Show Some Love

Start with this booklet filled with a nice variety of techniques and add some Fabric Elements™ by Rebekah Meier and you can end up with something fun and pretty to display in your home or give to a friend.

This burlap banner combines several techniques found in the booklet.  I used a number of the products in the Fabric Elemens™ collection developed by Rebekah for Fabric Editions.

Materials used for this project include - Burlap Banners, Pink Dot, Waffle Muslin, Wool Felt, Tissue Pack, Stencils and Lace Trims, plus paints and gel medium.

Designer Craft Connection - Show Some Love

February arrives and with it comes a special day to show and express LOVE.   Why not show it and express it every day!

There is an easel with a blackboard,  that I recently restyled from a plain wood finish with a crackle finish.  It is located near the front door in the entryway of the house.  It is the perfect addition to make a statement to anyone entering.

Recently I created a banner made from materials of the Fabric Elements™ line by Rebekah Meier and wanted to share it with everyone.

To make the hearts, I die-cut a base from white poster board.  After surface painting a white-on-white fabric and the waffle muslin fabric from the collection, they were also die-cut in the same size.  Two pieces of iron-on, fusible interfacing were cut to match and used to apply the fabrics to both sides of the poster board base.  (The decorative fabric on the front, waffle fabric on the back.)

The next layer was a smaller heart cut from batting and then trimmed with pinking shears around the edges.

The top layer is made using painted lutradur and finishing with stamped letters from Ann Butler's collection of stamps.  This heart shape is cut one size smaller than the batting layer.  This layer is sewn with a zig-zag stitch to the batting layer before being glued onto the larger hearts.

Decorative trim is glued to around each of the hearts.  Punch holes on the sides of each heart to add strips of fabric for tying them together and for end ties.

Designer Craft Connection Blog Hop - Projects I Love

What other project could I create in the month of February but something that simply says - LOVE.

This little project came about when I was asked to share an idea with the Ladies Group in  the community where I live.  This first photo is the sample "LOVE" banner that I made to let them know what we would be making.  On Wednesday evening of this week I will lead those that are participating in making this banner below.

The pennant shapes, for the base of each banner flag, are made by ironing two fabrics together with a fusible batting in between.  This sweet vintage print is on one side and the other is a red fabric with white hearts.  The fabrics were chosen to give the ladies a choice.  The pennants start with a 4" x 6" rectangle, then the bottom edge is has a "V" cut into it.  From card stock, 3" squares were cut and then the four sides are cut with a decorative scallop scissor. Use a fine point pen to draw "stitch" lines around the four sides to replicate stitching. The letters to spell out LOVE were cut from a black card stock using a digital die-cutting system. NOTE: Letters can be hand-cut, die-cut with any other system, stenciled onto the squares or purchased letter stickers could be used.  The thin strip was punched with a border punch out of white card stock.  The flower embellishment is also made from fabrics fused together with batting in between and coordinating card stock.  The flowers are held together with a small paper brad.  Leaves are cut from green cardstock. Glue all the elements onto the fabric pennants. NOTE: Refer to the photo for placement of components.  The four pennants are then clipped onto a length of jute cording with tiny wooden clothespins.  NOTE: Two smalls holes can be punched into the tops of each or tiny slits cut and then thread cording or ribbon through to hang the banner.  

Another note: To create the pennants, two fabrics can be fused together with a simple iron-on fusible (not batting).  Two coordinating card stocks can be fused together or combine fabric and paper together to make the pennants.  

Create simple short banners to hang around the house for various occasions following this simple idea.

So now go "hop" through the other blogs to see what projects the others love to share with you.

Spring Arrives

Wow what week we have had here weather wise!  It's officially Springtime by the calendar, but several days of 80+ weather brought us a very early arrival of buds bursting with green and other colors.  Call me crazy but I like a more gradual shift from spring to summer.  That shift seems to me happening much quicker these past several years.  I figured flowers outside would have to wait at least a few weeks so I would bring some flowers inside with a new project.  All my crocus' and dutch iris and daffodils are blooming like crazy! (Update: Tonight the temps drop again and expected high for Monday will be in the 40's.  When you live in the Midwest - wait a little while and the weather can shift.)

Anyway ... I completed a "blooming" banner for my mantle and would like to share it with you.  Out came the Sizzix Big Shot, DCWV papers, Eileen Hull dies,   other Sizzix dies and a couple of Sizzix embossing folders.

Once I decided on the words for the banner, I used the Sizzix die, Album, Scallop/Circle by Brenda Pinnick to cut a "circle" background base for each flower. One side of each base piece was painted with a green acrylic paint.

All the flower petals were cut from various shades of DCWV textured paper as well as the leaves. The flower petals were then embossed with a large dot embossing folder and the leaves embossed with a small dot folder.  My flowers used 8 large petals, 7 small petals and 2 large leaves. Another green paper was used to cut 12" x 1/2" strips for the stems.  Each is folded in half.  Circles for each flower are cut from the Original Circle die for the center of each flower from a handmade, textured brown paper.

NOTE:  I shaded the edges of all the petals and leaves with Antique Linen Ranger Distress Ink.  I didn't want the white inner core of the paper to show.  A darker ink could be used in place or a coordinating color.  It's your choice.


When all pieces are cut, embossed and inked the flowers can be assembled.  Glue the folded strip onto the background circle base at the bottom, opposite the little punched tab on this piece.  NOTE: Refer to photo.  Glue the two leaves onto the stem as shown in the photo. Use one of the center circles to mark the background bases center area as a guide for glueing.  Glue the eight large petals in place spacing them to your liking.  Layer on the smaller petals over the larger ones, again spacing them to your liking all around.  Glue the center brown circle in place.

I used leftover acrylic bubble letters from the Valentine banner I made last month, placing them onto the brown paper centers.  Just to add a little bit of glitz, Ranger Silver Ice, Ice Stickles was applied around each center.

Little clothespin clips hold the flowers onto a cord and a row of blooming flowers appear across the mantle for Spring!

Click on the "Sizzix Spring Linky" here to link to Eileen Hull's blog.  You are bound to find several wonder ideas for Spring and Eileen's dies from many talented people.   

http://eileenhull.blogspot.com/