Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Fall Decorating!

Did I mention that I love to decorate for fall? I do! Fall and December are the two seasons where I really go all out. I have a shelf in my entryway that has been crying out for some sort of fall decor for a few years now. I finally got something done for that space, a fall-themed pennant banner!



Detail of one of the pennants
I wanted the softness and flexibility of a fabric base and I really wanted to use some of the new fabric that Tim Holtz has out now. I ended up layering triangles of felt, quilt batting and fabric so it would have some substance and dimension to it. Pin it well, add a little top-stitching and you are in business!

"sandwich" for the pennant base
Of course there had to be a paper element to the project as well. I used Distress Stains to lay down the first layer of color on the manila tags. It's a super easy technique! First scribble various colors of stain onto your craft sheet:


Then swipe the tag right through the puddles:


Dry it with a heat gun and you can blot it or swipe it through the stain still left on the sheet for another layer of color and texture. You can also flick water onto the tag and it will react with the stain, making spots.


I then stamped it with the Autumn Blueprint stamps using some of the new Wendy Vecchi Archival Ink colors (see product list below). They are some really beautiful colors! After stamping, I blended Brushed Corduroy Distress ink around the tag and flicked it with water to make spots. I also distressed the edges of the tag and inked them with Walnut Stain to define them.

I embellished the tags with glassine leaves (see the link for Tim's tutorial, I did not use metallic mixatives on mine however). I also die cut acorns out of grungeboard. The caps I painted with Walnut Stain Crackle Paint and the other part is brown paint with a layer of Glossy Accents over it.

But wait, there's more! I had an extra pennant so I made it into a hanging decor piece:


Whew! All that kept me out of mischief for awhile. =) I am thinking that a Christmas version of the hanger would make a great gift. Hmmmm…

Well, I hope you've been inspired to make something of your own. To those in the U.S., I wish you a happy Thanksgiving next week! And regardless of your country of residence, take some time to count your blessings and share with your family what you are thankful for. Oh, and here is my garland hanging in my entryway (one swag's worth anyway):



Most of the supplies I used to create this card can be found at Inspiration Emporium. Follow the links below and use my code JUICE to save 10% if you go shopping. Thanks!


Posted by at 3 comments:
Labels: , , , ,

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Thankful

I love this time of year. Fall is one of my favorite seasons and November is especially of month of thankfulness for me! We celebrate two family members' birthdays and my husband and I have our wedding anniversary. And of course we have the Thanksgiving holiday. I always try to be mindful of the many blessings I have and be thankful but this is certainly an easy time of year to do that!

Right now Scrapping Everyday Miracles is having a challenge centered around thankfulness. Go and see what everyone has come up with and be inspired to create a project of your own! I just finished this card to send off and I'm really liking how it came together. It is a Pop 'n Cuts card so there is stuff going on in the inside as well as the outside. ;-)



Last November Tim Holtz made a really beautiful tag for his 12 Tags of 2012 but I never got a chance to make it myself. I decided to use that look for the front of this card. Check out the link for a tutorial on his Faux Batik technique - it's a really fun one. For the inside I did more of the stain background and lots of inking and stamping. For embellishing the front and inside I diecut lots and lots of little leaves, twigs etc out of Core'dinations cardstock using the Autumn Gatherings die. I really love this die because you get all these great little leaves with one pass. I also use the Little Sizzles cardstock pads which make it really convenient to cut out a bunch of different colors quickly; they fit the Sizzix strip dies perfectly.

I hope you are inspired to count your blessings and remember what you are thankful for. Most of the supplies I used to create this card can be found at Inspiration Emporium. Follow the links below and use my code JUICE to save 10% if you go shopping. Thanks!




Posted by at 4 comments:
Labels: , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)