Let’s make beautiful busted canvas crafts DIY with this step-by-step tutorial. Plus, you can download the free Santa Christmas printable!
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Busted Canvas Crafts DIY
I’ll admit it; I’m hooked on the viral trend called #bustedcanvas or #explodingart. It is seriously fun and slightly addictive!
There are several steps, so it is time consuming, but it is not difficult at all.
The first one I made was a Halloween busted canvas craft and it went crazy on Pinterest.
So, I thought I would share a few Christmas ideas for you.
The best news is I am sharing the FREE Christmas printable with you so you can make your own for cheap!
Continue to the end of this post and I’ll share the link to download the vintage Santa printable.
Supplies for Busted Canvas Crafts DIY
- 11×14 Stretched Canvas – I also used an 8×10 canvas for the smaller ones from Dollar Tree
- 11×14 Canvas Board or 8×10 canvas boards from Dollar Tree
- Tissue Paper – I gold striped from Dollar Tree
- Cardstock, decorative paper or paint – for more dimension and texture use at least 2 designs
- Mod Podge – I went with gloss for the paper
- Mod Podge Gold Glitter – this is my first time trying this and I’m obsessed!
- Chalky Gesso
- Heat Gun
- Craft Knife – I love the Cricut knife kit
- Foam Brush
How to Make Busted Canvas Crafts
Here are the 5 steps to making a busted canvas, but I will go into each step separately below.
I’ve also included a printable craft/DIY card at the bottom of this post. Please feel free to ask any questions in the comments and I will do my best to answer.
Once you make your first one you will be a pro!
- Decorate the main canvas
- Decorate the back of the main canvas
- Decorate the flat canvas board
- “Bust the canvas”
- Hot glue the ends of the canvas back
The first step is to gather your supplies and place something down on your table to protect the surface.
For this tutorial I am focusing on the larger 11×14 vintage Santa busted canvas.
It will make it easier for you to follow these instructions.
However, you can follow the same process for the smaller canvas craft as well.
Step 1. Paint the stretched canvas
Cover the stretched canvas with beige chalky gesso using a foam brush.
You can leave the canvas white, but I wanted to have a beige tone to blend better with the gold striped tissue paper.
One solid coat is all you need. Let it dry. I am an impatient crafter so I used my heat tool to speed this up.
Step 2. Add tissue paper with mod podge
Cover the stretched canvas with a coat of mod podge. Roll the tissue paper into a ball.
You want the wrinkles for this technique. Unroll it and place it onto the canvas. Pat it down. Trim any excess.
Step 3. Decorate the back of the stretched canvas
The next step is where you can really get creative. Use decorative craft paper, wrapping paper, or even paint as I show below.
You want to choose a coordinating design that matches the front of the canvas. I went with a pretty festive green.
The canvas soaks up the paint so you will need at least two coats.
What really took this to the next level was adding a top coat of mod podge gold glitter.
This is my first time using this product and I already have several ideas for Christmas projects.
If you are using decorative paper, simply repeat the process in the previous step with mod podge to adhere it to the canvas.
Step 4. Decorate the flat canvas board
Next up, decorate the canvas board with your Christmas printable. This will be what shows through the opening so you want it to pop.
Adhere the Santa image to the flat board with mod podge. Smooth out any wrinkles.
You will see I also added a top coat of the mod podge gold glitter. This is totally optional.
Step 5. Bust the canvas
Now for the fun part-creating the exploding canvas!
Use a craft knife to find the center of the canvas and start cutting. Leave an inch or two around the edges of the canvas.
You are basically cutting a star in the canvas. Cut from the center to the top, the center to the bottom and the center to each side.
Cut in between the pieces so you are left with 8 cuts.
Secure the edges of the bust-out pieces with a bit of hot glue. You are basically curling the cut canvas back to reveal the beautiful Santa image.
Look at how gorgeous:
Step 6. Glue the canvas to the board
The final step is to glue the bottom board to the top canvas. I used hot glue, but if it doesn’t seem secure enough, add a bit of E-6000.
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It helps my blog to grow and doesn’t cost a thing! 🙂
Here are final pictures of the smaller 8×10 Christmas busted canvas crafts I made with the Dollar Tree canvas.
If you follow me on Facebook you know I love all things little red truck, so this Christmas busted canvas is a favorite of mine.
Are you ready to jump on the viral busted canvas craft trend?
Let me know if you are inspired to make your own Christmas canvas by sharing it with me on Facebook or Instagram.
Just tag @ourcraftymom. It totally makes my day!
Download your free vintage Santa printable
Remember I mentioned sharing the free Santa Christmas printable?
This is the Santa image I used.
Simply save it to your computer for printing.
You can also see how I created oversized wall art with the same image and learn some of my favorite places to find beautiful art.
Thanks so much for stopping by. Happy crafting!
For even more budget-friendly ideas, you don’t want to miss this amazing collection of 51 Dollar Tree Christmas Crafts.
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