DIY Wooden 'Canvas'

Psalm 37:4 mixed media on wood

Happy Friday everyone...and hello sweet weekend!  Today I'm going to show you how I made my first wooden 'canvas' step by step (used for the mixed media I've shown above).  For whatever reason, I LOVE the look of wood...absolutely love it!  So I decided to make something that would give me that luscious wood look for my art instead of always using a regular canvas.  I made this a little over a week ago but am dying to share my process with you so that you have the knowledge of how to make your very own wood 'canvas' too!  Off we go...

Step 1- Gather your supplies!  I was super antsy to start this project and chose to simply go to Home Depot for supplies rather than researching the cheapest options available.  Wood crates can also be used for free (as shown above on right) but I ended up still buying wood for the sake of making my first attempt easier to work with.  After finding wood that I thought looked good, I picked up a gorgeous wood stain, simple brush, and tube of liquid nails.  You will also need a pair of gloves, cloth or rag, saw, sandpaper, and tape measure (all of which I found at home).  The wood in the above left picture is enough to use for a few different wooden 'canvases' depending on the size that you're wanting...so don't feel like it takes that much to make one!  Size and quantity is completely up to you. 

Step 2- Sand and Cut! Next I decided which pieces of wood I wanted to use, measured them, and cut them.  I knew that I was supposed to sand the wood but couldn't find sandpaper at the time so I totally skipped that step...and then got a giant splinter stuck in my palm which has still yet to come out.  SO, lesson learned...sand your heart out!  I only had a hand saw to work with which I can't say I really recommend...BUT it does do the job.  This was the first time I've ever sawed something myself and I was actually really proud of my three little pieces of wood! 

Step 3- Stain away!  You'll want to make sure you've got gloves on before you start this because trust me, wood stain is veeeery sticky to the skin.  After applying the stain to each piece of wood with my brush, I let them sit for about 10 minutes and then used my rag to wipe off any excess stain (just following the directions on the stain can).  Afterwards, I let them sit for a few hours to make sure the stain was completely dry.  This was one of my favorite parts of the whole process because they turned out absolutely gorgeous!  (Left above shows the wood before and the right shows after.) 

Step 4- Glue, Let Dry, and Admire!  After letting the stain fully dry, I added some liquid nails to the edges of my wood and stuck it all together.  This would definitely be easier with a clamp to hold it all together while it's wet but I didn't have one so I had to do without...as you can see though, it still worked!  I let the wood dry for 24 hours before picking it up but so far it's been holding together perfectly.  

And then I was done!! I literally stood in my garage just staring at the lovely creation I had just made because I was truly proud of myself.  Though it did take some time and energy, the end result was absolutely worth it.  I highly recommend this little DIY project to anyone interested in creating something basic out of wood or to anyone just wanting something fun to create.  And of course you saw my finished mixed media project that I used this wood 'canvas' for in the very first picture.  It ended up being my favorite piece yet! Know of any other beautiful DIY wood projects?? PLEASE SHARE!!! I would love to hear from you :)

Have a safe, blessed, and beautiful weekend sweet friends.  Do something creative.  Enjoy every moment.