Tutorial | Autumn Art Banner

Happy Tuesday!  Today I have a tutorial for you featuring another art banner.  I really enjoy making these banners to display in my studio.  I am trying to add one a month.  For November I decided a fall theme would be nice.  I used a fun letterpress type of technique to create the background fabric.  It is so easy to do and creates such a lovely background.

Use the banner template to cut one banner from Phoomph.

Cut a piece of natural colored Sticky Back Canvas that is slightly larger than the banner shape.

Scribble assorted fall colored Distress Inks onto a craft sheet.  (I used Gathered Twigs, Rusty Hinge, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, and Forest Moss.)

Open the Layered Leaf Texture Fade.  Rub the inside of the back of the Texture Fade (the narrower flap without printing) over the ink.  This will add ink to the raised area of the embossing folder design.

Use a baby wipe or wet cloth to wipe any stray ink off of the inside of the folder.

Place the Sticky Back Canvas piece inside the folder.  Place the canvas side against the inked side of the folder.

Run the folder through your die cutting machine.  The folder will deboss the image into the canvas and transfer the inked design into the deboss.

Repeat the process several times to add more leaves to the canvas.  As you move around the canvas, you may have canvas sticking out from the edges that are too wide for the path of your die cutting machine.

Simply fold the excess canvas over the top of the closed embossing folder.  Place the cutting pad onto of the folder and excess canvas and pass through the machine as usual.

When you have finished, use a baby wipe or wet cloth to wipe the embossing folder clean.

Mist any excess ink on the craft sheet with water.

Toss one yard of Crinkle Ribbon around on the wet ink to color the ribbon.

If you still have ink, swipe scraps of manila cardstock through the ink.  Save these for future die cutting projects.

Peel the backing off or the Sticky Back Canvas.  Peel the backing off of one side of the Phoomph.  Place the banner shaped piece of Phoomph onto the back of the Sticky Back Canvas.

Trim around the edges of the Phoomph banner to cut away the excess Sticky Back Canvas.

Apply Spiced Marmalade around the edges of the banner using an ink blending tool.

Add a highlight color, Mustard Seed to the upper left and lower right corner of the banner using an ink blending tool.

Brush the edges of the banner with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink using an ink blending tool.

Remove the remaining piece of backing off of the banner.  Adhere the banner to a piece of natural colored cotton batting.

Trim the batting around the banner with a pair of pinking shears.

Stamp a sentiment on a piece of Sticky Back Canvas.  I lightly penciled the shape of the label die I planned to use onto the canvas to help make sure I stamped it to fit.

Die cut the sentiment with the label die.  Brush the edges of the canvas label with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink using an ink blending tool.

Cut a piece of wool felt and Phoomph to fit the Lattice Frameworks die.  Adhere the Phoomph to the wool felt.  Die cut the assembled piece with the Lattice die.  Save the die cut diamond shapes for another project.

Peel the remaining piece of backing off of the wool felt/Phoomph die cut.

Cut a piece of the ribbon to the width of the banner.  Apply Collage Glue Stick to the back of the ribbon.

Adhere the Latticework to the front of the banner.  Adhere the ribbon over the top of the Latticework.

Machine stitch around the edge of the banner.

Adhere the canvas label to the ribbon along the right side.  Add a staple to the right edge.  On my label, I left the backing on the Sticky Back Canvas to give it more body.  You could peel it off and adhere the label like a sticker.  I used glue and the staple to adhere mine.

Squirt Antiqued Bronze Distress Spray Stain onto your craft sheet.  Dip a paint brush into the stain.

Hold the paint brush over the banner.  Tap the brush against your finger to splatter the stain onto the banner below.

Be sure to do this on a protected surface since there will be extra spatter beyond the banner.

Dry the banner with a heat tool.

Create a fluffy bow with the remaining ribbon.  Adhere the bow to the banner on top of the ribbon strip along the left side of the banner.

Die cut several leaves, twigs, and wheat pieces from manila cardstock using the Autumn Gatherings strip die.  (I used the manila cardstock colored with the excess ink on the craft sheet.)

Apply assorted colors of Distress Ink to the pieces using ink blending tools.

Mist water onto your hand and flick onto the inked pieces.  The water will help blend the colors.

Blot the excess water with a dry cloth.  Dry with a heat tool.

Mist the pieces with Cappuccino Perfect Pearls Mist.

Perfect Pearls Mist looks like a colorant but it is not, it is only shimmer.  Misting it over colored ink will not cover the piece with color, it will only add shimmer.  The liquid base is not water and will not cause any ink reaction so it is the perfect companion to Distress Inks.

Blot the excess mist with a dry cloth.  Dry with a heat tool.

Begin adhering the die cut pieces around the bow.  I like to begin with a base of branches for most arrangements.  I also usually work in a mirrored manner, adding the same elements in basically the same places to both sides of the bow.

Shape the die cut pieces by curving the manila cardstock with your fingers.  The manila will hold the shape.  Adhere clear, quick drying adhesive to the stems of the leaves.  Poke the stems into the arrangement to adhere the pieces.

Add the first layer of leaves close to the bow.  Add additional layers moving upward by tucking them behind the layer below them.

Finish the arrangement by adding more branches to the tips of the arrangement.

Finish the banner by adding grommets to the top left and right corners.  See the Basics 101 page for an easy how-to for setting grommets.

You may notice that several of my leaves have a texture to them.  These marks are from using a rough well used cutting pad.  You will sometimes get marks like these on the back side of your die cuts.

I find I get them most often with strip dies.  I actually like to use that side of the die cut sometimes because of the accidental texture.  Ink this case, I think the lines from the cutting pad look great on the leaves, especially in the way the ink settled in and got darker in those places.  The next time you get cutting pad marks, try inking that side and see what you think!

One of the things I really love about creating decor projects like this one is that I can have so much dimension and not worry about it fitting into a pocket or book.  I love all of the layers!

I wish you could see the leaf imprint on the canvas!  It is so full of texture!

If you have to fold your canvas to go through your machine, you may find that you get some lines from the crease it makes.  You can see one here running right through the leaf.  They should be very faint.  I managed to cover most of mine with embellishments.  The ones that weren’t covered are pretty subtle.  I think they are something to embrace in the trade off of being able to emboss on a larger surface.

I think this banner really captured the feeling of autumn.  I love the pile of leaves and the warm colors of fall.  I can’t wait to hang this one up in my studio with the others!

PS.  Have you used my art banner pattern to make your own art banner?  I would love to see them!  Please drop me an email or post a link in the comments below to share yours!

 

Feel free to pin this project on Pinterest!  While you are there, I would love for you to check out my boards!