Easy Decor: Starfish Canvas

I was recently made aware of the fact that I do not have very much decor in my home. I already knew this of course, but had not bothered to do much more than the few sturdy pieces I own. We have moved a lot in the last few years and I have lost decor due to me not liking it well enough to move it, so I gave it away, or damage. Well, I decided I had better do something about it, since it's not really acceptable for a mid-twenties couple with kids to rock the 'bachelor pad' style.

This is my starting project- a super easy wall hanging for my bathroom. Here is how you can make one for yourself in less than 2 hours!

You will need:

• 12"x 12" canvas from the craft store (or any other size you wish) I got mine on sale (50% off) for $4.49
• A cured starfish (or other 3 dimensional object of choice) I got the big starfish at the craft store for $2.99 (wish I would have snagged the starfish from the beach that one time...)
• A few colors of acrylic paint. I already had those, but you can get the store brand for about $0.89 each at a craft store (less if you use coupons!) I used 3 colors (periwinkle, lavender and silver). You can use as many or as little colors as you want!
• Half a kitchen sponge
• Container for paint. I use a disposable food storage sandwich box.
• Paintbrush. You only need it to stir your paint. 
• Craft adhesive. I get the super strong stuff because it lasts forever. This time I used Fab-Tac, which cost me $8.99 for a bottle, but I probably used about $0.10 worth of it.

1. Create a work space. I did mine on top of my washing machine with an old towel covering it. Wherever you chose to work, protect the surface from paint with an old towel or t-shirt.

2. Make sure you have all materials and have them at hand.

3. Pour your first paint color into paint container and add a small amount of water to thin it out for sponge painting

4. Begin using your sponge to apply paint to the surface of the canvas. You control how much or how little paint you apply, so you may want to be light handed on the first pass to get a feel for it, or test it on cardboard first. Example below:

5. Cover entire canvas with first color, but don't forget to do the side edges too!

6. After completing your first color, do the second color the same way. I chose to do the lavender first, and then I thinned the periwinkle a little more and did it second to give it a little bit more of a watercolor effect. You can try different techniques on cardboard if you are not sure what you want the effect of yours to be. I finished mine with a few light sponges of silver to give it a little sparkle, but you can chose whatever color scheme you want, that is the greatest part of a DIY project!

This is my finished sponge paint.

 7. After your canvas has been completed and dried, use your craft glue to apply your 3 dimensional object (in my case, a starfish). Apply the glue to the back of the object being careful to not spread too much where it might become visible. Place 3 dimensional object on canvas and leave flat to dry. The bottle of adhesive will tell you how long you should let it dry.

8. Enjoy your artwork! This project should have cost you  $9.50 or less to create, it is customized to your colors and taste and takes less than 2 hours to make! 

Close up of textures

Finished product!