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Banner or Bunting? Holiday or Birthday?

Banner or Bunting? Holiday or Birthday?

 

Yes, the holiday season seems to be in full swing! That means holiday cards along with birthday cards for my pals with December birthdays. As a December baby, I was never the fan of the combined Christmas/Birthday card (other than the scrumptious cake my sister-in-law got for me one year that said "Merry Birthday" and was decorated with big sugary ornaments!) so I make a point to give both birthday and holiday cards to my December birthday friends. Never one for a Hallmark, I like to make holiday cards that are a bit unexpected. This year I thought it would be fun to make banner styled cards that can double as decorations. I started it all with the Sketched Holiday Stamp Set from Brutus Monroe. Did you see my post a few weeks past where I used this set for cards and a really festive planner clip? I just love the detail in the artwork and with the Detail Ink in Raven all that gorgeousness doesn't get lost when stamping or watercoloring. By the way, this stamp set is included in the Sketched Holiday Card Set and it is available individually in the Brutus Monroe store. It's a great one to have in your collection.

I started by stamping the various pieces on heavy white coverstock and then watercoloring a bit. I used a set of Recollections Watercolor Crayons from Michael’s. I like these crayons — they leave great color and a real pop of shimmer once they dry. I do like the fine Brutus Monroe Water Brush because it gives me a bit more control of the color. Watercolors can sometimes get away from me with bigger brushes so, control freak that I am, I like the fine tip! Once the pieces were dry I added little dots of gold and silver from my paint pens. You know me and my dots!

Stamping, coloring and fussy cutting accomplished I moved on to the scallop circles. I cut pairs of 3 inch circles using my vintage, but loved, Silhouette. One circle for the front and one for the back. (But then you probably already knew that!) A little note: since my scallops aren’t perfectly proportioned all around if I didn’t mirror the duplicate in each set I would never get them to match up. I used two different patterns taken from my Vintage Floral & More! (ECV-0131) Planner Series that I sell in my Etsy shop. (Ding! Shameless pitch!) I printed the patterns on heavy (110#) coverstock.

After I arranged the stamped pieces, including the sentiments, on the front of the circles, I taped them in place with that tricky but good double-sided tape. I was thinking about using foam tape but nixed the idea because I didn’t like that you could see the tape from the side. This never bothers me on a card; but with this banner design the circles will move gently and you just might be able to see light between the colored piece and the circle. So flat tape it was. Once all the fronts were done I backed each circle with its mirrored partner. Really quite simple.

For the string part of the banner, I used black and white twisted baker’s twine. It worked out perfectly, since the little opening on the tiny clothespins I used is just the right size for the twine to slide through, which means the circles can be adjusted along the string. Works for me! I tied small bows in the ends of the twine and easy-peasy there you go — a card of a different sort. I will accordion fold these and place them in the normal card envelope that I will slip into the same small heavy chipboard mailers that I use to ship my planner stickers. (Ding! See what I did there?)

For the birthday cards, I did the exact same steps that I did with the Christmas banner, switching out patterns from the Peonies, Peonies, Peonies! Planner Sticker Series in my Etsy shop (ECV-0132). (Ding, ding ding!) I used the Angel Wings Stamp Set from Brutus Monroe and watercolored the Victorian style bird cages. Talk about your detail in a stamp! Amazing. I did not color the feathers; instead I stamped them in Aubergine and Sage Premium Chalk Inks. And, there you go — birthday cards for fellow Sagittarians that don’t scream Merry Christmas or Happy Chanukah! 

As a side note — if you are not a fan of the fussy cut there are free digi cuts for the Sketched Holiday and Angel Wings Stamp Sets in the Brutus Monroe store. Just be sure to add the free digi cuts when you put the stamp sets in your cart!

So the burning question — banner or bunting? I guess it depends on where you live or where you grew up. In the United States, we call them banners and my friends from England and Ireland call them buntings. So…is it one or the other? I like to think that it’s both because they are just so festive and fun no matter their name!

You can also find me:

Tanya Lochridge Jewelry

Online Store: www.tanyalochridge.com

Instagram: @tanyalochridge

Pinterest: @tanyalochridge

Twitter: @tanyalochridge

Blog: www.tanyalochridgejewelry.blogspot.com

Planner Stickers & Printables

Etsy: www.trlplansandprints.etsy.com

Blog: Stay tuned!

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