Turn Your Photos into a Watercolor Canvas Printed on Burlap

Oh my goodness, I wish that you could see how excited I am about this project!  It has kept me up nights just thinking about it and all of the amazing possibilities.  Actually, the idea came to me in the middle of the night, and if only Hobby Lobby’s hours cooperated with my insomnia, I would have hopped out of bed right then and there to try it out and make sure that it would be as awesome in reality as it was in my head.  Truth be told, it’s better!  I had high hopes, but this far surpasses them.  I am so crazy in love with this Waterlogue burlap canvas that it is probably illegal in 37 states.  Okay, enough blabbering already, let’s get to the project!

Have y’all heard of Waterlogue?  It’s just about the coolest thing since sliced bread!  It takes your pictures and turns them into works of art.  No really, it takes your picture and transforms it into a watercolor “painting.”  Unbelievable!  Check out these screen shots I took while my phone was just painting it’s little heart out:

Super cool, right?!  I am kind of obsessed with it and want to use it for all of my pictures.  I’d been feeling a bit homesick lately, so I knew that I wanted to try it on some pictures of “home.”  It has been years since we have lived in Montana, but that will forever be home to us and Lake McDonald in Glacier Park is one of our absolute favorite places to be in the world.  I knew that pictures of our kids in our favorite place would be a no brainer.  And let me tell you, I am head over heels for the results!  Check out my before photo:

And now the watercolor version:

Now when you see a personalized piece of artwork that looks that great it needs to be shown off, and not just as a wallpaper on your phone, oh no.  This painting was screaming to be displayed in my home.  After a quick trip to the craft store to pick up a 1/4 yard of the lightest color of burlap they had, an 8 x 10 inch canvas and a fun frame I was ready to go.

Start by cutting a piece of burlap to about 10 x 12 inches and cut a piece of freezer paper to the same size.  Next, use an iron on the cotton setting and iron the freezer paper (shiny side to the fabric) onto the burlap for about 20-30 seconds or until completely adhered.  Cut down the burlap and freezer paper to 8.5 x 11 inches and now you’ve got a paper sized piece of burlap that is stiff and strong enough to go through your printer.  Make sure that you place the burlap in your printer so that it prints on the burlap side and not onto the freezer paper side.  You may need to help feed the burlap into the printer, although I had no issues with it.  In fact, it worked so seamlessly for me that I was shocked by the ease of it all.

Carefully remove the freezer paper from the burlap.  Give the canvas a quick blast with spray adhesive and lay the burlap on top.  After a couple of minutes of dry time it is all set.  You can leave it as is, or you can add another dimension by adhering it to a funky picture frame by using a couple dots of hot glue.  I also dry brushed the sides of my canvas with a matching paint and used a brown ink pad to distress the edges of the burlap a bit.

Here it is, my personal watercolor on canvas for less than $15 including the frame.  I can’t wait to make some more!  And just think about the gift giving possibilities here…  Mom, I hope you love it as much as I do, because guess what you’re getting for Mother’s Day!

Linked at the Seasoned Homemaker, Ginger Snap Crafts, Savvy Southern Style, The Everyday Home, A Stroll Thru Life, House on the Way, Carolyn’s Homework, Practically Functional, Serenity Now, The Golden Sycamore, I Heart Naptime