How To Tuesday: Fabric Canvas Wall Art!

Since things have been changing rapidly around my house these days, I decided that the previously undecorated bedroom needed a little something (especially since it's just mine). I wanted something simple that wasn't too time consuming, and that anyone could do! I think I found a great solution (at least for one of the walls in the room).

You will need:

• 1 yard of fabric
• canvas (mine was 22x28, but you can use any size)
• glue (I used E-6000, but you could use hot glue)

Now that your supplies are collected, let's get started!

1. Take your fabric and put it over the canvas (or canvases) you plan to use. This will help to get the design straight so that it looks the way you want it to. Also, if you feel like it, iron the fabric first. 
2. Starting on the top side, glue down your fabric. First, glue down the top and the bottom, then move onto the sides. 
3. When gluing the sides, be sure to pull the fabric taut so you don't wind up with ripples and lines (especially when you haven't ironed your fabric).
4. Cut off excess fabric from sides if necessary. 
5. Fold over corners so you have a nice, finished look. 
6. Hang and enjoy!

This is an incredibly simple, cheap project. If you need to spice up a room in your home, I would definitely suggest trying this out. Canvases are always on sale at local craft shops, and a yard of fabric (especially with a coupon) is super cheap! I personally would have used hot glue for this if doing it again, but I've never used E-6000, so wanted to give it a try.

Post your opinions in the comments - and if you try it, I'd love to see a photo!

Get out and bike!

A couple of great friends of mine, Tiffany and Brian, got me on a bicycle for the first time in years this past September. They are very avid cyclists, and have gotten in great shape because of it. Personally, I've never been one for working out, but as a kid, I biked absolutely everywhere. 

Putting some thought into it, and thinking about the junky old bike that my mom got me after my mountain bike was stolen from my old apartment building, I got on it one afternoon about a month ago, and just rode and rode - before I knew it, I had made it seven whole miles on the thing. In all of its' weight, with all of its' squeaks - it had brought me seven miles. The next day, I got right back on - and went twelve miles. I was hooked. 

One great thing about biking that I never knew before I hopped on one was just how much I could learn about the city I have been living in for the last (almost) five years. I have found countless paths, like the one above that ended abruptly and ran parallel to railroad tracks, and have really come to see the beauty behind a rough(ish) city.

After three or four rides on the old Roadmaster bike, I decided to start doing some research and looking into new bikes at local bike shops. I scored huge! The bike I picked up is a 2011 SE Bikes Draft Lite. Since I got it home, I've been on it at very least every other day since I picked it up. Since Milwaukee's streets are paved with broken glass, I had an issue with a recurring flat rear tire that I actually just fixed over this past weekend with a Continental Gatorskin tire. Before I get too off topic, let me just make a long story short by saying that I love my bike. I love having the freedom to get on and ride, and forget about anything that's going on at home, at work, or anywhere - it's just me and the road beneath me, and that's wonderful to me. I've had a blast putting accessories on the bike, from the new rear tire to the Planet Bike rack and fenders, and even to the new saddle that was sent to me by Tiffany and her husband Brian! 

All that I'm trying to say is that I was wrong. I've discovered riding a bike, and not only have I fallen in love with something to do that's also good for me, but I have opened up an entirely new side of Milwaukee for myself. One of my new favorite things to do is to get up early on a Saturday morning, get on my bike without a specific destination, and just go. It's beautiful.