Holiday Season Custom Art - {Tutorial)

Hello everyone! I'm Sarah from over at Just The Bee's Knees and I am thrilled to be guest blogging here today on Between U & Me! 

Today I am going to be sharing with you how to make your own custom piece of art for the Holiday Season! It is so simple & easy and requires little to no artistic talent! ANYBODY can do this!

But first, let me share a little bit about me & my blog:)  I started blogging just a few months ago as a creative outlet for me, and I truly enjoy every minute of it! My life has been a whirlwind the past few years. Right after graduating from Interior Design school, I got married, had a baby,  moved form Canada to the U.S, had another baby, and now here I am staying at home to raise my 2 boys ages 2 &4. Staying home with them is the best decision I have ever made, but while concentrating so much on (trying) to be a good mommy, I realized that I was really neglecting my passion and love of design & decorating. So Just The Bee's Knees was born to help me re-connect with the Design world & quite frankly, give me the kick-start I needed to get some projects done around the house! 

I recently finished creating a Command Center for my home office, complete with tutorials on how to make your own stylish Dry Erase Board and Linen covered Cork Boards. I'd love for you to head over and check them out!

But enough about me....let's get on with the project!

The supplies you will need are:

1. A stretched canvas, any size (I used a 24 x 36 that I bought from Micheal's with my Coupon! Total: $14)

2. Some artist acrylic paints and brushes. I used Liquitex Basics which you can find on sale at Arts & Crafts store anywhere from $2 -$3 a tube.

3. Wood letters. (Mine were from Hobby Lobby and cost just over $1 each!)

First you need to slap on a coat of your base colour. And I am serious when I say slap on! No need to be perfect here...let your brush strokes show through! Adds a little texture.

While that is drying, start painting your letters. I just used some craft paint I had on hand.

After your base coat on the canvas is dry, start to put on your Faux Bois texture. (I'm just loving this Faux Bois trend right now!)

This is so easy. Just paint circles and lines in a random pattern in a contrasting color. (I used Martha Stewart Metallic Craft Paint to add a little shimmer.) The messier the better! Wood grain is imperfect, so your lines don't have to be:) If you need a little guidance, find a Faux Bois image. I had a piece of scrapbook paper that I used as a cheat sheet.

Next step is to paint on your birch trees using a white paint. 

Again, imperfection is key. My brush strokes end up giving the trees some texture! (And feel free to use an image as a cheat sheet here too!)

I added in a few lines on the trees to look like birch bark, then painted a silhouette of a small red bird on the top branch. (You can use a stencil here or even glue on a paper cut-out).

When all the paint is dry, mount your letters to the canvas using double sided mounting tape.

Now you have a one-of-a-kind piece of Holiday art you can enjoy for years to come!