The QUICKEST to complete project....EVER!

OK, on Saturday, I showed you the most time-consuming project ever. I was so excited and thankful that at least ONE project in the house was finally completed, that I couldn't wait to start on the next one.

WHAT WAS I THINKING?

In the before shots of my master bedroom, I had nine squares displayed above my bed in a grid.

I loved the look of those squares, but Styrofoam + scrapbook paper + humidity =

YUCK!

I started to think of a way I could get a similar look, but fix it so the humidity from the bathroom wouldn't effect it.

So, with a gift card and a 40% off coupon in hand, I headed off to Hobby Lobby.

I knew I wanted to use the scrapbook paper but I did NOT want to use the Styrofoam again. It was WAAAAAY too messy and complicated to try so soon after my last project.

Then I had an idea.....artist's canvas!

Artist's canvases come in many sizes, are lightweight, easy to hang, and very versatile.....and on sale!

I found a 30" x 40" canvas for $17.49....not too bad for something that large.

Then I went to the scrapbooking section....where everything was 50% OFF! I found several sheets that would match, and figured that I would need 12 sheets to cover my canvas. So, 12 sheets at $0.30/each = $3.60!

When I got home, I decided to take the plunge and try to start working on it before Jameson came home from school.

I started picking the sheets that I wanted to use and then picking the layout I liked.

Then I cut each piece to 10" x 10" with my trusty rotary cutter. When I bought a 30" x 40" canvas, I really wasn't thinking about the sizes of the paper, but it worked out SO well. 4 sheets across and 3 sheets down....PERFECT!

Well, maybe not quite so perfect.

Some of the papers have a creamy background, while others have a stark white background. They match....but they don't MATCH....you know what I mean?

And here is my little secret weapon.....

Distress Ink.

It is just an ink pad with a light, brown tint (it's available in lots of different colors) that you rub in spots or all over to give an "aged" look.

The right side has been "distressed", the left side is plain.

Here is a distressed sheet with a strip of the plain paper lying on top.

I went over all of the papers, even the one's that already had a creamy colored background. The Distress Ink just ties everything together.

Now, it's time for the messy part....Mod Podge.

I already had this at home, so I didn't have to purchase it for this project (yipee!)

I grabbed a sponge brush and slathered on the Mod Podge.
(sorry about the poor picture quality....my camera hates me)

And here is where I started to freak out. When the scrapbook paper touched the Mod Podge....it immediately started to wrinkle and bubble up. I couldn't think of a better way to attach the paper, so I just decided to work with it. I slathered on a super thick coat underneath and on top of the paper. Purposely leaving ridges and brush strokes.

Here is what it looked like after the glue dried. (Again, sorry for the poor picture quality)

Next, I took my trusty hot glue gun (this is just a poor imitation glue gun....I have a MAC DADDY glue gun somewhere in this house, but it chose to remain in hiding for this particular project), and glue ribbon over all of the edges. The ribbon wasn't on sale, but I did have my trusty 40% off coupon. So I ended up paying $6.75 for 16 yards of grosgrain ribbon.

Here it is after all the paper edges are covered.

Now to cover the edge of the canvas.

Here is the completed picture!

And here it is on the wall! (I swear the picture is straight....the photographer is the crooked one)

I LOVE IT and so did hubby!

It ended up costing less than $28.00 AND it only took about two hours to complete it....not including the Mod Podge drying time! (it does dry really quickly, however)

What started out being a negative in this project, the wrinkled, bubbling paper, really turned out to be an asset! Since my camera hates me, I wasn't able to get a really good picture of it, but the wrinkles give the whole piece texture and depth and helps it look more "expensive".

I really enjoyed doing this simple project and I hope I can come up with cute little projects like this. So, if anybody has any suggestions, I am all ears!

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Oh, and I just wanted you to know that "Grace" strikes again!

Jameson and I were looking at all of the workout gear in Sears while hubby was looking for some tools for work yesterday. When hubby came over, Jameson and I started showing him some of the "really cool things" we found. I walked over to one of those adjustable dumbbell sets and was showing hubby how easy it was to adjust the weight on them, when one of the 5 pound weights fell and landed right on two of my toes.

OUCH!

Today they are black and blue, but I think I've beaten and banged my poor feet up so bad, it doesn't even bother me anymore. I can still walk, so I guess that's all that counts.

Marty has decided he's going to pick out my next pair of shoes....

I wonder if those come in sling-backs?