There are so much possibilities one can create with the Canon PIXMA Photo Printer. Since Mothers’ Day is approaching, we decided to put the lovely photos we’ve taken with Great Grandma to good use and turn them into a DIY Photo Collage Board as a gift for her.  This is a simple craft which is easy enough for young kids to make and provide meaningful bonding time as a family.

Supplies Needed

• Canvas Board (45cm x 30cm, available at Art Friend and Spotlight)

• Photos – Printed on Canon High Gloss Photo Paper (available at Popular Book Stores)

• Mod Podge (Matt Finish), along with brush (available at Art Friend)

• Wooden Letters to form words of your choice (we bought L.O.V.E at Spotlight)

• Acrylic Paint for letters and Canvas edges, along with paint brush

• Pencil for tracing letters

• Scissors (in case you need to trim the photos)

• Ribbon for that finishing touch

• Double-sided Tape (for the ribbons)

The supplies needed

Directions

1. Select about 28 to 30 photos, scale them to 3″ by 3″ each using either Photoshop or this free square collage  template online. Print using the Canon PIXMA photo printer on Canon High Gloss Photo Paper.  Cut to size. We wanted the family collage to be in black and white. You can choose to print them in colour too.

The Canon PIXMA Photo Printer

2. Paint the wooden letters and the edges of the canvas board and leave them to dry completely overnight. We painted the letters red for greater contrast with the black and white photos.

3. Trace the letters on the canvas, so you know where NOT to put important parts of photos (e.g. a face will be covered up)!

Tracing the letters

4. Paint some Mod Podge on the canvas using the sponge brush (it acts like a glue). Carefully position one photo at a time onto the canvas then brush Mod Podge over the entire photo. Repeat the process for all the photos, spreading the Mod Podge over them, until the entire canvas board is filled.  If you see slight white streaks from the Mod Podge, don’t be alarmed, it will dry clear.

Arranging the photos…

Applying a layer of Mod Podge before pasting the photos…

Coating the photos with a top layer of Mod Podge…

5. Once the photos are all placed and the Mod Podge is completely dry (at least 3 hours), carefully tape the wood letters in the desired position.

6. Make a nice ribbon bow and tape it to the top of the canvas.  Take two single strips of ribbon and tape them to the back bottom of the board, so they hang down nicely.

And our gift is ready!

There you have it – a memorable gift idea that is PERFECT for Mother’s Day and other special occasions like Anniversary, Housewarming, Baby’s Full Month, Valentine’s Day, Graduation and Birthdays! For an even more personalised touch, you can replace the letters to form the recipient’s names.

For more Mothers’ Day gift ideas and crafts to engage the family this June school holidays, check out Canon Creative Park, Canon PIXMA Town and the Canon PIXMA Printing Solution Apps (PPS).