Thankful Banner Tutorial

I recently had a "Craft Night with Friends" and made this "thankful" banner.

I got inspiration for my banner over at the "Centsational Girl" blog. Here's a pic of her cute creation...

I recreated my version of this banner all with supplies from Hobby Lobby - and all were half-price or 40% off, mind you ;-) ...

~ Cardboard (found in the clearance section)

~ Artificial leaves (found in the Thanksgiving/Fall section. These leaves are actually quite beautiful and realistic - not the "fake", "cheap-looking" kind)

~ Scrapbook paper

~ Mod Podge

~ Foam brush

~ Jute

~ Ribbon

~ Pumpkin & leaves picks (for the end pieces of the banner)

~ Duck Tape

~ Glue

~ Scissors

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ASSEMBLY:

1. This first step really made my brain hurt - way too much thinking involved ;-)  I do not have a die-cut machine (which I would really, really love to receive as a Christmas gift from my family - hint, hint. Just sayin'). So I found a letter font that I liked in my Print Artist software that I've been using for ages now (hint, hint - could use an updated version of scrapbooking software. Ha! Who knew I'd get in my Christmas Wish List on this post, too?!) The part that hurt my brain was figuring out the pattern to spell out "thankful" using brown & orange paper, putting 2 letters p/page to save paper, then printing it in reverse on the backside so it wouldn't show through on the colored side...

2. Whew! After that step, I cut the letters out then set them to the side.

3. I decided on a pattern for the background of the letters and cut those into panels (mine were about 7" x 10" - large enough for the letters to fit on and still have the background showing).

4. I also cut the cardboard into panels a little thinner and several inches shorter than my scrapbook paper. (You'll see why in Step # 7.)

5. With a foam brush, I put Mod Podge all over a cardboard panel then placed it on the lower part of a scrapbook paper panel. I did this to all my panels and allowed them to dry before moving on to the next step.

6. After making sure my panels were in my chosen pattern, I Mod Podged the letters in order. I did this by putting the Mod Podge on the back of the letters first, then I pressed them onto the tops of the scrapbook paper, making sure to smooth them down firmly but gently. I then top-coated it with another layer of Mod Podge.

7. After everything was completely dry, I put a thin layer of glue along the upper part of the backside of the first panel. I pulled out a long strand of jute, leaving about 8 inches at the beginning. Then I placed the jute at the point where the cardboard and paper meet (on the backside) then folded the paper over and pressed it down firmly. The glue holds the letter in place on the jute.

8. I then added my first leaf, wrapping the stem around the jute and making a little "swirly" at the end. I also added a little ribbon strip tied to the leaf stem. I repeated this process until it spelled out "thankful" - and I am always "thankful" if I can spell out a word in a craft project without misspelling it ;-)

9. I then came upon the dilemma of how to hang my creation and I chose - what else?! Duck Tape! I simply Duck Taped the ends (I left another 8 inches of jute after the last letter) to the top of shelves I have hanging over my kitchen window.

10. Last step was to tuck in the pumpkin & leaves picks on the ends and voila! My finished project...

It was really simple and fun to make and brain surgery was not even involved. You can totally make this so get out your supplies and get crafting! ;-)