DIY "Antiqued" Wall Art

I wanted something unique - and cheap - for our Kid's room... So here is the step by step, trial and error, actually-turned-out-okay wall art - all for about $12.

This cute story is in a reader that my mom had - that I used to read out of - called "The Frog on the Log".  

I photo copied and enlarged the three pages... You can't see it very well, but I creased and tore the edges instead of cutting with scissors. I like the imperfect look it gave.

Next I steeped two large tea bags in my kettle and poured it in a 9x13

    

Completely submerged the paper, one sheet at a time to give the "old and worn" look.

Laid them out on paper towels... Checked them every once in a while and flattened them with my hand so they didn't get too crinkly.  When they were almost dry, I placed them underneath a heavy book.  They still had a bit of wrinkle, but that's the point to giving it the "old" look...

I found these painter's canvases on sale at Hobby Lobby

I already had some brown craft paint, so I painted a "border"...

Next was deciding how to apply the story to the canvas.  I thought about modge podging... Then I remembered I had some craft brads hidden away in the basement, so I excitedly got those out.

Since craft brads are not sturdy in any way, shape, or form, I needed to help them out with punching holes in the canvas so they would slide through.  Placing the holes right where the joints of the canvas frame made everything line up and center.  Used a small screwdriver and a hammer to do this. *Make sure you are doing this on a surface you don't mind getting beat up! I used an old piece of wood.

Next, I made sure that the story page was centered on the canvas...

Then I first poked the brad from the back to the front to punch the hole in the paper (not pictured),  then put it in correctly...

And the finished project.  I like how the edges are "free" to curl and bend a bit.  Imperfection is what I like.

I wish I could get a better picture of all three, but I think you get the idea.

Like I said, it cost me a total of about $12 for the canvases... I had the paint and was able to make copies on my own, but I figure even if you had to go out and buy everything and pay for the copies, it wouldn't be much more than $16-18.  I sure like that price tag compared to store-bought wall art! :)