4th of July Banner Tutorial with Printable

I love our country's Declaration of Independence.  I love it because it's a cherished symbol of our nation's freedom, a national treasure that was written over 200 years ago bravely declaring our independence from Great Britain.  The 56 men who were part of the Continental Congress in 1776 signed their names to this document and by doing so were considered traitors by the King of England.  They were risking their lives and their honor for freedom for the United States of America.  I love it also because it is so beautifully handwritten.  Notwithstanding its content, the handwriting itself is a work of art.

I wanted to use this beautiful text somehow in a fun piece of decor for the upcoming 4th of July holiday.  I created a simple banner that I hung on the mirror over my sideboard.  If you'd like to make one too, here's a step-by-step tutorial:

Step 1.  Download* these three 8.5 x 11 pages and print them on heavy paper (I used 140 lb. Strathmore Watercolor paper because I wanted the flags to have texture and sturdiness.  I trimmed the 9" x 12" paper to 8.5" wide so that it would fit into my printer.)

*To download, just click on each thumbnail image and the full-size image will open.

Right click on the full-size image and save to your computer.

Banner Printable 1

Banner Printable 2

Banner Printable 3

Step 2.  Cut out the 9 Declaration of Independence flags that you just printed on heavy paper.


Step 3.  Cut out 9 strips of blue glitter paper (the length of each flag top by 1/2 inch wide).

Step 4.  Repeat step 3 with red glitter paper.

Step 5.  Glue the blue strips to each flag top, leaving a 1/4 inch of the strip showing at the top.

Step 6.  Repeat step 5 with the red glitter paper.


Step 7.  Download* the star and print on regular paper; cut it out and use it to trace stars on the glitter paper.  I used 5 red and 4 blue stars.  Cut out the glitter stars and adhere to flags (I used 3D tape so they would have a bit of dimension).

*To download, just click on the thumbnail image and the full-size image will open.

Right click on the full-size image and save to your computer.

Banner Printable 4

Step 8.  Punch holes in the banner tops and string bakers twine or other string through the banners.

Thank you for stopping by, and have a happy 4th of July!

I'm linking to these parties:

InLinkz.com

  

Tuesdays with Matt - Look for the Fun Not the Familiar

For the month of June, Tuesdays with Matt will focus on reigniting the spark in your relationship with your partner.

Do you remember the days when everything was fun and exciting? You used to play games, try new things, and never really had the same date twice, right? What happened to that? As positive as familiarity can be in a relationship, there is also a downside to it. Join renowned author and media personality Matt Townsend and he gives you the skills you need to keep your relationship with your partner fun and exciting. You may just Reignite the Spark!

Great suggestions from Matt today!  Thanks for stopping by!

Stenciled Gift Wrap

If you're a regular reader of Hello, New Day then you know by now that I love stencils and stenciling projects.  My latest stenciling project is this cute and colorful gift wrap that I created this week using the small Hollywood Squares Stencil from Royal Design Studios:

When I was at the Snap! Conference in April I received this free stencil from Royal Design Studios. 

I hadn't heard of them before, but once I started looking through their catalog, and after taking a hands-on class at Snap! from the company's president and creative director herself, Melanie Royals, I was hooked.  

They have an awesome collection of beautiful stencils and so many inspiring projects on their website.  There are also some fantastic resources on their website for learning how to stencil and learning different techniques.  

This gift wrap was easy to make and would be a fun project for the kids too!  The color possibilities are endless and the cost minimal.  I started with some packing paper that I had on hand.  Whenever I go to Tai Pan Trading here in Utah (a home decor store), I seem to bring home sheets and sheets of this paper.  They use it to wrap fragile items that you buy, and I've always hated just throwing it away.  Some time ago, I decided to start keeping it, thinking I could use it for packing paper myself someday or for shipping items.

Since the paper was wrinkled, I ironed it.  I didn't even know you could iron paper, but you can!  I set my iron to high and ironed directly on the paper.  I read that you should put a cloth or pillowcase over the paper before ironing, but for me it worked better without the cloth.

Before ironing:

  

After ironing:

Then I simply placed the stencil on the paper and taped it in a couple of places to hold it in place.

I wanted to use orange and pink for my gift wrap, but I didn't have any craft paint in the right colors, so I used my stamping ink and applied it with sponge wedges.  I used Stampin' Up's Classic Ink in Only Orange and Pink Passion (I know the supplies photo above shows Positively Pink, but I changed my mind after I took that photo and switched to Pink Passion).

To apply the ink, I just dabbed and rubbed the ink right on the paper over the stencil.

It took me an hour to stencil the whole paper (which measures 24" x 34"), and cleanup was a cinch.  The ink literally washed off under running water in the kitchen sink.  

I loved doing this project and I can't wait to give my sister her birthday gift that I wrapped in this colorful, fun gift wrap!

I love the pattern and color combination so much that I think I'll stencil a canvas tablecloth in this design that I can use outside for summer dining.  Or maybe a beach tote.  Or maybe both.  It's just too cute!

You can find the Hollywood Squares stencil that I used at Royal Design Studio by clicking here.  Thank you so much for stopping by!

I'm linking to these fun parties:

InLinkz.com