Canvas is done!

I finally finished my canvas! In my defense, I had my company - my daughter, her husband and our lovely granddaughter, so not much art happening for awhile. The canvas is a birthday gift, so I'm not showing the whole thing - I don't want my daughter getting a sneak -peak here! So, here are a few close-ups of some of the elements.

A couple of rusty pieces - one old, flattened spring and a small key-hole. I glued an image of two children to the back, so they appear to be peeping through the key-hole.

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The main theme of the canvas is birds. I cut out some eggs from an old Cavellini calendar, brushed them with Rock Candy crackle paint for a little shine. The text came from an old children's book of poems and I printed the words onto it. Then, pushed in some big grommets I got on sale at Marshall's for next-to-nothing.This is a glimpse of another section - the round gold piece has been looking for a home for quite some time. I stamped a few flourishes with white acrylic paint onto the corners. It seemed that this spot needed something more, so I staple-pleated a short piece of ribbon and glued it on.

These flowers were a first time attempt. I cut out circles from different fabrics - burlap, muslin and some old quilt squares. I sprayed them with fabric stiffener, then scrunched them and let them dry. I swiped ink on some of them to add some color. The flower centers are three old buttons, stamped with Staz-On for some added interest. I cut the leaves out of an old text, sewed the center "vein", swiped them with Diamond Glaze and folded to add some texture.

I learned a few more things working on this project. Nothing like a loaded hot glue gun to inflict pain and suffering! Don't you just love how acrylic paint sticks to nail polish!! I seem to time my creative urges to coincide with the day after I give myself a manicure!! Nothing says polished and put together like paint stuck to your nails!

Also, it's hard to know when to quit with collage. Not sure if I went a few steps too far or not far enough. I need to get more comfortable with blank areas or embrace the excess - not sure which.