Take Me to the Sea!

Finished Project: Stretched and stapled over a mounted canvas.

Project Details:  "Take Me  to the Sea!" is a wall hanging that I created using applique, embroidery and water color.  I got the idea for “Take me to the Sea” from a darling calendar I bought after New Year’s for a discount.  I took the lettering from the calendar, the sandcastle from a purchased pattern from the store, the birds and water drops from images found on the Internet and the sun I created from fabric purchased at Joanne's fabric.  When I am able to walk on my foot I will iron it, mount it and take a better final project picture.

You can't see it in the picture but I decided to wrap the embroidery around the edges of the frame by embroidering the sun's rays to the very edge of the cloth, this was easier so I did not need to measure exactly where the frame was going to end up but I loved the finished effect that it added to the project!
Techniques:
WATER COLORING:  My favorite new thing is to add watercolor to my projects!  Such an easy way to add color and it adds a kind of dreamy quality, in my opinion.  It is limited in that you cannot add it to something that will need to be washed.   

Water coloring can be done before embroidering around the image.  Before I embroidered the sun's rays I actually painted on the rays using a ruler.  Then I decided to use a full strand of thread so I ended up covering up the watercolor underneath! 

To add depth and to represent water in keeping with the theme I painted light blue under the lettering in "Take me to the" lettering. 

When I did the sandcastle watercolor I colored inside the image I had already embroidered.  It is a little harder to get all the way to the edges and I found that the color is darker where you start your brush so you can kind of think about darker and lighter shading as you paint.

MULTI COLOR THREAD:  I also used multicolored thread for the first time on the sun's rays and also on the bird's feathers.  The sun's rays I chose to do thicker, using a full strand with a thick needle.

For the bird's feathers I took a strand from each of the blues I had used elsewhere in the project to make a color combination that blended in well.

PLACING BUTTONS:  I laid out the buttons in the design I wanted and then I took a picture of them with my phone.  While I was sewing them on I referred back to the image as a guide and reference for where to place the buttons. 

LOOKING FOR ADVICE:
Mounting:  I stretched and stapled this to a blank stretched canvas I purchased at Joanne's.  Any better ideas for mounting?

Water color:  I am wondering if there is a way to make watercolor permanent?