DIY distressed canvas

I redecorated Kirby’s bedroom before Christmas, but have been holding off on showing you around until I had made a few more bits. Last week I finally made him this DIY distressed canvas with his name and birth date.

It is so quick and easy to make that I’m planning on making a few more in the next few weeks. I have a couple of rooms that could do with a bit of a boost and this kind of canvas would be just perfect. I’m pretty much ready to share the updated craft room with you, but I think it needs an injection of yellow, so I’m going to make a couple of these first. The kitchen could do with one too. And Aoife’s room. If you want to see how I’m getting on, come join me on Instagram.

So here’s how you make it.

Supplies:

* large canvas
* craft paint in two colours (I used Folk Art Engine Red and Wicker White)
* wide paint brush or foam brush
* 1-2 fine brushes
* letters or words printed out in size and font of your choice.
* ballpoint pen
* fine sandpaper

Instructions

1. Apply one or two coats of your base colour evenly on the canvas using long, smooth strokes, and leave to dry.

2. Arrange the letters where you want them, leaving enough space for a border around the edge.

3. Trace the outline of the letters with the ballpoint pen, making sure it leaves an indentation in the dry paint underneath.

4. Following the indentations on the canvas, outline each letter in the second colour using a fine brush. Fill in. Leave to dry.

5. Make a border around the edge of the canvas using a fine brush and second colour. Leave to dry.

6. Sand the top, sides and edges a little to give the canvas a  distressed look, hang and enjoy!