I recently purchased a two pack of 8 1/2 x 11 inches white canvas from Michaels, it was originally priced @ $5.00 but with my 50% off coupon it was only $2.50 for two canvases! That's pretty darn cheap.
I cut my pieces from DCWV (Die Cuts With a View) textured paper pack (found at Michaels, Joanns, and sometimes Ross or Marshalls) using my cricut machine and my trusty qypsy.
Cartridge I used: Create a Critter
1) Palm Trees from (cut at 3 inches and 4 inches, flipping the image to get opposite sides).
2) Monkey was cut at 2 1/2 inches, layered (black, beige, & dark brown).
3) Sun was cut at 3 inches
4) Giraffe was cut at 4 1/2 inches layered (brown, orange, and yellow).
5) Green grass was cut using the Martha Stewart Grass Border Punch.
* I applied foam adhesive to each piece to add dimension