Scrapbook Paper Wall Art

I use scrapbook paper for a lot of projects, ironically not for scrapbooking. If you like scrapbooking, or scrapbook paper, and have lots of leftover pieces, or you just have colored paper lying around you can use it to make wall art.

Step One: Gather Materials

You will need glue or a glue stick, a brush, a canvas or foam board, scrapbook paper, scissors, and Mod Podge or another sealer. Optional: You could also choose to paint the canvas first if you don’t want a plain white background.

Step Two: Decide on a shape or shapes and make templates

You can use whatever shapes you want for your wall art, I suggest making a template out of paperboard like an old cereal box, but a piece of scrapbook paper will work for the template as well. You can look online at other art work and get some inspiration for your own piece. I'm using a leaf shape for mine.

Step Three: Choose your paper and use your template to cut out shapes

Scrapbook paper  comes in all kinds of themes and designs so you can find a new sheet you want to use or use scraps from older projects. Or if you have construction paper or old birthday cards you can use that, really any colorful paper will work.

It doesn’t really matter if you trace the template on the front or back of the paper. But, if you trace it on the front you can choose to include certain sections of the print that might be more appealing for your art than others. Just be sure to cut inside the pencil lines so they don’t show on your finished piece.

Step Four: Gather and arrange your art design

Take your time deciding how you want your wall art to look. Think about the colors and the patterns. I did a simple one with the leaf pattern and a pink theme. Once you’ve decided how you want the art to look then you can begin gluing down the paper. You can make marks with a pencil if you want, but I like just going with the flow and I don’t worry too much if the finished art matches the original layout exactly. I used a glue stick for this one, I find they work really well and cut down on the mess of using liquid glue and you don’t have to worry about the paper getting too wet. You just need to remember to press the pieces down for a few seconds until the glue sets. 

Step Five: Seal your finished work

Once your glue is dry you are ready to seal your piece. If you use a glue stick it will dry faster than the liquid glue. Also you can wrap a heavy book or other square object in plastic and set it on top to keep the paper lying flat and prevent warping while it dries.

Brush on a thin layer of Mod Podge or other sealer to finish the piece and secure the paper to the canvas. You can use a paint brush or foam brush. You could probably use a spray sealer, but I’ve never tried it. It could be a good option if you’re worried about streaks from painting on the Mod Podge, but I don’t mind the streaks, to me it gives it a homemade artistic feel.

Final Step: Let your sealer dry and enjoy your art. 

The finished piece is below and I also inlcuded another version of the scrapbook wall art that I did where I covered the whole canvas. You can do whatever design you want and cover as much or as little of the canvas as you like.