Thanksgiving Prep..Not The Food

I'm hoping to swap out my Halloween decorations this week for Thanksgiving and have been working on a few new additions to the stuff that's still in the bins. It's really hard not to add to your decor with all the wonderful ideas and talent in the blogosphere. Since Jessica at Craftily Ever After can't stop making these great takes on the "Keep Calm  & Carry On" poster, I can't help printing them! I already framed one for my mantle but she made two more so:

I took two images from my graphics program, (corn and a turkey) converted them to black and white and chose a crackled transparent effect . You can see I didn't quite size the "cranberry" sign correctly ( even though my screen said I did!) but it'll do for now.

I've gone a little banner happy:

Created the letters in my graphics program and cut the other shapes using the Cricut Accent Essentials cart. Haven't decided if this will end up on the mantle or the banister. It's hanging on a strip of tulle with paper covered clothespins. Here's a better look at the letters:

The silver paper here looks bluish but it's really pewter in person

Added clear damask stickers to some of the letters

I've wanted to make one of those word jumble things ( is this Subway Art? I don't know) so started small and did this on a 4x4 wood plaque. Just printed the words on scrapbook paper and Mod Podged onto the wood.

 

Linking Up At:

Thank You Blue Cricket Design and Moselle Design! Easy Peasy!

If you have been thinking about making a Halloween banner but don't have the time to pull one together, get yourself over to Blue Cricket Design where you will find one 90% done for you which you can download for my favorite price of FREE thanks to Moselle Design. Got your attention?

Download. Print.Cut.Hang. Even if you don't think you're crafty, you can totally do this! I decided to give mine a black border so I mounted on black card stock and trimmed with decorative edge scissors. Connected each piece together with brads, but you could use tape, staples, gum, OK just kidding on the gum. Mostly. I already had a banner on my fireplace so I put this one up on my stairs.

And if you want to add more to your banner? Well go over to BCD and see for yourself!

Stashbusting September Project #12: Quick Banner

But first, it's still not too late ( but almost!) to enter a lovely giveaway sponsored by Terrell @ Frou Frou Decor. Details here.

I'm still gearing up to decorate for Halloween which I'll do next weekend. But I made one more quick thing that is now hanging up in our bedroom. This was SUPER fast so I almost forgot to take pictures.

Designed the word "SPOOKY" in my graphics program :

Forgot to take a pic of the printout, so luckily this was still on my screen

Cut around the circles and cut out backgrounds on my Cricut. You could do this same project with decorative edge scissors or punches. Mounted the letters to the background and went around the edges with green "Stickles" glitter glue:

Glitter glue doesn't show up great but it's an acidy green

 Punched holes, strung on black organza ribbon, and hung it up:

This paper was double sided so you can see the orange reflecting in the mirror which also looks like a drop shadow

Once I get the actual Halloween bins out, I'm going to put the pull apart spider web stuff around it.

Final Fourth Project...#3

Unless of course I make something last minute next week which I probably will since I called this final. I thought my mantle needed some "bunting". What do you think?

I made coffee filter and crepe paper medallions and used up some patriotic bear iron on transfers I picked up "because they were a steal deal" words that are a permanent fixture in my vocabulary! It's more "cute" than I normally do but at the same time it's vintagey and oh who cares, I like it.

For the coffee paper medallions:

• 4 natural coffee filters for each medallion
• 3 " circle cut from scrap cardboard...mine was a cereal box I cut on my Cricut
• White crepe paper
• Red and blue w/ white star scrapbook paper scraps
• Buttons
• Self adhesive rhinestones

I scrunched the coffee filters, opened them back up, stacked on top of each other and then folded in half, stapled...opened, folded in half the other way, stapled. I don't know why I did this. It seemed like a good idea.

I used a glue stick to attach my crepe paper to my cereal box circles. To me it's the perfect medium for this because it holds the crepe paper yet you can still pull it up without ripping if you need to re-pleat. I just glued down an edge, made a fan pleat, put some more glue stuck on, made another fan pleat and so on. I went around twice to give them some body.

Cut out cirles from the red paper, and then slightly smaller from the blue / white starred paper and crumpled the latter. Stick those in the middle of the crepe paper circle; stick to the coffee filter base. Punched a rustic star from some scrap kraft paper. I added a white button, and because I'm blingy that way, an antique gold self adhesive rhinestone.  I punched a hole on either side of the medallion and added an eyelet so it wouldn't tear when I went to hang it.

For the canvas pennants:

• Scrap canvas, muslin, whatever
• Iron on transfer
• Pattern ( I made one from a scrap piece of paper)
• Eyelets

Cut pennant; iron on transfer, punch holes on either end, place eyelets, string to rest of your banner.