Easy DIY Inspiration Canvas

I have been needing some sort of inspiration/pin board yet had been reluctant to shell out the cash for a finished version. I knew I wanted to create a DIY inspiration board, but most of the projects I have seen look like they take quite a long time and frankly, I just don’t have the motivation to get started on a complicated project right now! So a few weeks ago I saw a picture in a magazine (I believe it was Country Living) showing an inspiration board made from artists’ canvas and ribbon. There were no instructions on how to make it and only a brief mention in the magazine, so I decided to recreate it on my own – and it was easy (and came out quite nicely), so I decided to share this little DIY project with you!

Notes on materials: The materials you will need are pretty simple – I found everything at my local art & craft store. Most stores carry prestretched artists’ canvas in a wide array of sizes, so you can choose any size you like for this project. The canvas I used is 24″ x 36″ and cost about $25, but there were more expensive canvases made from linen (instead of cotton duck) and in various thicknesses. I chose an ivory grosgrain ribbon, but next time I might choose something more colorful! As noted, you can use either hot glue or a staple gun for this project – I like using the hot glue gun because if you want to change the ribbons in the future, it is fairly easy to pry off the glue spots and reuse the canvas.

Prep: To get a feel for how you want your ribbon grid to look, cut a few lengths of ribbon and play around making a grid on your canvas until you are satisfied with the look. I decided on a grid using 3 ribbons on the short side and 5 on the long side for my 24″x36″ canvas. Once you know how many ribbons you will be using, cut as many as you need and set aside. Next, divide the length of each side of your canvas by the number of grids: this will tell you how many inches to measure between your ribbons. Using my 24″x36″ canvas as an example:

24 (inches)/4 (grids) = 6 inches between ribbons on the short side

36 (inches)/6 (grids) = 6 inches again

Using your ruler or measuring tape and pencil, mark the place where each ribbon will go on the back of the canvas.

Step 1: Using your pencil marks as a guide, attach the end of each ribbon to the wood frame on the underside of canvas with a dot of hot glue (or a staple gun). Repeat for one long side and one short side of canvas – the ends of all of your ribbons should still be dangling.

Step 2: Turn your canvas right side up and straighten the ribbons so they lay flat and straight against the canvas. If you like, you can “weave” them together as shown above, alternating over-and-under for each row of ribbons. When you are finished, pull each ribbon taught and hold in place temporarily with a bit of scotch tape.

Step 3: Glue, glue, glue! First, turn your canvas over and glue down all of the remaining loose ends. Then flip canvas right side up and glue some of the ribbons together on the front of your board (as shown above) – this will make it easier to tuck smaller items into your inspiration board. I would leave at least a few spots unglued, to allow for larger items. If you have been using a staple gun up to this point, switch to either hot glue or superglue for this final step!

Tada! Not so hard, right? And there are so many ways you could customize this to fit your needs: you could paint the canvas a solid color before attaching the ribbon, or attach your ribbon on a diagonal instead of in a straight grid, or use small, square canvases and hang three side-by-side or hang a grid of four canvases on your wall…get creative and make it your own if you like! I do have to warn you that the ribbons are not perfect for holding up all items, so I am planning on supplementing my ribbons with a few post earrings used as pins to help hold up heavier items.

I really hope you enjoyed my first DIY project, and please let me know if you do, because I am considering adding more in the future and I would love to know if this is something you are interested in!

{images: Laura Gaskill}

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