How to Make DIY Wood Frames for Canvas Easter Prints

Styles and trends change and then so do I, at least a little. For our Easter decor, I found a very inexpensive way to create Easter bunny art on canvas (without words) and put it in DIY wood frames for less than $5. So today I am going to share how to make a DIY Canvas frame in 3 different ways This DIY project is simple enough to make you can do it without any fancy power tools, and it makes so much difference to seasonal Easter decor. These simple flush frames that hug the canvas print are the easiest to make so that is the mounting method we chose.

Where to Find Easter Bunny Art on Canvas

It’s surprisingly easy to find bunny art in the spring. You can paint your own, I lack that particular talent. You can find inexpensive art on canvas at the dollar store, and online. For Easter, I purchased some fun canvas art prints from Temu. I am not an affiliate for Temu (maybe I should consider it) but I have found them to be a great resource for various canvas art pieces including these Easter bunny art canvas prints.

We will make rustic wood frames for canvas prints in 3 different ways. Whether the canvas print comes premounted on a frame or rolled into a tube. The Easter bunny canvas prints from Temu also come in a variety of sizes both small and very large. This framing method works for whatever size canvas you choose.

I am excited to show you how lovely these DIY canvas frames turned out, as Easter decor is for Easter decorating so let’s get started.

How to Frame Premounted Canvas Art Prints

This is the easiest way to make a picture frame because the canvas is already stretched and mounted for us. All we need to do is make an outside frame for it. If you find prints at Dollar Store or even Home Sense (Home Goods), this is an easy quick way to dress them up.

To create a frame, you can choose between using 1 by 2 lumber or purchasing a length of plain molding. Begin by measuring the dimensions of your canvas artwork. For instance, my bunny canvas, purchased from the Temu site, measures 11.8 inches by 15.7 inches and cost $10 Canadian.

Besides the Bunny canvas in a frame, you will need:

Step One – Measure

Measure your canvas in the back frame. Mine was 11.8″ wide and 15.7 inches tall.

Step Two – Cut and Stain the Wood

We aren’t going to cut 45-degree angles, to keep it simple we will do overlapping 90-degree straight cuts.

Hubs used a miter saw to cut the wood. You can use a jigsaw, a circular saw, or a handsaw instead.

Cut the top and bottom of the frame first. Using 1″ by 2″ cut two pieces 11.8 inches long. Lay the cut top and bottom of the frame against your artwork and then measure the distance you need for the height of the frame. Ours came out at 16.8 inches.

My original choice was to use natural wood, but decided the print would look nicer in a stained frame.

To stain the frame I used a paint sponge brush to stain the wood. You can use any color of stain you want, I chose oak stain.

Wipe the stain on with a paint sponge and then wipe it off with another sponge. Remember to do all six sides of each piece. Let it dry before doing the underside.

The time it takes depends on the brand of wood stain you use. Follow the instructions on the can for drying time.

Step Three – Attaching the Outer Frame

Place the four pieces of wood against the side of your canvas. Start at the top of the canvas and push it firmly for a snug fit. Once in place, attach it with a nail gun to the back frame that came with the canvas. Do the two ends then the middle making sure the frame and the canvas are squeezed together.

Flip the frame on its side, line up the ends, and attach.

Once all the frame sides were nailed on, Hubs added two nails at each corner to give the simple wood frame extra support.

I love how it looks now.

Not Mounted with Purchased Canvas Frame

Here is an easy way to mount a canvas that comes without a back frame. Instead of building the back frame from scratch, we will use an existing frame, swap the canvas, and then add the outer wood picture frame.

Materials Needed

As we are using nails to put on a picture frame, we don’t need a stapler to hold the canvas in place. Instead, I used double-sided tape, which works very well to stretch the canvas. Here’s what you need to frame an art canvas this way.

Step One – Locate and Remove Backing Frame

The thrift store might have a canvas print the right size for your project, meaning you can skip building a mounting frame. I took a ruler into the store with me and found one print I could use as an example.

We then ripped out all those silly staples before mounting the canvas. A small flat-headed screwdriver will help pry the staples off, and then we used needle nose players to pull them out, to expose the wood mounting frame.

Depending on the size of your art canvas, consider checking out the Dollar Store or Dollar Tree for affordable plain art canvas with frames you can swap in and use.

Step Two – Stretch and Attach Canvas

Lay the canvas print side down on a flat surface, then smooth the canvas out as much as possible.

Attach double-sided tape along the edge of your canvas. Center the mounting frame over the canvas. I was able to do it by eye.

Notice how the commercial frame is made with scrap wood, that’s not a great quality. It works and scrap wood will work when we build one later as well.

