GET CRAFTY: DIY Botanical Wall Art

We LOVE to get crafty here at Brooklyn Designs and we're stoked about this new blog series that we're starting off today! There are so many great DIY craft ideas out there and Micaela and I wanted to share our faves that we've been crafting lately.

Today we're going to be making beautiful decorative botanical wall art.

The supplies you'll need for this project are:

- Canvas, or other painting surface

- Paint brush

- Acrylic paint, colour of your choice

- Spray adhesive

- Metallic gold or silver spray paint

- leaves or flowers (real)

The day before you start your project, go outside and choose the botanicals for your art piece. Keep in mind how you would like your end piece to look and choose healthy leaves and flowers as opposed to dry, brittle botanicals. Place all leaves and flowers between 2 sheets of waxed paper (parchment paper works well also) and place a heavy stack of books or object on top of the entire surface of paper. Leave these overnight to set in  place and become flattened for your project.

Step 1: Paint the surface of your canvas with the acrylic paint. You can choose to paint one or two layers, it will be dependent on how much pigment your paint has. Allow to dry completely.

{You don't need to paint the sides because you will be spray painting that later on.}

Step 2: Once you've allowed your canvas to dry completely, gather your leaves & flowers and decide on an arrangement for your art work. We chose to do 3 different styles for ours, using different amounts of space on the canvas for a different look each time. The botanicals you choose will also help to decide where they should be placed.

Step 3: Using the spray adhesive, spray the backside of your leaves with the spray. Place the leaves back onto your canvas and press down on all edges of the leaf and stem. This step and the next should be done outside if possible. Otherwise, please make sure to be in a well ventilated space.

Step 4: Using your metallic spray paint, spray the entire surface of your canvas making sure to spray evenly to prevent any running of the paint. Follow the instructions on the can and make sure to spray at a safe distance. Let the canvas dry for approx. 5 minutes and then carefully remove the leaves.

Allow your canvas to dry completely before you hang your new art piece. 

We had a lot of fun with these and the possibilities are endless on what you can create!

I love the look of the painted leaves as well and you can also add them back onto your canvas for a 3D affect and added texture to your final piece.

Make a one for yourself, and gift the others to your BFF.

Make sure to take a pic of your Botanical wall art and tag us on INSTAGRAM with #BrooklynDesigns #bdcrafty

Happy crafting!