Valentine's Day Fabric Scrap Art

I should be finished with day five of my organization challenge, but I needed a break from cleaning and organizing. Not to mention, my kids were still on Winter vacation and trying to organize with four kids running around isn't an easy task. They make a mess faster than I can clean and put stuff away...sigh. So, I made the decision to stop organizing till they go back to school today. Can I say that I'm secretly excited? Anyway, sometimes you just need to walk away and clear your mind before going crazy...I mean, going forward.

Since I'm taking a small break from organizing, I decided to make a Valentine's Day artwork for the entryway. You see, I have a picture frame that I change out several times a year to coincide with each holiday. I usually just plop in a printed photo, but I was inspired to make this collage from Better Homes and Gardens.

Isn't that adorable? I love everything about it.

Below is my version of this cute Valentine's Day artwork. Hope you like it.

 canvas panel & frame not in picture

Materials:

• 7-8 different patterned fabric scraps
• Mod Podge
• cardboard (I recycled the sides of a doughnut box)
• pencil & ballpoint pen
• scissors
• sponge brush or paint brush
• Picture frame
• 8x8 canvas panel (a thick cardstock can be substituted)

Instructions:

1. Determine the size you want your birds to be. This will depend on the size of your picture frame. My picture frame was 8x8, so I chose to make three birds (you can choose to make more). The smallest bird was 1 1/2", medium bird 1 3/4", and the largest bird with a tail was 3".
2. Next take some cardboard (cereal boxes are perfect) and draw your bird shapes onto them. Cut out the shapes and set aside.
3. Take your chosen fabric scraps and apply a thin coat of Mod Podge onto the right sides of the fabrics with a foam brush (see below). Let fabrics completely dry. This will help prevent the fabric from fraying.
   
4. Once the fabric is dried and stiff, trace at least two different sized birds onto the back sides of four different patterned fabrics. Just remember that the bird will be facing the opposite way when flipped over. *If your trace line is too dark, make sure to cut that off. Any markings will show when Mod Podge is applied.
   
5. After all the birds have been traced and cut out, do a dry arrangement on the canvas panel. The spaces between the birds will give you an idea of how big to cut the hearts.
   
6. When you find an arrangement you like, cut out various sized hearts from all seven fabrics (I chose to cut my hearts freehand). I cut the larger hearts from the main coordinating fabrics and the smaller hearts from the accent fabrics. Start to fill in the spaces between the birds with the hearts.
   
7. If you are satisfied with your arrangement, go ahead and apply Mod Podge on the back of each bird and heart. This will adhere the pieces to the canvas panel. Let this dry completely. *I chose to add wings to two of my birds by cutting one of my hearts in half (see picture below).
8. Now, apply Mod Podge over the entire canvas panel (see picture below). Try to keep your brush strokes going in one direction. The left side is what the canvas will look like with the Mod Podge applied over it. The right side is what the canvas will look like once it has dried clear.
   
9. Place your finished canvas panel into your picture frame and hang.
   
   

See the little mini envelope bunting? That was made from one of the coordinating fabrics. I'm planning on making a few more mini buntings to drape on some of the other picture frames too. Hope you all liked this project and would love to see your Valentine's Day craft decorations.

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