Two of the hardest things about being a DIY blogger are coming up with new ideas and the amount of time invested into each project that you showcase on your blog. Many times I spent a lot of time doing projects and they just don’t turn out well. Its a huge disappointment and a waste of time and money not to mention the addition of stress when a blog post I had planned doesn’t work out and I have nothing else prepared.
With all that being said I have been thinking a lot about this guise of perfection we are inundated with on magazines and blogs. No one’s house looks perfect all the time, just like no one’s crafts and projects always turn out perfectly. So in the interest of “keeping it real” I’ve decided to start sharing when things don’t work out so great. We’ll just call it the DIY Fail series! My hope is that by sharing my failures I can help you avoid the same mistakes and thereby avoid wasting your time and hard-earned money on the projects that don’t quite work out the way we intend.
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First up in the craft fail series is this DIY Photo Canvas. I pinned the directions on Pinterest and it looked straightforward enough. Print a picture on tissue paper and modge podge it to a canvas. Hard to mess that up right? Wrong!
The picture printing part went well, I covered some regular printer paper with tissue paper, folded over the edges and taped it. I hand fed it through the printer making sure it would print on the tissue paper side. Then it was time to Modge Podge!
Okay, here is where it all went horribly wrong. My end result was lumpy and bumpy and overall pretty darn bleh. Hre are two reasons I think my canvas failed:
1. I bought some pretty cheap canvas. It was already a little lumpy bumpy on the edges. If I try again I will definitely use a nicer canvas and make sure the edges are tightly folded.
2. I’ve used Modge Podge all of {gasp} twice in my life. I’m certain there was some user error on my part. Practice makes perfect so I’ll keep practicing. A seasoned Modge-podger (is that a word?) would probably have a better result.
So, have you successfully attempted a DIY Photo Canvas? What have been some of your craft fails?
Reina
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induction cooktop
Thanks for the post, can I set it up so I receive an update sent in an email when there is a fresh post?
April
Melissa — I also tried the DIY canvas photo. I like that you posted it even though you believed it was a failure. I haven’t posted failed/unfinished projects, because I have felt there wasn’t a point – I think I’m wrong though, it’s nice to know it doesn’t always work for others either.
I went the route with printing onto paper, then using a “gel medium” to adhere to the canvas & then a spray bottle to wet the paper & roll it off. It leaves the printer ink on the canvas & worked pretty well. I used Mod Podge for my “gel medium” because I couldn’t find what others were talking about in our stores {& I was too impatient to order it online}. The first one I didn’t smooth the bubbles out well enough. The second one would have been fine for the look I was going for (old, worn, vintage), but when rolling the wet paper off – I rolled some faces off….. (I found you from the Practically Functional link up)
Jessi @ Practically Functional
The first time I used Mod Podge it was all wrinkly like that too. My more recent projects are better, mostly cuz I know to watch out for wrinkles now, but sometimes it just still doesn’t work 🙂 Thanks for sharing at The Fun In Functional!
carrie @ Hooked on Decorating
Hi Melissa,
I am sorry that you had trouble with your canvas project. I have had loads of project in the past that don’t go as planned. It is so frustrating and I know exactly how you feel. I have done a lot of photo transferring in the past and the technique that I use is using Golden Soft Gel Medium to transfer the photocopy or print out directly to the canvas. It takes a little bit of practice but it is very inexpensive and it does a beautiful job. It ends up looking like the image is printed directly on the canvas. If you have time to stop by and check it out. Here is the link to my tutorial. https://hookedondecorating.com/how-to-guide-transfer-photos-to-canvas/ I also have 3 or 4 other projects on my blog where I have done photo transferring with this medium.
Please let me know if you end up giving it and try and of course let me know if you have any questions, I am happy to help.
Take care,
Carrie