Banner Tutorial

Well, I finally have the banner tutorial I have been promising for some of you. I hope it's clear and if not, please let me know and I will try to answer your questions clearly. The post is quite lengthy as I wanted to insure details for those of you that may need them. I also apologize and please be kind - I do not have a good set up for taking photos of banners. I'm working on it though and hope to have it completed soon. But in the meantime.....

Before we get started, here are a few examples of different styles - most of them posted before







Today, we're going to focus on the standard banner style like this...



Except it's going to be for Valentines Day or Romance...



Iknow, I know, the photo is terrible - I should have moved the banner to a different location - but as you can see, I did not, so...

To get started, you will need to decide on the word you would like and then pick out the appropriate papers and really, this is all a matter of choice. Most of the time I use a solid background and DP for the tops. As a general rule I choose 1-2 solids and 2-3 DPs, depending on the length of the word - you can see that in examples above. Just have fun playing with it and you'll get the hang of how to mix your patterns and colors - there really is no right or wrong.

For this banner I have chosen the word "LOVE". I'm using red for my background and 2 beautiful Digital DPs from Seneca Pond. If I haven't mentioned it before, I love digital papers because I can never run out, therefore I don't have a phobia of cutting into them, using them, and then no longer having them - I know, I know, it's dumb and I'm absolutely sure I am the only one that feels that way *grin*. Eileen at Seneca Pond is wonderful, she takes customer requests and then works at getting the requests filled. She can't always get the requests filled immediately (there are a lot of requests) but when she's done - you absolutely love them. So pop on over HERE and look through all her amazing digital products.

Supplies You Will Need: Card stock, co-ordinating DPs, graph paper, pencil, good eraser, scissors, decorative edge scissors, ruler, adhesive (I use glue sticks), silver glitter glue or glitter, adhesive back rhinestones, chipboard letters (I use Thickers, the plain ones so I can paint or glitter them up the way I choose - but you can get pre-glittered CB letters in many colors), a Scor-Pal - and really this is also optional. I did my rosettes by hand and then because I do so many for the shop I opted to buy the Scor-Pal and it has been such a time saver.

Determine the size you want for your top layer that will be cut from DP and using a ruler draw out your triange pattern on graph paper as this makes it easy to get your measurements correct. Mine measures 4 1/4" at the top and is approximately 5" long.



Cut out your pattern, adhere to chipboard and cut it out. Now you have a durable pattern that you can reuse indefinitely.




Trace your pattern onto your DP and cut out.



Adhere your DP to your CS and trim around each one with decorative edge scissors.



Edge your DP with Silver Glitter Glue, smudge and set aside to dry.





Once dry, punch small holes at the top and attach eyelets for durability. This is also optional. I do make some banners without the eyelets, but if yours is going to get a lot of use, the eyelets will definitely insure more longevity.



While the glue dries, I begin making the rosettes. I love these, but they are slightly time consuming. If you don't want to put in the time for these, you can make the lollipop flowers and put your letters inside the center or you can gather crepe paper for a rosette.

For those of you that have a Scor-Pal or something similar, you will need to line up the edge of your paper (If you are using 8 1/2 x 11" paper - the long side will lay across the top edge)on the 4 1/4" mark and begin scoring on the 4" line. You will need to move your scored line over to the 4 1/4" mark and then score on the 4" mark for each scored line.





I normally score the entire sheet so that I have plenty to work with now and for future projects.

If you are doing this without a Scor-Pal or simiar product, simply use a long ruler along with a stylus and score in the same manner - or you can cut your strips as shown below first, and then score your strips. This way is more time consuming, but it can be done and if you're not making a lot - it's really not that bad.



You will now need to determine how large you want your rosette to be. For this banner I decided I wanted them to be 2 1/2" in diameter and so you will need to measure and mark lines at 1 3/4". Whatever size you determine you will need to cut your strips half of the finished size. For example, if you want a 2" rosette, cut your strips 1" wide.



Use pinking shears or other decorative sicssors to trim one long edge or you can leave it as a straight edge if you'd like.





Fold on the scored lines like you would fold a fan.





Glue the 2 ends together to form a circle - the cut ends should be facing down, so that on the top it just looks like another fold.



This is where it gets a little tricky. You now have to flatten the circle with the decorative edge on the outside, hold it all together, and glue the center so it will hold it's shape. I have found that for me a glue gun works best, but you do have to hold it altogether until the glue sets - this takes about a minute or so.



Punch out your scalloped circles - I use the yellow Marvy. Put more hot glue on the center of your rosette, and place your punched circle on top. Once it's all set, embellish your rosette and the scalloped circle with glitter glue if you like or leave them plain. Add your letters to the center. I use Aileen's Tacky Glue even on the self-adhesive letters to insure they do not pop off.







Accent with rhinestone or other embellishments as desired, again using tacky glue to insure they do not pop off.

We're almost there! Determine the length of ribbon you want to hang from the right side of the banner and tie a knot at the top point - this will prevent the ribbon from sliding through the eyelets. Thread your ribbon from the back to the front of your last banner - in this case the "E" - the know will stop the ribbon at the eyelt. Now, thread the ribbon through the other eyelet on the "E" flag - front to back. Continue in this way adding your letters in order and then tie a knot on the back of the last eyelet of the "L". If I'm being to wordy or just not explaining this well, refer to the photos.



Your banner is complete!



If you have the time, hop over to this blog Atomic Butterfly and take a look at her banners(her photos are much better). If you scroll through her blog you'll see quite a few lovely banners and she has said she too will be doing a tutorial. However, she JUST had a baby so I'm not sure when that will be. Either way, you will enjoy her banners and her blog.

Please be sure to ask any quetions you have. Thanks for dropping by and have a wonderful week!

Dru