I belong to a group of artists. We all have a connection to the now-closed Valley Ridge Art Studio. We stay in touch and hold art retreats twice a year. One member recently set up a Valentine’s postcard exchange. Names were drawn electronically. My recipient happens to own a cute Westie named Lulu. I decided my Valentine would feature some reference to Lulu.
Thinking outside the box, I decided to use an 8” x 10” canvas for my “postcard”. I had all of the
supplies on hand to create a valentine (no surprise there, as Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday).
I started with a white canvas, then mixed some acrylic paint and painted the canvas pink.
I then searched online and located a silhouette of a Westie. I sized it down, literally
using my fingers on my iPad. I then very lightly traced the outline onto a
piece of printer paper. I cut out the shape, then outlined it onto heavy paper.
That served as my pattern. I fused interfacing onto some pretty dark pink fabric,
And cut the shape from that. From there, I stitched the dog shape onto my background
of antique alencon lace.
The pictures that follow show how I tested different arrangements and trims.
Once I declared the surface finished, I wrapped the excess lace around to the
back. I used glue on the back (also underneath the dog appliqué and in a few
other, discreet spots). I glued scrapbook paper to the backside of the canvas.
Here is a photo of my completed valentine. I titled it “Lulu Love”. Hope you
like it!
