Fall Photo Canvas

For this week's Stampbook Saturday installment, I was going to use some of our new family photos to decorate an 8x8 scrapbook page, but then I was at the local dollar store the other day and saw this canvas/easel combo for ONE DOLLAR and couldn't resist! So this project is a bit of an ABC- Stampbook Saturday lovechild ;)

I didn't take pics of the process, as my fingers were SERIOUSLY to dirty to be touching the Nikon! I had my middle son, Jake, be my assistant. Helping by passing me the things I needed! haha!

I really have absolutely no idea what I was doing, so I think it turned out not too shabby, overall!
These are the basic steps that I did if you want to try your hand at altering a simple canvas into a scrappy family photo!

1. Paint the canvas with Gesso and let dry. You can speed along with your heat gun.
2. Adhere DP to the canvas. I used a dictionary pattern. I also used 1.5" double sided tape. I have found in the past that if you don't adhere the whole piece down, you will end up with bubbles and ripples, whether using Modpodge, Gesso or whatever other medium you might have. Also attach the picture using the same tape.
3. Paint another layer of Gesso. Don't paint entirely over the picture, just the edges. Let dry.
4. Stamp sentiment in Versafine ink and heat set.
5. Now the real mess begins. Using modeling paste and re-inkers (I used MFT's Hot Fudge, Electric Red, Kraft, Factory Green, Sour Apple, Gumdrop Green, Lemon Drop and Orange Fizz), make 'piles' of coloured paste on a painters palette (or the lid to an ice cream pail, if you are super professional like me). Stir with a toothpick to mix the colour into the paste.
6. Using your fingertip, pick up paste and daub onto canvas. It doesn't really matter in which order, but I went from browns to greens to red/orange/yellow. Your fingers are going to be a mess. Don't bother washing in between, colours can mix. Embrace your inner child. You know, the one that dipped the paintbrush in every colour without rinsing it off. We are trying to reproduce fall leaves, if you haven't already figured that out, and nature isn't perfect!
7. I then took a paintbrush and added flecks of white modelling paste for highlights.
8. Wait for this mess to dry.
9. Spray with Gold (or whatever you have) Perfect Pearl mist, cover the photo with a scrap of CS as you go. It's pretty much impossible to not get a mist of gold on the photo...it seems to find it's way under the CS. That's okay. I did this on a piece of cardboard in my storage room and it's safe to say the nearby summer shoe bucket got a mist of gold. I'm sure the boys will be thrilled ;) Use your heat gun to dry the mist.
10. Stamp the leaves. I used Electric Red and Gumdrop Green, as well as versamark with bronze and gold embossing powder. Fussy cut them out. Spritz the leaves with pearl mist. Shoot with heat gun.
11. I added some Hemp cord around the canvas. 
12. Using hot glue, affix the leaves to the canvas.
13. Tie a double hemp bow to an antique button and hot glue down.

For the easel portion of the product, I painted with white acrylic paint (also cheap dollar store find- no need to get fancy, it's an undercoat). After that dried, I used a sloppy technique to add Distress Crackle Paint (Tim Holtz) over top. This appalled my son, who is an aspiring artist. He now thinks I am the world's worst painter for missing so many spots.

 Wait for that to dry. It wasn't quite done to my liking, so I added another coat of crackle paint- this time in clear. It gave it a more shiney, finished look. Like a glaze would.

The TSG stamp set I used is called Autumn. And it can be yours for 9 easy instalments of $1.00 :) 

I hope you are having a wonderfall weekend! To all of our Canadian friends (like me!), Happy Thanksgiving!! May you be surrounded by the love of family and have a belly full of turkey dinner!

Thanks for hanging out with me this week!!