Treasure Canvas - Uhu Glue Crackle Effect Canvas

As promised I am back with a project incorporating the Uhu Glue Crackle Effect canvas I made.  I am going to make a "Treasure Canvas"....   What is a Treasure Canvas?  It's a canvas made using tiny treasures you have on your desk, dresser, in a drawer, etc.  All those little bits of life that might only have meaning to you and nobody else.  Or if you're not a "saver" or pack-rat as my dh likes to call me then you can create this canvas with all sorts of ephemera found around the home, in your stash or bought.  No matter where you gather you little treasures from, this is a great project for home decor and gift giving.

Gather up your bits you might incorporate into your collage.  I say might because you'll find as you arrange and re-arrange things will be added and other set aside.  You can use virtually anything for this project.  Paper, bits of jewelry, embellishments, buttons, charms, keys, coins, game pieces, even bits of clothing!

I printed off a few collage images (from Altered Pages) that I may/may not include.  You could also use scans of photos or other printed images.

Now comes the fun part...  The arrangement!  Here is your chance to add, remove, move, change and re-arrange all those bits.  I like to focus my attention near the center of the canvas leaving a blank area around my treasures to frame them and really emphasize their importance.

Just keep going till you hit upon something you like...

And once you do, glue them all down!

A close up and a bit of the meaning behind the items.... the vial w/ the number 67 - the year I was born; the bingo marker O-63 - the year dh was born; "B3" scrabble tile... B for Ben & Bob - "3" for my guys (dh & 2 sons).  Eiffel tower represents my dad's side of the family...grandma is French; "J" key for our last name,  the colored pencil is Blue - my fav. color, vintage pen nib because I like to write, etc.

You get the picture...  Everything doesn't have to have meaning but it's fun if they do.  This would make a wonderful personalized gift for a friend or family member by selecting things that have meaning in their lives...  Even more fun for them to guess what each treasure represents ~ you could even paste a cheat sheet on the back of the canvas cluing them in!

So there you go.... We started off with a fun background technique and ended up with a "treasure" canvas!