Make a Victorian Mixed Media Art Board

Mixed media art projects are always fun to do for all ages. Many children learn mixed media projects in art class at school. Using different materials and objects attractively arranged and secured to a background can create a one of a kind work of art. This creation can even be signed, if desired, at the bottom corner of the finished piece. This mixed media project will have a Victorian theme to it, with added embellishments. Once finished, the board can be framed and hung up for display.

For this project, you will need:

Victorian postcards and/or greeting cards

bookboard, 8 by 10″ in size

rhinestone buttons

lace

Tacky glue or glue stick with hot glue gun

satin ribbon in pink or blue

an 8 by 10″ frame

sheet of Victorian themed scrapbooking paper

ruler

scissors

craft knife

Take the bookboard and if needed, cut it down to the 8 by 10″ size. File away any rough edges of the bookboard. Measure the sheet of scrapbook paper to the size of the board and add 1″ to the top and the bottom so the paper is 9 by 11″ in size. This will allow for a 1/2″ overlap on the edges of the bookboard. Use the glue stick to attach the paper to the bookboard base, going around the edges on the front, with the excess paper showing on all sides of the bookboard. Fold over the paper, and glue on the back side of the board. Mitre the corners of the paper and glue them on the back of the board.

With the covered side of the board facing up, arrange the Victorian pictures or postcards. If the picture is on a greeting card, you can cut around the outline of the design. If it is on a postcard, you can leave the entire postcard shape intact if desired. Use the glue stick to attach the card to the position desired on the bookboard. The rhinestone buttons, lace, and satin ribbon can be placed on the bookboard, forming a frame around the picture, and Tacky glued in place. Allow the glue to dry thoroughly.

Once the Victorian mixed media art is dried, it can be framed. Remove the glass part from the frame you will be using, and slide the bookboard in place. The board will be thick enough to stay in place once set in the frame. Slide the backing to the frame in place, and you can hang your Victorian art on your wall.

Image Credit: Nova Scotia Archives, No restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons.