Lovehearts Canvas ... and how it was made.

Afternoon Folks,

I hope you are all well and looking forward to the weekend, even if we are in for a freeze here in the UK. Or so I've just read on Sky's news page. My DH, armed with camera, went snowdrop hunting down at Culzean Castle on Tuesday only to be told that he was too late, they'd been and gone. The warm weather at the start of the year had conned them into thinking it was spring. It's been a funny old winter so far.

With Valentine's Day fast approaching I decided I'd like to make something special with this miniature canvas I've had in my stash goodness knows how long. I have to thank RachO113 for her demo on YouTube for showing me the best way to adhere fabric to canvas ... simple really, but it takes a smart crafter like Rachel to show me how :)  Here is how it's done:

Materials needed: canvas, fabric, DS tape, and scissors. You will also need a strong glue for adhering the fabric to the back of the canvas ... I used a hot glue gun because it is a quick and easy method of getting a good finish.

Step 1: Cover the front of the canvas with strips of DS tape and lift off the wax paper covering ready to stick the fabric down.

Step 2: Lay the fabric over the sticky tape and press flat and outwards to eliminate air bubbles. Trim across the corners as shown.

Step 3: Turn the canvas over and, one side at a time, run the hot glue along the edge then quickly fold the fabric smoothly over on to the edge pressing down very carefully - the glue is very hot - secure it to the edge. Tuck the corners in as you go.

This is what the canvas looks like once covered.

This photo shows the canvas before I added the toppers ... oops! all those spots are a bit much for the eyes!! I was just deciding where to put the flower at this point. Oh, and you may recognise the flower here, it's included in the tutorial on heart flower making, posted here.  The other two elements are a stamped heart, gold embossed several times and then stamped with a smaller heart before the EP set hard. It's matted on to red card which is also edged in gold EP. The sentiment was stamped with VersaMark on to black card and embossed with gold EP, matted on to gold edged red card too.

The finished project, just a few black gems added to it and that's it. It's just a wee sentimental keepsake but I'm quite pleased with it and it does mean that the canvas is no longer in the stash ... I've used it up :))

Materials used:
- miniature canvas
- fabric scrap - from Very Crafty in Fife - I have my friend, Angie, at Shozzy's Place, to thank for the discovery of this fabulous source of scrap bags - Theresa, the proprietor, is immensely helpful.
- leftover snippets of two patterned papers
- tiny snippets of red, black and white card
- Studio g stamp set, VS4911
- VersaMark ink pad
- gold embossing powder
- red self-adhesive pearl and black gems
- tools - heart punch, daisy punch, hot glue gun

All the materials used came from my stash so the project qualifies as:-

For once I seem to be 'on trend', but then it's February and love is in the air :) Consequently, there are several challenges I can enter my canvas for.

My Mojo Monthly - February - Heartstrings - enough hearts to pull anyone's heartstrings

Allsorts Challenge Blog - One or More Hearts   - more hearts

Oldie But A Goodie Challenge - Have a Heart - the stamps and the punch used are all over 6 months old 

and finally,

Pixie's Crafty Snippet Challenge - Number 5  - apart from the fabric, and even that is from a scrap, nothing but snippets have gone into the making of this project. 

I've been scanning photographs today ... the ones that are framed and hanging on the walls. I forget that I should be making scrapbook layouts of these, after all they are on the wall for a reason, and that is that we particularly like them ... there couldn't be a better reason to scrap them than that, now could there?

Okay, I'm off to grab a cuppa and catch Pointless. I hope you all have a lovely, crafty weekend.

Happy Crafting,