Note: Notice how the commercial frame is made with scrap wood, that’s not a great quality. It works and scrap wood will work when we build one later as well.

Make a little snip from the edge of the canvas to the mounting frame in all four corners for folding later on.

Remove the paper cover and, beginning at the top short side, fold the taped edge over the frame, and rub to adhere together.

Next, pull the canvas as tightly as possible from the opposite side. Once stretched fold up the second side and attach it.

Fold the corners as needed.

Repeat this process for the other three sides, doing the bottom short side next.

Step 3 – Make the Outer Frame

Here are the steps for the outer frame repeated for you.

1. Measure your canvas art.
2. Take a 1 by 2, and cut off two pieces for the top and bottom of your picture frame.
3. Lay the top and bottom pieces against your artwork, and then measure the distance you need for the night of the frame (including overlap at the corners).
4. Once measured cut and stain all the wood.
5. Attach the frame. Start at the top of the canvas, push tight against the back frame, and nail in place. Do the bottom, then flip the frame on its side and do the two long sections. Add more nails to the corners for extra strength

This next frame I left in light natural wood it brought out the yellow in the art canvas and I love how it turned out.

Unframed Canvas From Scratch Method

As always seems to be the case, the cheapest product means the most work, but the price of the whimsical rabbit canvas print makes it so worth the little bit of extra effort. This little bunny print cost me $2.69 in Canada, and it’s just excellent. But it comes in a roll, so here is how we’re going to mount it.

You could go shopping for a back frame and swap it out like the previous method. But if you don’t mind the extra steps, it’s easy to build a back frame or mounting frame. And then build the outer picture frame as well.

Building the Mounting Frame

Step One -Measure the Canvas

Measure your canvas, and subtract to make allowance for folding the canvas. For example. Your canvas is 12 by 16 inches we need to make an 11 by 15-inch back frame.

Here is the step-by-step.

Place your canvas good side down on a flat surface. Measure the length and width of your canvas.

Take the longest length (16 inches) and subtract 1 inch to give you half an inch of extra canvas on each side to overlap. Lay those two pieces on your canvas and measure the distance between them, it should be about 11 inches across give or take a little bit. Make note of the measurements.

Step Two – Cut the Wood

Hubs used 1″ by 2″ lumber for this and cut it in half on the table saw so the wood is 3/4″ by 3/4″. Scrapwood works well, even 1-inch plywood is good. Alternatively, you can purchase craft square lumber (square dowel) at the craft store that is precut to 1/2 by 1/2 inch.

Cut two long lengths and two short lengths according to the measurements you noted.

Using an air nailer(or small nails), place the two long pieces on the outside of the two short pieces and attach them with either a brad nailer (air nailer, small nails).

Your mounting frame is finished. Now we will continue with stretching the canvas, just like we did before.

Stretch the Canvas

Here are the steps repeated for you.

1. Lay the canvas print side down on a flat surface, then smooth the canvas out as much as possible.
2. Attach double-sided tape along the edge of your canvas. Center the mounting frame over the canvas. I was able to do it by eye.
3. Make a little snip from the edge of the canvas.
4. Remove the paper cover and beginning at the top short side fold the taped edge up over the frame, and rub to seal the tape.
5. Pull the canvas as tightly as possible from the opposite side. Once stretched fold up the second side and attach it.
6. Fold the corners.

Repeat this process for the other two sides.

Finally, go ahead and build an outer frame the same way.

Step 3 – Make the Outer Frame

Here are the steps for the outer frame repeated for you.

1. Measure your canvas art.
2. Take a 1 by 2, and cut off two pieces for the top and bottom of your picture frame.
3. Lay the top and bottom pieces against your artwork, and then measure the distance you need for the night of the frame (including overlap at the corners).
4. Once measured cut and stain all the wood.
5. Attach the frame. Start at the top of the canvas, push tight against the back frame, and nail in place. Do the bottom, then flip the frame on its side and do the two long sections. Add more nails to the corners for extra strength.

Here is the final picture frame with a canvas. It adds a bit of warmth to our very white kitchen.

I created several of these canvas art prints in a wood frame for every room in our home. Although they were different shaped they were all framed and matted the same way. They look everybit as nice as the very expensive one I am able to buy in a local gift shop, and were worth every minute it took to fix them.

Hanging the DIY Frames for Art Canvas

You can finish your frames by adding a saw tooth hanger to the back of the wood frame. You may choose to just hang them as they are from a nail or screw fixed into the wall. Because my frames are seasonal I used double layers of command strips on the back of mine.

Other Wood Easter Decoration DIYs