I’m putting down the spatula today to share my attempt at being artistic. Miss Ava has been scribbling on paper for months and I just can’t bring myself to throw those scribbles away…..thus I turned them into toddler artwork!
It must be noted that my true passion is in the kitchen. I’m not really an artsy fartsy chick; heck, I have the worst hand writing! This project is fun and it makes such a cute keepsake!
The supplies are basic:
- Paper scribbled on by toddler
- Canvas
- Paint
- Modpodge
- Foam brushes
- Scissors or paper cutting knife
- Pattern – I searched online for flower patterns and flower petals
Paint the canvas and allow it to dry completely. Apply a second or third coat of paint if needed.
Simply cut out your pattern using your knife or scissors. Cut out the pattern and then use the pattern to cut the scribbled paper.
Use Modpodge to glue the pattern to the canvas, then modpodge the entire canvas. Allow to dry and repeat until the canvas is covered to your liking. I did about 4 or 5 coats.
I hope you will find this tutorial to be helpful and mostly inspiring! Think of it as recycling. Don’t throw away your child’s first artwork….turn it into a masterpiece!
Whitney
That’s so extraordinarily clever, and such a wonderful thing to do. My son is 11 now, and I still have stacks of his early drawings. I’ve photographed some to preserve them, and have a few on the walls. I wish I was able to do something like you’ve done. Fabulous job.
I love this idea!
What a wonderful idea! Like you, I am much better in the kitchen, but am going to give this a shot. My son is 2 and I already have a stack of art that I want to preserve in some way. Thanks for sharing!
Clever idea — so cute!!
My Great Granddaughter, aged 2, loves to write on paper (some people think its scribbling, lol) and that is such a unique way for me to save her important work…thank you so much
I LOVE this idea! What paint did you use to paint the canvas? I have an (almost) 3 year old and I would love to do this with his beautiful scribbles
Thanks!!
I used acrylic paint.
Thanks!! (I have some of that at home already
Thank you for sharing this idea!
Do you remember what color of purple this is? I’ve been trying to find this same color but haven’t had much luck. Thanks!!
Nevermind I read some of the following posts and found it
Great gift idea for the grandparents!!! Yay! Thanks for the inspiration!
Stampin’ Up makes cards that are diecut already and it would be cute to put the scribbled paper behind the card to have it show through – easy notecards that can be from your child.
That’s a great idea!
Fantastic! Thanks for sharing this, I am definitely going to do this when we move!
This is so great, I can’t wait to try this with my little one.
I really love the pattern on the pink one. Would you share with us where you got it!
I would if I still had it. I actually just did a google image search for flower petals. I found one image that had a tear drop shape and I changed the size to make small, medium and large sized petals. I hope that helps! Happy Crafting!
Great idea!! Can I ask where you found the canvas’s?
I bought the canvas at Hobby Lobby.
I love this! Redoing my living room right now. Going to put this on my walls. Thanks!
This is absolutely brilliant, it breaks my heart to throw away my toddler’s art, and I’m so guilty of letting it clutter up my home, which isn’t good. Thank you for giving me a classy guilt free way of keeping such treasures!!!
love this!!!
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So fun to find ways to enjoy our children’s art! Pretty too. Be sure to ask permission to cut up their artwork of course. Most kids think it’s great when someone loves their art enough to want to “play” with it.
I love the purple you used on the canvas! Do you know which brand and the name of the color of paint you used?
Erica, I used Acrylic pain by Master’s Touch Fine Art Studio and the color is Light Purple (SA521) Happy Painting!
This is sooooo awesome! I have a two year old who loves to color and this would be such a fabulous way to display his art! LOVE this!
This is truly inspiring! How clever, can’t wait to try it!!
This a fabulous idea, I am going to do this w/my grandson’s “art”.
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I’m a preschool teacher, and now have the perfect gift for our mother’s day tea!
These are absolutely adorable. Diana I am also a preschool teacher and if you have a Michael’s near you, you can get the canvas’s in a ten pack for 20.00 these are the 8 X 10′s though. They do have them bigger but a smaller quantity. Even better if you can get a hold of a 40% off coupon that you can usually get online or in your junk mail. Then their only 12.00. I don’t know about you but pretty much all these little extras come out of my personal pocket. I’m actually going to use these for Mother’s day Gifts. Except I’m going to paint the kids feet and turn them into butterflies, and use their fingerprints to make a caterpillar and bugs in the garden scene, and their fingers for grass and flowers. Hope all that makes sense. Sorry for ranting. God Bless. Mrs. Valerie
This is so cute!
I’m a first time visitor to your site. I saw your toddler art on Pinterest, and what a great idea! I have boxes of my daughter’s artwork – she’s now 8 – I fill up a box a year! I’m so excited about this, because now I can honor her artwork, and make it into great gifts to share with grandparents and to decorate with! Thanks again!
Great! Thanks for stopping by!
Great idea! What size canvas did you use?
These were 8×10 size canvas.
This is super genius!!! I wish I had seen this sooner I just dumped a few scribbles I am ashamed to say!
Love it.
I found your idea on pinterest and I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love it. I want to keep all my little men’s drawings, but short of scanning them and putting them into a book, I didn’t know what else to do. Now I can save their special drawings and have some pretty art in the house. LOVE!
My sister in-law just made this for me as a birthday present. I absolutely love it! I’m going to attempt to make one myself for my sister with her son’s drawings.
That is awesome!
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Is it ok to pin this? http://pinterest.com/pin/108508672241748569/
Love your blog! xoxo, Julie Ann
Of course! Thank you!
What a great idea for us Grandmothers!! Thanks for sharing!
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Pattern:
http://wonderfulwasteoftime.blogspot.com/2008/12/flower-scrap-template-freebie_27.html
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Here’s my take on it, using watercolor “paintings” instead of scribbles. Thanks for the idea! http://www.sarahewhite.com/?p=1004
That’s great! Thanks for sharing!
That is utterly brilliant and I’m doing it. I LOVE it. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE>
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I love love love this idea. My best friend was just saying she has a million drawings from her daughters school and can’t throw them away but doesn’t know what to do with them!! Mothers day present!!!!
thank you!