2 Thanksgiving Felt and Burlap Banner

Thanksgiving is upon us... the season to be Grateful for all the blessing in our lives. What could be more special than to decorate my home with a
GIVE THANKS Banner?

I decided to create a Burlap and Felt Banner to complement my Festive Decor.
I love creating projects using Burlap, but working with this material can sometimes be scary for its Fray like qualities. I remedy this problem by fusing the burlap with a great Fusible Web product, Steam-A-Seam2, which allows a temporary hold to both the applique and background materials until the final pressing.

Materials:

• Felt Sheets: Fall Colors (Golden Rod, Olive, Cocoa Brown, Tan, Orange, Bright Yellow) or colors of your choice
• 1/2 yard Burlap
• Embroidery Floss: Brown, Dark Green
• Buttons: 13 - 1/2"
• Templates: Flags, Acorns, Letters. Download the Flags and Letters templates HERE, HERE, and HERE.
• Freezer Paper
• Plain white printer paper
• Masking Tape
• Double Stick Fusible Web: Steam-A-Seam2
• Super Tacky Glue

Instructions:
Freezer Paper Sheets:

1. Cut 4 sheets of Freezer Paper that is just slightly smaller than your printer paper sheets.
Tape the freezer paper, shiny side down onto your printer paper sheet at each corner using the masking tape.

Load your freezer paper into the printer paper tray. I loaded mine facing down. You might want to check your printer loading directions. Remember: you want to print onto the freezer paper only. Print the Large flags and Letters using the Templates.

Flags:

2. Press the large Flags Freezer Paper sheets shiny side down onto 3 sheets of felt using a warm iron-no steam. Cut out your flags along the tracing lines. Set aside.

3. Using the small Flag template and following the Steam-A-Seam2 manufacturing directions; trace and stick the small flags onto the Burlap. Cut your flags along the tracing lines.

4. Fuse the small burlap flags onto the large felt flags.

5. Attach two flags by overlapping the top corners and sewing a button using the Dark Green embroidery floss. Continue overlapping and sewing until all 10 flags are attached.

6. Cut your Freezer Paper letters 1/4" roughly around the shape. Press each letter onto your choice of color felt using a warm iron-no steam. Cut your felt letters following the tracing lines.

7. Glue each letter to the Burlap side of the flags. Let dry completely.

Acorns:

8. I found my Acorn Template online and traced it twice on a small piece of Freezer Paper.
I then pressed the freezer paper shiny side down onto the tan and brown felt. Finally, I cut the pattern pieces along the traced lines.

9. Overlap each acorn top to the bottom and stitch around the edge and inside using the brown embroidery floss and the running stitch. Sew a button in the middle of each acorn top.

10. Using a button and the dark green floss; attach each completed acorn to the first and last flag. Create a small loop using the brown floss by sewing behind each Acorn to hang the banner.

I love how my Banner turned out. The Burlap gives the Banner a Rustic feeling of the Fall Season. The accent of the Felt Letters and Acorns compliment the Burlap Flags beautifully.

The use of Freeze paper makes it easier to cut the felt patterns more accurately, not to mention the ability to load it right into the printer tray without jamming it.... Amazing!!!

I hope you give this tutorial a try.

 

Have a Blessed and Bountiful Thanksgiving.

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4 A Year in Review - My Favorites of 2012

Happy New Year!!
I wanted to thank all my readers for their comments and features throughout this past year. I enjoyed sharing my Projects and Tutorials with you. I picked twelve of my favorite posts and I hope you can re-visit and get inspired.

Here are my favorite 12 Posts of 2012!!

Paper Mache Ornament

Spooky Halloween Pumpkins

Raffia Sunflower Wreath

Leaf Wreath

Country Red Rooster

Coconut Pineapple Cheesecake

Starfish Coasters

4th of July Pitcher-Buckets

Washi Tape Tile Coasters

Washi Tape Mother's Day Jars

Washi Tape Clipboard

Sweetheart Clock

9 Spooky Halloween Pumpkins

Halloween is fast approaching and a great time for the family to join together and have fun carving the all mighty Pumpkin. I love Halloween decorations, especially Decorative Pumpkins.

I must confess, I am not a fan of carving pumpkins; a sometimes labor intense task. Do not get me wrong; some carving inspirations found on the web are just awesome. Last Saturday, I attended the Pumpkin Festival in Keene, N.H., the carvings were just amazing. Go HERE to take a look at some of the pictures I took at the Festival.

This year, I decided to decorate Craft Pumpkins and I just love how cute these pumpkins turned out.

To begin, I gathered the following materials:

Materials:

• 2 small and 1 large Craft Pumpkins. Purchased the small ones at the Dollar Store and the large one at my local Thrift shop
• Halloween Tissue Paper
• Plaid Folk Art Metallic Acrylic Paints. I used Pure Gold and Pearl White
• Fine Glitter - I used Martha Stewart's Carnelian/Red Orange
• Halloween Picks. I choose a Skull, Witch's Hat and a Black Crow
• 3/8" decorative ribbons. I used Pumpkin print and sequins
• Purple Feathers
• Mod Podge
• Spray Paint, I used Design Master Color Tool Spray in Flat Black; purchased at Michaels. When Spray painting foam Pumpkins make sure the Spray Paint is formulated for Styrofoam
• Foam brush

• Black felt
• Hot glue gun & sticks
• Elmer's Craft Bond glue pen

Directions:
Cut pumpkin's stem with a serrated knife. Spray paint all the pumpkins. I gave mine 3 coats. Let dry completely.



Skull Pumpkin:

1. Tear Tissue paper into small strips.
2. Apply one coat of Mod Podge to pumpkin.
3. Begin adding the tissue paper strips; smoothing the surface as you go to remove any air bubbles.
4. Continue adding Mod Podge and paper strips until pumpkin is covered.
5. Let dry 10-15 minutes
6. Apply a final coat of Mod Podge all over the pumpkin and sprinkle glitter all over while the pumpkin's surface is still wet.
7. Let pumpkin dry completely.
8. Remove the stem from the Skull pick. Using hot glue gun, attach to pumpkin's top section.

Witch's Hat Pumpkin:

1. Apply a thin coat of the Pure Gold Metallic paint over the entire pumpkin. Let dry completely.
2. Begin wrapping ribbon around the pumpkin in a crisscross fashion from side to side; tacking ribbon with Elmer's glue.
3. Continue wrapping and gluing ribbon until your pumpkin has ten ribbon strips.
4. Trace and cut 2 small circles from black felt. Using hot glue gun, apply the circles to pumpkin's top and bottom centers. The felt circles will prevent the ribbon crossings from slipping.
5. Remove the stem from the witch's hat and glue to pumpkin's top section.

Purple Feathered Pumpkin:

1. Apply a thin coat of Pearl White Metallic paint all over the pumpkin. Let dry completely.
2. Using the sequin ribbon, create and glue the word "BOO" onto the pumpkin's front section.
3. Apply feathers to pumpkin's top using the hot glue gun. Let dry.
4. Glue the black crow onto the feathers. Let dry.
5. Finally apply other embellishments inside the letters "O".
   I used glittered cat cutouts.

Although Pumpkin carving is a Halloween tradition for most people, there are other ways to decorate a Pumpkin without carving it.

I just love how my Pumpkins turned out. They were easy and fun to decorate, and most of all; I save time and money by using these Craft Pumpkins.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

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