Christmas in July: Noel

http://hydrangeahippo.blogspot.com/2010/07/christmas-in-july-blog-hop.html

A few years ago I started making banners, right when they were really getting trendy again (cuz Lord knows they are not something “new” or exclusive to scrapbooking). I've taught banner classes, sold them, sold kits, and even created custom banners that I sold for hundreds of dollars on etsy. The beauty of banners is they can be any style, any shape, any color..the sky is the limit! And they are a great way to make any space more festive for your favorite occasion or just for everyday. I love banners over the mantle or across a window at Christmas. You can even put them in your tree!

Here's a banner I made using Donna Salazar's new “Weathered Winter” paper collection:

You can create a holiday themed banner using embellishments and other products leftover from other projects. Your banner should reflect your style so using items from your stash will easily help you create a banner you'll like (since you probably like all the embellies you've got). And you don't need expensive stuff to put on your banner either. Here's each letter of the banner I made and I'll explain the embellishments I used:

Let me also tell you that I only used TWO sheets of paper for this banner and each pennant is 9″ tall!! So a little paper goes long way on this project.

On the “N” and “E” I made rosettes from crepe paper and dipped the edges in glitter. Easy peasy! And you can get crepe paper all year long in the party supplies section of most large stores like Target. I love to hit the clearance sales after Christmas to find deasl on ornaments that I can use as scrapbooking embellishments. I got these felt snowflakes from a gift shop that was clearing them out around Christmas time. I used them for a class and had about 5 leftover so 3 made their way onto the banner!

I had some leftover canvas fabric so I diecut it into scalloped circles to use as mats for the O and L pennants of the banner. I crumpled a doily and putt hat in the center of the canvas circle–nothing is off limits! Just make sure you stick to the basic color scheme and it all works somehow.

I used an assortment of bulky buttons as accents on this pennant. I have so many buttons that I love but they are just too bulky for my regular scrapbook pages–a project like this is perfect to use them on because the bulk does not matter and I actually get to look at my yummy buttons while the banner is displayed. You can even use buttons that have a special meaning to you, like buttons from grandma's apron, and they will remind you of grandma every time you display the banner.

I had some lacquered holly leaves and berries leftover from old projects — they were perfect for this! I also used some eyelet lace on the edges of each pennant for a more homespun, vintage feel. Again, the pattern and type of lace does not matter — just match the color.

And finally I used some more buttons – repetition really helps pull it all together when creating a project like this!

I want to explain a little about the letters I used too. I bet you can tell that I used my Silhouette Diecutting machine to cut the letters but did you know that I cut them from Donna Salazar's new canvas paper? She now has BLANK canvas paper — it comes in a cream color and is very stiff and thick. I cut the letters out and then spritzed them with water and then Smooch Spritz in Limolicious. The reason I sprayed the paper with water FIRST is to help the spray ink spread out over the paper instead of being in splattery dots. I dried the letters with a heat gun (necessary because of all the water I sprayed on the paper) and inked them with Chestnut Roan and Warm Green Colorbox Chalk Inks. Some American Crafts Foam Dots popped the letters up on each pennant. What I love about this canvas paper is that is it is really paper, not fabric, so I can cut it, mist it, and diecut it, but it is also stiff enough to act like chipboard when I need it to.

Hope this inspires you to use everyday items in a Christmas color scheme to make something wonderful for your holiday home!

Author: Jennifer Priest

It started with jewelry, beading, sewing, home decor, painting, basket weaving, pottery, and cross-stitch. Marry that to an entrepreneurial spirit & at 9 years old a girl is selling her wares at craft fairs as far as her parents and grandparents would drive her. These days, Jennifer enjoys crafts of all genres from sewing to scrapbooking to jewelry with a little dabbling in the mixed media world. Her style is approachable and she wants everyone who sees her work to feel that they too can embrace creativity and make their home and life beautiful.