Halloween Banner

Whenever anyone ask my dear husband or I why we live in Southern California, we almost always answer "the weather", so please indulge me while I whine about how stinking hot it has been!!!!

I truly love where we live, but the average high temperature this time of year is supposed to be a 73 and what we are experiencing is over 100?!

I have retreated to the office and pretended there is a chill in the air as I played with Halloween themed paper and created this little banner. My camera problem has been pushed to the back burner for a couple of weeks, but my frustration at getting a good photo today means I am determined to resolve this issue by the end of the week (maybe an early, early Christmas present?).

This project started after I had dinner last week with a few crafty friends. One was giving away a banner style mini-book she received at the La Jolla CKU Reunion last year. Hmmm . . . . I wondered where the one I had was hiding?

I went home and found mine - a fishtail flag style banner book from Fancy Pants. For the first time in ages I bought 12x12 paper: the banner pieces are 8x5, so a small pad wasn't going to do the job. These papers are from the Authentique Enchanted collection.

A few friends might just faint in shock when they find out I used my Cricut to cut the letters. My Cricut also came home from CKU with me. Yes, I won one of the big door prizes!

I did play around a bit with the Cricut when it first came home, but have truly never used it {sheepishly hanging head}. It is not that I didn't appreciate the value of such a great prize, it is because I really have been happy with my Big Shot and multiple brands of dies and didn't feel the need to buy an electronic system.

Now back to the banner and a few close-ups to show off the details.

Each letter is adhered to a open scalloped circle cut with a Spellbinders Nestabilites die and then mounted on a large rosette. I don't have a die for this, so just scored lines at 1/2" intervals - the rosette is made up of two 1x12" pieces of patterned paper.

The epoxy bat stickers and jeweled ghost came from my stash of Halloween themed product. It was fun to look through and a nice surprise finding the ghost fit perfectly in the center of the "o".

I adore this May Arts pompom trim and alternated the orange and black on the banner pieces. The banner is strung together along a piece of black tulle and orange organza ribbon that I knotted between each piece.

The black and clear rhinestone swirls are all bits and pieces from my stash.

I'm not sure where this will hang - the fireplace for the family to see or the front window with a string of ghost lights.

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie