summer fun in the sun

Hi everyone, Tanya here today, to share a fun layout from last summer!  Considering we got snow yesterday, I'm really missing that summer sun and heat!! :)

I made this layout using Carta Bella's Rough & Tumble collection.  I cut tons of banners using various dies from Spellbinders, Sizzix/Stampin' UP!, The Stamps of Life and even punches!  I layered them all up across the bottom of my photo grid, with a pop of bright color underneath.  I also used my We R Memory Keepers Crop A Dile to punch holes and set some eyelets, then used floss to wrap through.  After rearranging things several times on this layout, I was really happy with the final result! :)

Hope everyone has a great, scrappy day!!

Build-a-Tag with Sarah

Hi There, Sarah here! I thought I'd share with you how I made this Cherub Tag - a perfect little addition to any Valentine's Day gift!

I used the February ScrapThat! kit, which features papers from Prima's "Romance Novel" collection to create this tag. One of the things I loved about the Prima "Romance Novel" papers was that they were made for fussy-cutting and layering. There are so many  wonderful small elements on the papers - such as the section of an envelope that I used as the base for my tag. Here's the step-by-step of how I built the tag:

1. Gather all your papers/embellishments. For the tag, I used the envelope base cut from the Bookplate page and a strip of paper cut from the Dear John page. I used paper and organza flowers, as well as white tulle, two different types of May Arts Pink Ribbon and Heart Ribbon Buckle and Smooch pearlized accent ink in Shabby Pink. I added a Prima Resin Cherub and a small round doily.

2. Cut a two-inch strip of paper into 3/4-inch wide strips and cut a V in one end of each strip to create the banner pieces.

3. Distress the edges of all the banner pieces, the tag and the doily. I used a craft-knife and edge-distresser for the tag/banner pieces and simply scrunched the doily.

4. Start assembling the tag. I started by placing the doily on the tag and then layered the banner pieces on top of each other, off-setting and raising each row above the previous one. 

5. Start embellishing! I rolled each of the banner elements upwards to add some more dimension to the tag.  I added the cherub as the focal point for the tag and the paper/organza flowers framing the cherub. I painted the inner petals of the paper flowers with the Smooch pearlized ink (unfortunately this doesn't show up all that well in the photo - but looks really pretty in real life). I also added in a couple of small 'corkscrews' I made from the stems that I cut off the paper flowers.

6. Add the tulle and ribbon. I cut the tulle so that the ends each had a nice V shape to mirror the V of the banner elements. I punched a hole at the top of the tag and looped the tulle through it. I threaded the two different pink ribbons through the ribbon buckle and then glued that over the hole where the tulle was attached to the tag.

That's it - the completed tag! Here is a close-up of the finished tag taken from a slight angle so you can see the dimension and embellishments a bit better.

I hope you enjoyed my little Build-a-Tag tutorial. Stop by my blog and leave me a comment if you decide to try this for yourself - I'd love to see what you do!

Materials Used:

Patterned Paper - Prima Romance Novel Collection - Dear John, and Bookplate; Prima - Ingvild Bolme - Resin Embellishments - Cherub; May Arts Curly Ribbon - Pink; May Arts Grosgrain Ribbon - Pink; May Arts ½” Heart Ribbon Buckle; IAR, Organza Beehive Blossom Flower, Pink; IAR, Babies Breath Flowers, Pink; Small White Doily (stash); White Tulle, Aleene's Tacky Glue, Glue Dots - Craft and Mini; Memory Tape Runner XL.

Designer Showcase: Banners

Can you believe it's the first Wednesday of February already?  Well here I am to share another Designer Showcase with you. Today we are looking at a hot trend in paper crafting, banners. I've heard some people refer to them as garlands.  Whether they are garlands or banners in your vocabulary, we've got a few projects to inspire you.

Sarah created this gorgeous tag. Take a look at those beautiful banner pendants that she used to accent the tag.  Each of them is distressed and inked. Which really adds to the vintage elegance of her tag.  She layered them to create the look of a skirt at the bottom of the tag.  The beautiful cherub, dainty flowers, ribbons and the precious pearl heart finish it off beautifully.  Sarah used the ScrapThat! February kit. This would make a great Valentine!

Cindy has a double page layout to share that has double banners!  To accent her July 4th page, she created a garland banner using stars across the top right.  But you could count her title area as a banner too. It reminds me of a ribbon banner. She cut pointed angles on the edges of the paper strip and placed this at the bottom of her photo block.  Great idea for highlighting the title!

Take at look at this beauty from Gael.  There's lots of pretty stuff on her page. Let's take a look at how she made her banner.  Each flag on her banner is made of 2 layered papers with a gem where the points meet.  Gael then rolled the top of each flag to create dimension.  She used a string of matching bling gems to help make it look even more like a continuous banner.  So chic!

On this digital page, I used a banner as part of my title.  It added a bit of interest to the area above the photo. It also helped tie in the sports theme of the page. Can you tell who my son's favorite football team is? He loves his Steelers.  The digital papers, banner, helmet, title and pennant were all made by me. The tape and foam finger is by Chelle's Creations (foam finger is recolored). The vintage football and watch are by Quirky Twerp.

This banner was made to give this page a bit of fun. I made this page using a photo from a trip to Hawaii. I wanted the page to have a summer time feel with a hint of whimsy.  The flip flops are hybrid. I used a digital kit by Stellajane Designs called Aloha Spirit.  The rest of the page uses plain cardstock by American Crafts and Bazzill.  Most of the shapes were cut on my Silhouette Cameo.  I used twine to create a clothesline for the banner of flip-flops. Tiny strips of paper serve as the clothespins.

Here's a little banner that I put on a card.  This is a hybrid card using the digital kit Howdy Ma'am by the DigiChick.  I cut the triangles for the banner and layered them. Then I put eyelets in the corners to thread the twine through and hung it on the card front.

These are just a few ways that you can use banners in your paper or digital scrapbooking and crafting.