Be Mine Banner

 I saw the most fantastic banner over at Crap I've Made a couple weeks ago that is the inspiration for my banner.    Char has a great tutorial!  I've made mine a little different, mostly cause I'm lazy (also cause I love burlap and wanted to use it!).   Here are my lazy, copycat instructions.
Supplies needed: Freezer paper, Tulip Fabric Paint, ribbon, natural and red burlap, cotton fabrics about 1/4yd each.
First, I made a heart template.

 Then I cut out 6 hearts in the natural burlap.  I cut mine on the bias, because I like the idea of the burlap fraying a bit over time.

Next I made stencils for the letters. Using my hearts as a size guide, I drew my letters onto Freezer paper.  After that, I had to cut out each letter. This step was by far the most time consuming.  If I had a Silhouette, this step would be a cinch!

I ironed the freezer paper onto the hearts, plastic/waxy side down.  All over blogland, I have seen people using freezer paper as stencils.  This was my first venture.  It is awesome!  I have to admit, I was a little worried that the paper wouldn't peel off  or that it would leave a sticky residue.  My fears were groundless.  The paper worked like a dream.  Having it ironed onto the fabric hearts kept the stencil from slipping all over the place and paint only went were it was supposed to.  I will definitely be using freezer paper stencils again!  I let Anakin and Buzz stencil away, using the tulip fabric paint and sponge brushes.  They love to be included in craft time. 

 After they were done painting, I peeled off the paper and let the paint dry.  It can take up to 4 hours.

Meanwhile, I cut out my cotton fabrics.  Based on the size of my hearts, I ended up making 7.5in squares.  I had 2 prints, so I cut out 3 squares from each fabric. I ran a bead of fray check along all of the edges. Then, I cut out six 9"x9 squares from the red burlap. 

Next, I sewed the hearts on the cotton prints and the prints onto the red burlap.   I didn't turn the edges under on the cotton, just a plain straight stitch.  Hence, the need for the fray check in the previous step. 

After that, I cut 2 slits near the top of each square so I could thread my ribbon through.  Now, just a hint of the ribbon peeks through between each letter. 

I ended up making a heart to sew between the B and the M squares to separate the words.  I just freehanded the hearts and sewed the layers together.  Then, I sewed the sides of the heart to the squares. 

Finished!  Now I have a great little banner for February. 

I "heart" U

One of the great little decorations my mom pushed off on me is this little white shadow box that has 3 pieces of velcro attached.  It is meant to hold 3 small holiday ornaments, something different for each month.  When she was working on it, she would tole paint the ornaments.  And as so many crafts go, it was never completed, she got tired of it, and gave it to me.  I have about 4 months worth of cute painted wooden ornaments.  But, I didn't have anything for February.  This year, I am going to finish all of the months.  Its a cute, small decoration.  Now, I do know how to tole paint, but I doubt I will finish my wood that way.  I think I would rather use paper and mod podge.  This is what I came up with for Valentine's day.  So cute and so easy.  I finished this in about 30 minutes last night. It would have taken at least 2 hours if I had used paint.  And, I even used left over scrapbooking paper from Love and Kisses. So, I didn't spend any money!

LOVE

I think I need to take some photography lessons!  These letters are so much cuter in real life than this picture even begins to show!  I cut these letters out the same afternoon I cut out SNOW.  But, I finished them today, at the beginning of the month, so I will get to enjoy them for a while!  I really think the red feathers add a really fun whimsical touch to the L and E.  The flowers are made out of felt. There is pink glitter on the V and a strand of mini imitation pearls. The O is decked out with lace, just like a traditional valentine.

Kisses, Luck and Spring

I recently finished these holiday words. I drew the patterns for the letters and then my mom cut them out of 1x8 wood boards on her scroll saw. Then, I stained the backs and sides with a walnut stain. Next, I decoupaged scrapbook papers to the faces of the letters. Once the decoupage layers were dry, I applied glitter, ribbons, flowers, tulle, etc for embelleshments. I am so pleased with the way the words turned out. I have the letters for "Summer" cut out and stained, I just need to finish decoupaging and embellishing. I am also busy drawing patterns for a few more words. I plan on cutting out "Easter", "Freedom" and "Thanks".

Wreaths

My front door looks lonely for most of the year because I didn't have any wreaths except for a fall wreath I hang during October and November, a Christmas wreath in December, and an Easter Wreath during Easter. So for our craft nights in January and February this year, I decided to rectify the lonely door situation. So far, I have completed a January, February and a March wreath. I plan to make a generic flower/summer type wreath to use after Easter until summer ends. Then for July, I will make a patriotic wreath. As I finish them, I will post.

Monthly Quilts

Project: Monthly Wall Quilts

Inspiration: On a trip to Houston to visit my parents Oct 2007, I noticed a pattern for a Christmas Nativity Wall quilt that I thought was absolutely beautiful. I tend to craft a lot with my mom, so we each decided to make one of these quilts. I had a great time sewing it and finished it with just a few days before Christmas that year. The next Christmas (2008) I actually got to enjoy it the entire season. We were living in a duplex at the time with a wall above my kitchen sink instead of a window. I hung the quilt there and it really brightened my days to be able to look at something so pretty instead of a blank wall while doing dishes. When January rolled around I was so sad to take down the quilt and be faced with a boring wall again. Wouldn't it be nice if I had something to hang all the time? Or even something seasonal for every month? And thus the monthly wall quilt was born. I created a quilt for almost every month, with only the months May and June sharing a quilt. My plan was to create each month's quilt during 2009 for that month. I almost made it. I had all quilts finished by the end of 2009 except for the May quilt. I just finished the May quilt today!

How-to: 1. I took wooden tole painting patterns, clip art pics, original drawings, etc. and modified them in size and complexity to make them suitable for fabric appliques. On paper, I created the designs and quilt blocks to portray the various months.

2. I then took the drawings and traced the mirrow image pieces onto fusible web. Then, I ironed the pics onto the various fabrics and cut them out. Then, peel the paper off and iron the applique onto the background fabric.

3. Use embroidery floss and blanket stitch around each applique to finish.

4. Then, sew the blocks and strips together to form the top of the quilt.

5. Make tabs and sew on. Then sew on back and batting like a pillowcase. Turn rightside out, press and hand sew the hole closed.

6. Quilt the top.

7. Hang and enjoy.

Finished Product:

JanuaryFebruary MarchApril
May and June

Or June and August
July
September
October
November
December