Hello again!  I told you I had something extra special planned for the Alice in Wonderland Character tags I made recently.  Well it’s time to let the cat out of the bag…er…box   Come along and I’ll show you how I created this heart banner out of a recycled cardboard box to showcase my Wonderland tags.

You know how some projects seem to take on a life of their own?  Well this was that type of project.

 

My original idea was to make a heart banner with punched hearts but once I saw the February tag technique from Tim Holtz, the wheels of creativity started to turn and things just sort of spiraled into what you see here.

If you missed the post about how I created the Alice in Wonderland character tags you can check it out here.

 

How to make a Recycled Cardboard Heart Banner

 

It all started with this box from ModCloth.  I was in the middle of a major studio purge and couldn’t bring myself to throw out the mushroom lined box you see here.  In my opinion Mod Cloth’s shipping boxes are just as pretty as the contents they hold!  If the fashion and home decor items available at Mod Cloth weren’t cute enough you get an extra dose of cute when a package like this shows up at your door!

No Mod Cloth box?  No problem!  You can turn any old cardboard box from a bore to adorable with a variety of inks, stamps or what have you.  Check out my tutorial on how to dress up a card board box here.

 

 

STEP 1:  Cut the flaps off of a card board box and die cut with Sizzix.  *I used Tim Holtz Alterations Movers and Shapers Mini Hearts and Ornamental dies.

 

My original plan was just to cut the hearts.  I’m new to using Sizzix Movers and Shapers and don’t have the tray yet (It’s in the mail).  My sweet friend Johnnie from Saved by Love Creations sent me the Ornamental die a while back and I used it in place of the tray.

After cutting the hearts  I noticed the negative cardboard pieces looked like banner pennants.  Hmmm…I thought, and the wheels started to turn a little faster.  That was about the time this project took on a life of its own.  One idea led to another and the recycled card board heart banner was born!

I love it when art just happens!

STEP 2:  Edge negative space cardboard with Distress Ink.

STEP 3:  Use a make up sponge to swipe Distress Ink along heart cut outs.  *I used Picked Raspberry and Worn Lipstick.

STEP 4:  Edge cut hearts with Picked Raspberry Distress Ink.

STEP 5:  Ink a piece of packaging plastic with Alcohol Ink.  I applied my inks in layers starting with the lighter colors first.  *If you go too dark just add a few drops of Alcohol Blending Solution to tone down and blend the colors.

Colors Used:  Pearl, Silver, Shell Pink, Salmon, Watermelon, Red Pepper, and Wild Plum.

STEP 6:  Emboss Alcohol Inked plastic.  *I used a Sizzix Alterations Sheet Music Texture Fade.

STEP 7:  Using your punched hearts as a guide cut plastic into squares slightly larger than the hearts

STEP 8:  Adhere embossed plastic square to back of negative heart cut outs using hot glue or Glossy Accents. *If you decide to use hot glue (I did because I have the patience of a 2-year-old) add a drop in each corner and flick the glue gun out to prevent glue strings.

 Stringing Your Banner

I wanted my banner to have a shabby vintage feel.  I couldn’t think of anything better than lace to achieve this look.  My lace was a little too bright white…not very vintage at all.  A few scoops of Perfect Pearls in a mini-mister made my lace shabby chic in a spritz!

STEP 1:  Dye a piece of lace by adding 3 heaping scoops of Perfect Pearls to a Mini-Mister and fill with water.  Working on a craft sheet spray lace till saturated.  Soak up the excess Spray on Craft sheet with lace and hang to dry.

STEP 2:  Lay out your banner pieces and use a design ruler to measure 5 in. between each piece.  Secure with Clothespins.  *Leave at least 11 in on both ends for hanging.

STEP 3:  Leave the clothespins in place and lift one side of the lace to apply hot glue to top part of banner piece.  Be sure to wear finger caps and fold lace over hot glue to secure.  Remove clothespins and repeat on other side.

 Embellishing your Heart Banner

If you are a tag maker a banner like this is a great way to display your tags.  I placed my tags in the center between each pennant and measure jute twine to hang the hearts on either side of the tag.

STEP 1:  Place Tags…or whatever you plan to hang in center between pennants.  Measure Jute Twine to hang hearts.  *For large hearts I cut 6 in pieces of Jute and 5 in pieces for small hearts.

STEP 2:  Adhere Jute Twine to hearts with Glossy Accents.  Secure with a Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher.

STEP 3:  Attach Hearts to banner with a drop of hot glue.  Fold lace over to secure.  Continue  adding glue until lace is folded in half.  *Work on a craft sheet so the lace doesn’t stick to your surface.

STEP 4:  Add novelty buttons to the back of your hearts to cover staple ends (Glossy Accents).

 STEP 5:  Clip on tags with tiny clothespins.  I found these Heart Clothespins at Michael’s and dabbed on Fired Brick Distress Stickles  to give them vintage shimmer.

Now all that’s left to do is hang and enjoy your banner!  I apologize for the less than stellar photography but I wanted to show how the light shines through the alcohol inked plastic.  It’s got a really cool faux stained glass effect, don’t you think so?

 

Hope you enjoyed this journey through the “Wonderland” of love.  Now go grab a box and make a recycled cardboard heart banner of your own!

Simon says stamp and Show has an “Ever After” challenge going on this week.  My Alice in Wonderland characters will be living Happily Ever After on this heart banner for sure!  Over at Frilly and Funkie it’s all about Lace and hearts so stop by for lots of love and lace.  And the Inspiration Emporium wants you to show some L.O.V.E  this month as well!    If you’re in the mood for more Wonderland themed Romance be sure to stop by The Altered Alice for even more “Lovely” inspiration!

Have a “Happily Ever After” Day!

Amy*

Tagged as: Alcohol Ink, alice in wonderland characters, Distress Ink, Mod Cloth, Ranger Ink, sizzix, tim holtz techniques, Tutorial