrafts.com– and those items have links to the site.
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Amy says
I, too, have a Cricut, plenty of paper, and canvas on hand (always buy some when it’s half off at the craft store) – just waiting for me to use. Thanks for the tip about priming the canvas surface, I wouldn’t have thought of that.
Jenny says
This is so cute! I do not have a Cricut machine and have always wondered if they were really worth it, as I am an avid crafter but not a scrapbooker. Thoughts?
Jenny says
I would have to sat that I’m not a huge scrapbooker- I do about 2 mini books a year! (I guess that would make me a mini-scrapbooker- ha!) and I rarely use my Cricut for that, anyway. However, I do use it for class parties, cards, tags, banners, signs, and other crafty projects. I found that once I had it, I came up with many ways to use it and “get my goody” out if it, you know? So maybe you wouldn’t want to invest in that latest-and-greatest machine, but there are great deals on Create and original Expressions. Hope this helps…craft on, -Jenny