[Tutorial] DIY Happy Birthday Banner

Wow, today is April Fools Day and it marks the start of my birth month.  Yipee!  Oh yeah...  

Happy Birthday to Me!

DIY Birthday Banner

This is a handmade banner that I recently made for a friend while watching "Castle."  Yes, I usually make crafts while listening to music, watching a tv series or a movie.  Don't you?  Tell me about it.  

So, let's start!  Here are the materials and tools that you will need:

Cardstock - I used 2 shades of Teal and Kraft cardstock, 3 pcs

Glue, Tape

Twine

Tools:

Cricut machine and a font (Cricut Base Camp) cartridge

Martha Stewart scoring board

Martha Stewart centering ruler

Fiskars rotary cutter

Steps:

1.  Determine the size of the letters that you want for your banner - I used 4 inches in this particular project.  You may print the letters manually or use a cricut or a similar machine - I used cricuts' Base Camp font here. 

 2.  Prepare the banner by cutting cardstock into 3.5 x 8 inches.

3.  Adhere the letter, making sure it is centered.

 

4.  I measured 1.5 inches from the bottom of the banner, got the center and cut one corner to the center, creating an inverted "V" shape.  You may adjust the height according to your preference, that is, depending on how long you want the tail to be.  I love using my MS centering ruler because it makes it so much easier,

 5.   To make the top flat for the string, measure 0.5 inches.  Score and fold.

6.  Fold the top flap and secure it with an adhesive or tape.  I used hemp cord because the party theme for this project was kinda rustic.

That's all, folks!  It didn't take long to make and wasn't costly at all.  Come back soon to see how we made used of this.  Enjoy!

Happy crafting!

♥ michelle

[Crafts] Traditional Filipino-themed banquet: "Bahay Kubo"

Our church is hosting Filipino Pastor's from all over the US today and I wanted to share the work of the team - Team "Bahay Kubo."  The Bahay kubo or Nipa hut is a native house in the Philippines in which the walls are made from bamboo tied together walls and the roof is of the nipa/anahaw leaves.  The photo below is a small nipa hut in my Mom's ancestral home in the province.  It's a nice place to cool off while sipping the juice of a freshly harvested coconut or savoring the juice of a ripe yellow mango.  Ohhh, delicious!

There is a song on the "Bahay Kubo."  You can do a youtube search to hear how it sounds - it's one of the songs that in my opinion every Filipino toddler (whether pure or inter-racial) should be able to sing.  The song describes the bahay kubo as despite being small, is full of different local fruits and vegetables which are then enumerated.  

We decorated the buffet table with various fruits and vegetables in season and placed them in different kinds of baskets.  The baskets and the woven fabric came from the private collection of the ladies and they were very nice.  I'm not even sure if they still make this good quality products.  The banana leaves are fresh from the garden.  We love how it turned out.  

We also prepared welcome kits that included a directory of local Filipino restaurants and a couple of pastries among others.

I had several empty starbucks coffee bottles which we made into table centerpieces.  We added decorated sticks and greens then placed it on top of a square green burlap.  I will take a better photo and re-post it.

To make it more festive, we added large buntings that ran across the width of the gym.  I used construction paper, jewelry hemp cord and glue... ohhh.. it was tedious but I love how it turned out.    

We spent about 3 hours from start to finish, that's pretty fast considering we had to steam iron the table cloths, etc.  It helped that some of the items where prepared beforehand.  It was a group effort - blending of minds, skills and talents.  

It's amazing how we can glorify God in simple ways such as this.  It's always fun serving with people who love God as well.

This afternoon, I will be cooking beefsteak for them... and that's another story.

Have a blessed day!

♥  michelle  ♥

[Focus on Life Week 17 and 7th BSBP] Color and Bead Soup Blog Party

Hello friends!  Oh, it's a busy day over at The Cabby Crafter.

Today is Week 17 of Focus on Life with Ms. Sally Russick and the theme is COLOR.  Wow, I love color especially primary colors because it makes me feel happy and very festive.  This is a photo of the mini buntings that I made for the luncheon that we will be hosting tomorrow.  The width measures 1 inch and was securely hung on a yarn.  Oh, I love how colorful they are! 

Today is also the 3rd Reveal day for Ms. Lori Anderson's 7th Bead Soup Blog Party.  As I mentioned HERE and HERE, I was paired with Rebecca.  She gave me a beautiful assortment of beads along with a polymer clay pendant.and a couple of nice clasps. 

I love being challenged!  Have you stared at your beads and components, doodling on your sketchbook and wondering what to do with them?  The antique bronze clasp was adorable and I wanted to work around it.  I wanted it to be one of the focal points of the necklace.  This was the first time I've made this design and I think it works well - it draws the eyes to the heart pendant.
The clasp was for a 3-strand necklace:  I used one for the chain, 1 for the leather and last for the dangling chain.  I worked the wire wrapped beads around it.  I like the pop of green leaves - it complements the shades of blue beads.

"Lock and Key Necklace"

Next, I made a bracelet.  I did wire work on the rectangular glass bead as well as the round beads.  The upper half of the bracelet is like a bangle and the bottom part is hinged to allow ease of wearing. The earth tones of the bracelet makes it so rich!

Thanks for stopping by.

See the Colors of what other participants took notice of HERE and/or

Join the party over at BSBP HERE.

Have a great weekend!

♥  Michelle  ♥