Add some color!

(Please excuse the non-matching bedding! This picture was from our apartment RIGHT after we got married
and we were too broke at the time to buy anything that would match. Of course, once I did, I never took another picture! )

So, I thought that I might include a little tutorial on something that I came up with in order to add some color to our home while we were still living in an apartment and couldn't paint at all. All you need is a 36 x 36 painting canvas, paint, superglue (I used both Gorilla Glue and Clear Superglue), hanging hardware, and an Empire West ceiling tile.

When I made these, you could order 3 sample tiles from Empire West, but only one of each design. I lucked out and my mom had ordered some that she wasn't going to use, so I snagged them.

1. Okay, first thing's first--paint the canvas any color you'd like. I just used your basic tempra paint. Slap on several coats for a nice even finish.

2. Once the paint has dried, place your ceiling tile on the canvas where you'd like it to be. Use a pencil to lightly mark the corners and a small line (about 1/2 inch) along the middle of each side. Remove the tile, and quickly apply some super glue along the inside of the marks you've just made. I used Gorilla Glue's white puff-up superglue for this step. Hold the tile in place, making sure that it's making contact with the glue, but also not smashing the tile. Once the glue has set, I took a clear superglue, and placed half the brush on the tile and half the brush on the canvas, and ran the brush all the way around where the tile connected with the canvas to seal the edges together. Now, the number one complaint I've heard from nesties is that the ceiling tiles look "flimsy" by themselves. This superglue step helps to remedy that issue in my opinion.

4. Lastly, you'll just have to figure out how you'd like to hang the canvas. I just nailed your standard picture frame holder to the back and then used Monkey Hooks to hang them.

Ta-da! You're done! As you can see below, I've received so many compliments on these babies that they're up in our new house as well. Most people (including my interior design saavy uncle) are SHOCKED when they hear that I made them and what they're made out of. Really though, they were a great way to add a pop of bright color to a room when we weren't able to paint!