Capture Those PCS Memories with This Crafty DIY!

I began keeping newspapers from every country I visited when my family was stationed in Vilseck, Germany. I didn’t know what I was going to do with them but I knew I wanted a piece of the culture, a piece of history, and a sample of their language to remember my time there. I had accumulated a local German paper, a newspaper from France, and one from the Czech Republic as well when I decided I was going to incorporate them somehow into a work of art. And so… my newspaper canvases came to be!

This was my first piece – using that German newspaper that listed nearby cities that we often visited, restaurants that we enjoyed, fests that we attended, and other current events that we were a part of… It’s something I’ll cherish forever.

Once we relocated back to the United States, our next duty station was still a world away from “home.” We were living outside of Buffalo, NY and I decided that although it’s not an exotic country, I’d like to document our time spent there as well! So, the tradition has continued…now every state or country that we may be moved to, I will always collect a newspaper and create a canvas to capture these places in time.

I’m going to take you step by step on how this is done if you are interested in creating one of these for yourself! Especially for us military families, I think this is a neat way to show off all of the exciting places we have been!

Supplies:

• Newspaper
• Canvas
• Mod Podge®
• Thick paintbrush (or foam brush)
• Black acrylic paint and/or black permanent marker

Directions:

• I use a mix of pictures and articles.
• I look for different types and sizes of font for variety.
• I search for article titles that are meaningful to me.
• I look for names of cities that I have been to, school events from my children’s school district, and anything else that will ring a bell later as I look back on my artwork.
• You can cut things out from the newspaper but I prefer the look of the uneven edges from tearing it with my hands.

• Tear pieces out of your newspaper that are appealing to you.
• Place them around on your canvas until you are satisfied with the way it looks. Layer them, angle them, play with them!
• Use Mod Podge® just as you would glue to fasten these newspaper clippings to your canvas.
• Once you have glued everything down, flip the canvas over and use a flat edge (credit card, etc.) to push out any air bubbles.

• Cover the entire canvas with another layer of Mod Podge®.
  • It appears milky white as you lay it down but it will dry clear and create a protective layer to make your art work easy to wipe down and it helps preserve these memories for you for years to come!
  • Let this dry completely before the final step.

• For my German newspaper canvas above, I drew birds on a telephone pole. For my French and Czech Republic paper I painted birds flocking together on a huge tree. For this New York newspaper canvas I decided to make two love birds with some branches and leaves just framing them in.
• You can freehand or sketch any animals, plants, flowers, skylines, etc. to create your black silhouettes. Then, use paint or black markers to color in those images.

Notes:

• A bonus with the top coat of Mod Podge® that you applied is that it makes mistakes easy to wipe off – simply use a wet paper towel to smear off paint before it dries and try again.

I hope this inspires you to start collecting papers along your military journey. Then, get creative and see what you can create! Happy Crafting!

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