Naptime project: "Howdy Pony"

There are two to three times a day I get to work on my Etsy shop and crafting: naptimes. Because my little guy is an odd napper (it could be two hours, it could be twenty minutes!) I like to have lots of little projects I can tackle rather than one large project. Today I wanted to make something that would go well over the big open wall space we have over the crib. I've been wanting to put up a series of canvas panels (they are light, if little hands try to pull them off the wall) and simple designs look so cute on them. I wanted something cowboy themed to go with a new stick horse the little guy recieved from his grammie, - and when I opened my new "Create a Critter" cricut cartridge, I was overjoyed to see this cute little pony.

For this project, you'll need:

Cricut
Create a critter cartridge
12x14 canvas panel
Mod-podge or scrapbooking glue
Green, yellow, black, brown and light brown cardstock
ribbon
paint
Pooh and Friends Cricut cartridge* (optional, for the grass)
Hot glue gun* (optional, if you want a ribbon to hang the canvas)


I started off by painting the canvas blue. For a rustic look, I simply brush a little acrylic paint over the canvas with a sponge brush. I don't add extra coats to thicken the finish (I love the rustic burshstroke look), but that's entirely up to you.

Once you have your shapes cut with your cricut (I cut the pony at 6", the star at 2 1/2", and the Howdy at 3"; the grass is the icon on a jumping Tigger from the Pooh and Friends cartridge, cut at 1 1/2), glue the pieces together, and adhere them to the dry canvas with mod-podge or sturdy scrapbooking glue.

Instead of cutting a red bandanna for the horse like the cartridge suggests, I affixed a red ribbon to his neck using my hot glue gun. I thought it gave the picture a little 3d pop that is perfect for a kids room.

When your picture is assembled and glued, you can affix a ribbon to the panel by hot gluing it to the back. I am showing it here on a ribbon, but I think I am going to remove it and hang it on my little guy's wall using command strips so it lays flat and he can't pull it off the wall.

You could also add some jute ribbon around the sides like a lasso if you'd like. The entire project (minus drying time) takes under 20 minutes- perfect for a nap!