How to make simple Canvas Wall Art With Keys
The other day I was feverishly cleaning up the living room in order to take…
The other day I was feverishly cleaning up the living room in order to take a nice photo of the coffee table for my epic hits and epic fails post. As I was cleaning I noticed a blank canvas on the wall, above my chivalrous trunk. What was this I wondered? And why was it here?
It turns out my daughter had left it there after one of her video shoots. I don’t know what that means but who am I to argue with artists!
I really liked the way it looked next to the black display and the sand colored wall. I decided I’d leave it there but it did need a little something. And so I stopped the cleaning and followed my muse! That was how I got an idea to make a simple canvas art with keys.
I got the idea from this dish that I have in the living room full of old keys.
You may recall I first used the keys on my roasted Christmas tree a few years ago and I also have them dangling from the light fixture right now. They are almost like a mobile.
I took the keys and tied them with different lengths of thin twine. I purposely tied them loosely and left the end of the rope sticking out. I think it adds much needed texture to the composition.
I then tried to attach them to the back of the canvas, like this with a staple gun. But this was a bad idea because the staple jutted out so much, the canvas would not hang on the wall properly.
So instead I just taped them on with masking tape. I love easy peasy!
Aren’t these keys cool?
No two are alike!
I think that some of them are actually used for opening things in our house. Shhh… I hope my husband is not looking for them.
I just like to display them cause they look so unique with the chalky type paint, the rust and the patina which has developed since I painted them.
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And that is my easy piece of art!
Here they are in the living room next to the wooden display that I had used last for my Christmas cards. Are you seeing how I can reuse everything for all seasons? Even the homemade “Christmas” ornaments are transitional and look good displayed all year long.
Pumpkin man is such a celebrity, my friend Michelle of A Crafty Mix actually drew his portrait and then she sent it to me as a gift. So my pumpkin man may not last forever (in fact, I cannot believe he is still around) but he will live on in this painting.
Of course the nice thing about this super easy project is that it can be changed up in a flash. I just need to pull the masking tape off the back and I’m back to my original canvas. I just love projects that serve more than one purpose.
I hope you’ve all enjoyed my how to make simple art with keys. Do you ever find yourselves inspired in the middle of cleaning?
I certainly hope those are not useable keys. What should I do if my husband discovers I’ve “borrowed” his keys for an art project?
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Now that’s a great idea with all of those extra keys you find? Or is that only me!! Especially when we moved, we found a ton that we had no idea where they went—ha ha!!
I almost think you should paint the canvas or cover it with something so the keys show up more???
jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
I don’t have to worry about that dilemma Jodie. My girl took the canvas to paint on. Higher art is calling. But I will look around to find another canvas or something.
Creativity sparked from cleaning, ha! Yes, I have had that little light bulb go off while I’ve been power cleaning the house, and it was the best incentive to finish so I could put my idea into practice, thus I know exactly what you mean.
Your key display is lovely; I like all the different shapes and sizes of the keys all covered in that chalky texture.
Happy weekend, Mary!
Poppy
In my case Poppy I abandoned the cleaning in order to do this project. It’s a good thing it was a quicky otherwise the house would never get cleaned.
What a cute, creative idea Mary! I love old skeleton keys and this is one nice project how one can use them!
And it was super easy to do Maya. Thanks for dropping by!
I love the keys wall art. It’s such a simple, yet effective, project. I really like the final product. I hope your husband doesn’t dismantle your artwork in search of keys to open things around the house.
Haha! Carol here I was worrying about my husband and instead my daughter came by and told me she needed it for an art project. There goes the canvas. Now I need to look for another background.
Really cute idea, Mary! Adding to my Pinterest queue.
Thank you so much Stephanie!
Hi Mary – popping in from the Handmade Monday linky party – LOVE your antique keys and the beautiful artwork you created. Isn’t it fun to use OLD stuff to make NEW and beautiful stuff? That’s what I do too, so I’m always looking for new creative inspiration. Thanks for sharing! Hope to catch up with you again next week at the linky party. Nina @ Vintage Mama’s Cottage
Nina I live for that. I have so much old stuff and junk in my house. And I”m trying to transform everything, one object at a time. We don’t need a fortune to do it, just a bit of inspiration.
Wow Mary! I really love the idea! The white canvas with the whitish keys is very beautiful combination!
Thanks Katerina. It’s time to brighten things up a bit.
Love the simplicity of this idea. The rustic jute and the finish of the keys go perfectly with the piece next to it. They look like they were always side by side. I also love how they are suspended away from the canvas and kind of have a floating feel. Great idea!.
And to think it was a happy accident how that canvas ended up there Melissa. Sometimes those are the best.
Thanks Mary for Hosting. Love your idea for wall canvas art! Pinned it so maybe someday I can get my craft-act together and do it. Visiting Sweet Inspirtion this week with “Select a Car Color That Pleases You.”
Nancy I saw that great post on cars. Thanks for visiting.
That turned out really cool! The best part is even I could pull it off and I don’t have a creative or artistic bone in my body!
I love easy projects Carlee and I love projects that don’t require fancy machinery or skills. Mainly because I don’t have either!
Definitely ties it in to the rest of the room decor now. Keys are always a conversation piece.
They must be trending now Debbie. I use these every chance I get, I love that rust so much.
I love how everything has multiple lives in your house! Why reuse soemthing once when you can use it over and over again. You are so creative!
Of course Julie. How can I use it only once and then what? Throw it away? Horrors! Store it somewhere? I have no room for that. So it either is multi-purpose or it does not enter the house.
I love this idea! I have a thing for keys and this would fit perfectly in my decor – I just may have to copy this!
It’s super easy to make and even easier to take apart!
Old keys are awesome. We actually have skeleton locks on all our doors. Original to the house…never changed them. So I have a keychain full of them. Of course, I can’t use them, since I may need them, but I do hang them about the house to decorate.
Old keys add so much character to a home. And in decorating it can really make for a richer look. Kim my husband has been eyeing those keys wondering where I got them from. 😉
I absolutely love you beautiful ideas with keys. I have a few saved from garage sales and you have enlightened me with ideas. Thank you so much.
Yvonne
I’m always so happy when I can inspire others Yvonne. Thank you for taking the time to comment.
You have just solved a problem for me !!! I have collected keys for years. Now, I have a great way to display them !!!!! Thank you for this great idea !!!!
I am so glad to hear that Sally, it is a fun and easy way to display them.
This is so simple and cute. Thanks for sharing on To Grandma’s House We Go!
Cool collection of keys! I was going to say that you could reuse your canvas for something else when you get bored of this project but I guess she beat me to it! LOL.
You could always paint over a failed painted canvas and turn it back to white with a grey or rust texture….recycle reduce reuse …
Yes this is the best part of all, the repurposing and reusing.
Oh Mary! This is the coolest things I’ve yet to see done with skeleton keys! Now to find mine… beautiful outcome! Love the twine so much.
I’m featuring this project in this weekend’s upcoming DIY Salvaged Junk Projects. Thanks for linking up! 🙂
What a unique idea. I never would have thought of that