A Single Super Mom!: DIY Photo Canvas

I love family photos, especially in black & white.

For years I have been using Snapfish.com, and have loved it! It is much cheaper than using other services, and has great editing tools as well. You can even create poster size prints for a fraction of the cost other companies would charge. Make sure to select prints that are high resolution and good quality. You can choose to edit your photos with their "user-friendly" editing tools, or use my other favorite site, Picasa. Here is a sample of one I just converted to black white:

Wrapped photos are the new craze, but they are so expensive (I was shocked)!! Even with all the great coupons and promo codes out there, it would still cost me hundreds of dollars! This "Frugal Frannie" will never spend that kind of dough when I can do it myself. Now, be forewarned that the process I am about to take you through is not perfect. But, I am pleased with my results and it looks beautiful in my home. Here is what you need:

* BLACK & WHITE PHOTO Size them at least 16x20 or larger.
* SHARP SCISSORS- A Great investment for any craft you do!
* WOOD GLUE -Preferably white, but mine was slightly yellow and it still worked fine.
* STAPLER -I recommend a heavy-duty one. My standard one kept getting jammed!
* A SCRAPING TOOL- I used an ice scraper, but you can simply use a credit card as well.
* WHITE STRETCHED CANVAS-Approximately 2 inches smaller than your desired picture.
* SMALL PAINTBRUSH-Not too large, and good quality so the hairs don't keep shedding.

You will start by preparing your work space. Use a large table with lots of room to spread out. Cover it with plastic or another drop-cloth since the glue can be a little messy. Examine your photo and visualize where you want to position it on the canvas. Hold them together in front of a window during the day, and you can see the shadow of where it is. Then lay the photo face down and position the canvas over it.

I used an 11x14 canvas against a 16x20 photo. Once you like the position of it, put glue on your canvas and spread it out evenly with your brush to back side of photo. Use your scraper to scrape the back and smooth it all out.

You will then grab a credit card and smooth it under the edges of the canvas to make sure it is also smooth. Push the card gently under each edge and work your way up and down.

Let the glue sit for a little while (20 minutes or so) so that it sets in place and gets "tacky". You will now trim your photo to leave just about 2 inches on each side. Since mine is a bit larger than I need, I cut the excess off the ends.

You will now work with each end to gently crease, then fold photo into place. I used my credit card once again to create a better crease.You will notice that my canvas is actually ripped! It didn't matter, and I got a great deal on it at Michaels in the "75% off Bargain Bin"!

I then cut the fold on each corner so it would be easier to fold them in when finishing the sides.

I put a little glue along each side and brushed it into the back of photo evenly before folding it in. I held it in place and continued to smooth it out with my hands. It is easier than it seems, trust me! I then grabbed my stapler and proceeded to staple it to the back of the canvas. You will need to open your stapler and use it that way.

I tucked each fold gently into the corners as I went. I made sure it folded neatly. You will have to play around with this part a bit and see what works best for you. There are several ways to cut it I found. Once I finished the sides and made sure they were all stapled in place, I cut any excess from the photo and ended up with a beautiful DIY Black & White Canvas!