Bless'er House

DIY Repurposed Canvas Art

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How to repurpose a canvas to make expensive looking art with a poster and spray adhesive.

I feel like a vast majority of my thrift/repurpose posts should start with something like…

“On today’s episode of Lauren Never Throws Anything Away”…

Monica Gellar had a closet, y’all. I won’t even get into what kind of hot mess I have over here.

My 2020 resolution is to purge my crazy home-office-turned-storage-room, but until then, I pulled this little number out of it: Tropical palm art on a framed canvas.

It was cute when I got it from Target a couple of summers ago. But it didn’t take long for me to realize it wasn’t my style. So here I was stuck with a canvas I really didn’t love.

Then, in desperation for some art on our back porch, ingenuity struck. And I whipped it together for this month’s Trash to Treasure Tuesday.

We decided to jazz up this sad looking spot on our back porch while we were at it. That box held a mini fridge when we first moved into this house, and a TV used to hang above it.

It has just sat here looking rather wanting for a couple of years now. But we devised a plan for a quick, inexpensive facelift in about an hour for under $40.

First, prepare yourself for the shortest tutorial ever. You ready? Don’t blink.

How to Repurposed an Old Canvas for New Art

(Some affiliate links are provided below. Full disclosure here.)

Supplies Used:

The Steps:

1. Paint the outside edges of the canvas with white paint, if the existing image on the canvas is visible on the sides. Let dry.

2. Roll out your poster on top of the canvas to check the size and how it will line up. Trim any excess, if needed.

3. Start on one end of the canvas and spray the adhesive on the edge. Line up and press the poster onto the sprayed canvas.

4. Slowly roll out your poster onto the canvas, spraying a little at a time to adhere the poster all the way to the other edge.

Done! Ridiculously easy.

And now we have pricey looking art for cheap!

Remember that sad empty mini-fridge box on our back porch before?

We just added a stained piece of wood with corbels for a “mantel”, painted the inside of the box black with leftover paint from our master bedroom refresh, and we decorated her up.

Lookie at that magic!

This little facelift cost all of $37 to make. Boom! One day, we hope to turn this into a real outdoor fireplace, but I’m all about this cheap faux solution until that day comes.

And our repurposed canvas art is the cherry on top.

You can see the rest of the Trash to Treasure Tuesday crew’s thrifty makeovers below too:

Clockwise from top left: 

Prodigal Pieces | Artsy Chicks Rule | Confessions of a Serial DIYer | Girl in the Garage

Want more thrifty makeover ideas? See all of my past T2T projects here.

Comments

  3. christykjames says

    I do love that you took an piece that you no longer cared for and transformed it, but I really love how SO friggin cute that whole area is now with the mantel and “fireplace’!! You are so clever, girl! XOXO

    Reply

  4. Cheryl Acampora says

    luv your site but I can’t get any pics. I get all your comments, but I can’t see the pretty things u do over. What could it possibly be? I get the rest of the group pictures. Hmmm?

    Reply

  5. Linda says

    I can see your projects, but I can’t get
    the links to show the other ladies projects.
    2 weeks in a row! Just wanted to let you know.
    Thanks
    Linda in Seattle

    Reply

  7. Kelly Schulte says

    Wow!! This whole makeover-of-the-box-on-the-porch is so clever and beautiful!
    Thank you for project idea too! I have a couple old canvas that I never threw away, I knew one day I’d find something to do w them! 😊

    Reply

  14. Kim says

    When ever I see canvas pieces at yard sales I get them. You never know when you found a piece you can cover with them or give them to your grandkids to paint over. I love the vintage poster.

    Reply

  18. M. Constance Colvin says

    Lauren! It’s inspiring how you transformed that little area with these very simple projects! The creative mind at work!

    Reply

  27. mimirhea says

    Hi Lauren! It was a simple DIY but you know what? It looks awesome. Loved how you brought everything to life
    Thank you for the great idea.

    Reply

  30. Andi says

    I have that tropical palm print and ended up never really loving it either. Thanks for the awesome idea to repurpose it!

    Reply

  31. Pam says

    Add this one to your long list of ingenious and fabulous “make do makeovers”! I really love how you take the things you have and make them look great even until you can create what you really want. You’ve inspired me to do something about my spaces that are on hold, too. Can’t wait to see what you guys come up with next.

    Reply

  34. Ann says

    The print looks fantastic – I have an old canvas somewhere so I’m going to steal this idea! And your porch looks like a magical and cozy space now.

    Reply

  37. Marcie Lovett says

    This is crazy good, Lauren! I can see doing the same thing with a piece of unloved art from the thrift shop. It actually looks more expensive than framing. Now that whole space is so inviting!

    Reply

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