Christmas is my favorite time of the year.
I love the music, the ornaments, the lights, the food, and, of course, Santa. I can’t wait to put up my decorations each year and I hate to pack them back away.
So, when Glue Dots® asked me to create a bit of holiday decor, I jumped at the chance. I grabbed a gorgeous collection of paper from Graphic 45, dies by Cheery Lynn Designs, brand new Baubles by Tim Holtz Idea-ology and created this banner …
I had to hang it in order to photograph it and I am not taking it back down, so I can say this is the earliest I have ever had up holiday decorations!
It was really very simple to make …
SUPPLIES:
French Flair Stacker Nesting Dies by Cheery Lynn Designs
Christmas Past Deluxe Edition papers and tags by Graphic 45
Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Tea Dye
Crop-a-Dile and eyelets by We R Memory Keepers
Eyelets by Eyelet Outlet
Vintage Floral Parcel Dimensional Border Stickers by Jolee’s
Baubles and jump rings by Tim Holtz Idea-ology
Beads by Melissa Frances and Maya Road
Craft Glue Dots® (the Dot N Go dispenser is the easiest to work with) to adhere the papers together
Pop Up Glue Dots®
Decorative Edge (Stamp) Scissors by Fiskars
Gems by Hero Arts
Detail scissors
Ribbon and gold star (from my stash)
First, I cut out the papers using the die and inked the edges with Distress Ink.
Then, turning each one slightly, so they resemble ornaments, I put in eyelets at the bottom and each side.
Then, you are ready to decorate … each one is different, so I am putting up close-up photos of each section, so you can see what I did.
I am putting up close-up photos of each section of the banner, so you can see what I did. The camera tends to flatten the images, but I am sure you get the idea.
For the first one, I cut out Santa from the paper and adhered with Pop Up Glue Dots®.
For the next one, I layered a smaller sheet of paper, along with a tag and images I cut out of other papers. I used Pop Up Glue Dots to adhere the stamp and tag to provide added dimension. For the others, I used Craft Dots. I added ribbon and a bead to the tag for extra fun.
For the third, I layered several sheets of paper cut with the dies and then used Pop Up Glue Dots to adhere the angel, which I cut out from the paper. I added a flower, cut from the Jolee’s border to the side.
For the first one in this group, I used two of the Stacker dies, held together with a Removable Glue Dot in order to run them through my die cutting machine, to make a frame. I then added another one inside. I cut out the angels from paper and used Pop Up Glue Dots to make them stand out. Finally, I added a gold star from another pack of Jolee’s stickers that I had lying around. (You could use another of the flowers from the Jolee’s border sticker, instead.)
For the next one, I cut out the design from paper and used Pop Up Glue Dots to adhere. I then added a flower and some of the border from the Jolee’s sticker.
The final one in this group is my favorite … I layered several frames to provide dimension and then placed in a design I cut from the paper. I cut out another piece of paper with decorative scissors and inked the edges. Then, to attach it, I used a combination of Pop Up Glue Dots and Mini Glue Dots. This allowed me to bend the paper and twist the paper … I think it provides movement, making it look like a flag blowing in the breeze.
The Stackers dies that I used to make the banner can also be embossed. The first one in this group shows the embossing detail the best. For this one, I layered a few die cut images. The tag, taken from the die cut sheet, is adhered with Pop Up Glue Dots and accented with gems. I then ran the floral border (another part of the Jolee’s sticker) across the banner, trimming the ends to fit perfectly.
The next one features a collage of angels cut from the Graphic 45 paper and adhered with Pop Up Glue Dots onto a layered die cut. For additional movement, you could mix up your Glue Dots, like I did in the last group.
Finally, the last one is a few layers cut with the Stackers dies, accented with a few “stamps” I cut out of the paper with decorative edge scissors. Again, I used the Pop Up Glue Dots on some of the images. Then, I topped it off with one of the flowers from the Jolee’s border.
Once they are all decorated, tie them together with ribbon. For the two ends, I tied on long strips of ribbon in a loop for hanging.
Then, add the Baubles, beads and other danglies to the bottoms with jump rings.
Oh, one more tip … I hate the white edge you end up with when you cut images from paper, so I used Distress Ink to cover it up. It gives your project a finished, professional look.
I hope this inspires you to create an incredible banner, too!
candy scraps 