DIY: Monogrammed Canvas

     So for a while now I have wanted to do a painting project with my daughter. Now that she finally isn't putting EVERYTHING in her mouth, I thought we would give it a try! First off, y'all should all know that I like projects that are inexpensive and easy. And this project definitely fits that description!

So here's what you need:

• A canvas 
• I grabbed a two pack of 16x20 canvases from Walmart for less than $15
• Several colors of paint that will mix well 
• I used red, yellow, and light blue....and I used acrylic paint. I just made sure Charlotte did NOT put any in her mouth and washed it off of her immediately afterward
• Something to keep the floor clean 
• I used a trash bag, but you could use a drop cloth, newspaper, etc.
• A small paintbrush 
• I have no idea what size I used...just one small enough you can trace an outline with!
• A monogram pattern 
• I got mine from For Chic Sake

I cut open my trash bag along one side seam and the bottom seam so I could spread it out. I placed the canvas on it and then just squirted the paints in various lines across it (Sorry I don't have step-by-step pictures! I didn't plan on blogging this!). Then I stripped Charlotte down to her diaper since I knew this would be a messy project. I set her down and just let her explore! Of course, she crawled on top of the canvas first and just sat on it. But after a little redirection, she got her little hands on it and had a blast!

I rotated the canvas as we went so that she spread the paint all over the canvas. In the end, we ended up with a nice peachy canvas.

I put it up on my easel to let it dry and then Charlotte had to have a bath. This is definitely not a clean project, so just turn back now if you don't want a mess!

I let the canvas dry overnight and then had the task of figuring what I wanted to add to it. I honestly had no idea when I had her paint it! After a lot of deliberation, I decided I wanted a monogram of her initials. I'm not crafty enough to draw a cool monogram on my own, so I googled "monogram maker" and sorted through the links until I found the one I listed above. Its a great printable that you could even frame if you wanted! Anyways, just choose a background color for the monogram (It doesn't really matter what color) and then scroll down and enter the initials. It has instructions on the page, so I won't repeat them on here.

So once you've got your monogram, its up to you how you do the next step. I am good at looking at something and being able to copy it free hand. So I simply looked at my monogram and drew it in pencil onto the canvas. Another option would be to print the monogram, cut it out and use it as a stencil. Either way, you'll want to draw it in pencil first.

Once you've got your monogram drawn on, its time for paint! I opted for a contrasting color for the monogram. Since the canvas was a peachy color, I decided to do the monogram in blue.  I used a light blue to fill in the monogram and then decided to use a teal color as an outline. I put a couple coats of the light blue on for full coverage. In the end, I love how it turned out! Can't wait to hang it in her room and keep it for years to come!