I framed these great photos, taken from my son’s recent deep sea fishing trip in Cancun, Mexico. I wanted to get a canvas wrapped look for these photos, but I didn’t want to spend money to buy canvas frames, so I cut up some left over plywood and no longer needed mdf shelving to use as my canvas.  This canvas-wrapped look photo framing project would be an easy and inexpensive diy gift idea.  Any kind of photo would work.  It’s the gesture of preserving meaningful memories that is truly the gift.

Supplies

Plywood or MDF shelving (hopefully left over from other home improvement projects)

Table saw

Power drill and medium drill bit

Color printer

Printer Paper

Decoupage Glue – I used Mod Podge

Sponge brush or roller

Small tray or tub for Mod Podge glue 

Cut plywood or mdf shelving into 5”x7”, 4”x6”, or 3”x5” pieces.  You will want to use a table saw, or you may be able to take it to your local lumber yard or hardware store, and ask them to cut it for you for a small fee.

TIP: If you can, make extra blocks, as these may come in handy for other craft projects.

Center and drill 2 holes on an angle going toward the edge of the block, on the back of the wood block.  This will be where you will the nail will go when you hang the picture on the wall.  By drilling 2 holes, this will allow you to use both landscaped or portrait directional photos.

From your computer, ipad or mobile device, determine what pictures you would like to frame.  Print these pictures using a color printer and standard or high quality color printer paper.  Most printers now have photo printing options.  You will need to follow your printer’s program to scale the image size you would like to use.  For example, an 8”x10” image will wrap nicely over a 5”x7” plywood block, and so on.

Once you have printed a photo, dry fit it over your wood block.  Make sure there is enough room for the image to wrap around the block.  If the photo is 1/8” less, this is okay, because there is a way to fix that once you have attached the photo to the block.

Center the wood block on the back side of your photo.

Draw a line around the wood block with a pencil.

Cut out the corners.

Fold in the edges on 2 of the opposing flaps.

Apply decoupage glue to the front of the wood block, and the center of the penciled area.

Lay block down over the penciled area.

Apply glue to the sides of the wood block and the flaps, and then wrap the flaps around the wood block.  Let dry.

Apply 2 more coats of decoupage glue.  Let each coat dry.

Apply 1 coat of sealer.  Let dry.

TIP: If you have a small gap of paper showing on the bottom edge of your canvas, use an ink stamp pad in a matching color to blend the edge.

 

 

If you happen to have left over plywood from a home improvement project, or mdf shelving that you no longer need, than, this is a simple and cost saving way to make “canvases” and obtain a canvas-wrapped look for photos and artwork.