Banner Showcase: FALL

Fall is absolutely one of my favorite times of year. I was always one of those nerdy kids that couldn't wait for school to start. I think when I was younger it was because right after school started I knew my birthday was right around the corner, and I always got to play hookey on my birthday and go to lunch and shopping with my grandma. When I was in high school it meant that tennis season was here, and when I got to college it meant going back to one of my favorite places on earth Grand Valley State University.

Fall is still my favorite time of year, but for different reasons. Although I still love my birthday, I can now appreciate the changing colors, the crisp weather and all the fun activities that fall brings. This fall Delicious Paper Design is ready for it, there are lots of new fall items in my shop, but this is my absolute favorite of the banners:

Fall banner

I love rhinestones!

Love LOVE this patterned paper! 

The colors are perfect for fall, but still bright and cheery!

The patterned paper and rhinestones add  texture and visual interest to the banner.

This is such a simple banner that you can really put anywhere, but I love how the rhinestones and the patterned paper really make it special.

So that's my favorite new banner for this coming season. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed creating it!

So....

What are you looking forward to this fall?

It's been awhile "Custom Monday"....nice to see you again

So I know I said about a month ago that I would be posting custom designs on Monday....well life sort of happened and I have been oh-so-busy with all the Delicious Paper Design orders that the blog has fallen to the wayside a little bit, but the good news is that I'm posting an awesome custom design inspired by the Etsy shop of yours truly!

I got a custom request for a cupcake themed birthday banner set. Here is the invitation inspiration from the client:

From LollipopPrints on Etsy

I was so excited to get started that I had so many ideas! I worked with the client to see what style of cupcake she liked (boy did I have a ton to choose from!) and here is the cupcake design she chose:

The star of the banner: The cupcake!

 The client wanted a name banner and a birthday banner. Here is how the name banner turned out:

Sweet little Madeline's name banner

I love the way the colors came out and the brown letter really pops!

I love how you can hang this after the party in a playroom or nursery.

 I think the birthday banner came out super cute too. This theme can really be for anyone, old or young...anyone with a sweet tooth! Just by removing the "1st" and let the white circle be the spacer for the banner you can reuse this over and over!

Add caption

I like to leave the circle between the two words white like the ends because I think it breaks up the words of the banner a little better. This way the words don't all run together. It also adds some visual interest and balances out the white on the ends as well.

So cute!

This banner (and all my birthday banners) measure over 6 feet long!

I think that this really turned out great! I love the way the cupcakes look, perfect for a sweet little girl! I think that this is going to be the next collection that I put out since I have been focusing mostly on the boys :)

What collection do you think I should add to Delicious Paper Design that would be a hit with kids?

Collection Spotlight: SWASHBUCKLING PIRATE

One of my favorite and most dear to my heart collections is the pirate collection. After all my sweet pupster is named Captain Jack Sparrow (the puppy) after the Disney pirate of the same name. (Did you really expect me to have a pet NOT named after something related to Disney??)

Jack Sparrow on his pirate blanket

Jack Sparrow (the puppy) dressed up as Jack Sparrow (the pirate)

I'm one proud mommy! So I decided that not only do I and Jack Sparrow love pirates but boys love pirates too! So here is a peek at all the goodies available in the SWASHBUCKLING PIRATE collection:

The Name Banner:

What else would I use for a sample name?

Close up of the skull and crossbones.

 For the end with the skull and cross bones I used white pearlized cardstock and red glitter paper. I always love when things are shiny and I think it really gives it something extra! I also raised the skull off of the black circle for a 3D effect so the white of the skull didn't blend into the white of the circle.

Close up of the treasure chest.

For the treasure chest I used two shades of brown. It is actually the same cut in both of the layers, but in the light layer I cut out all of the panels by hand and used a teenie tiny hole punch for the nail heads. Then I used gold sparkle paper for the treasure!

The Birthday Banner: 

This banner is huge, over 6 feet long!

First part of the birthday banner.

Second half of the banner.

Close up of the letter. I like to use paper with some texture for visual interest.

Here is another option for the end. A real treasure map!

 The Cupcake Toppers:

Here are the 3 options for cupcake toppers! I love them all :)

Close up of the pirate flag. You can see the texture on the white and the red glitter!

The map with a red "X" and gold coins. 

On the treasure maps I draw a black dashed line for the path to get to the treasure! There are no two that are exactly the same, that is part of why I love the maps so much. I also use brown ink to give the edges a "distressed" leather look, just like an authentic treasure map would be.

The Door Sign:

I love the door signs because for me they are a great way to introduce and set the tone for the theme. Other than the invitations (if you have them) this is really the first thing people will see when arriving to your party. You know how important first impressions are and I believe this is not only true for people but for events too. It really gets people in the mood and mindset for a great party. When the first thing you see is a pirate door sign you know it is going to be a great party!

Thank you so much for taking a look at one of my favorite collections! I hope it is one of your favorites too :)

So I want to know....

How do you set the tone for your party?
Do you like attending "themed" parties?

Inspiration Falls

So the Disney bug has bitten big time (big surprise, eh?) and this post is all about INSPIRATION! If you can post a comment where in Disney you can see Inspiration Falls you win! (Prize: a special "good job" from me!)

Here is the inspiration of this week: Love Bird Bedding by Bananafish

Love Bird Bedding by Bananafish

Love Bird Bedding Quilt

Close Up

I had my inspiration and now it is time to gather up my materials!

Cricut Cartridges

Paper Pack (I already had this!!)

Ribbon

The  next step is to cut the largest layer of scalloped circles:

Green pattern coordinates with the leaves

Four on on page!

I cut my circles 1/2" bigger/smaller that way they have a 1/4" reveal when I am using traditional circles. However, when I am using scalloped shapes I go 3/4" larger than the shape that is getting matted on it (example, the green pattern was cut at 4 3/4" and the brown is cut at 4"). This is so the next layer leaves space were the dips in the scallops are. I have found that using only a 1/2" difference takes the circle right to the dip and the shape comes out looking too much like a flower (circles) or a postage stamp (squares) and if you are using a patterned paper you lose some of the pattern! 

 Next layer is brown:

In goes the brown: 4"

Tip: Cut 3 circles. Click over right 3 clicks. Flip paper cut 1. Click right 6 times. Cut 1. You can get 6 4" circles on one page this way! Less waste!! Hooray :)

Brown on Green Pattern

 Next layer is pink!

 Then the letters. I used Alpahlicious at 3 1/4". I cut the shadow out of brown and the regular layer out of a aqua with a cool blue stitch through it. 

Love this paper!

Baby Lorelai

All layered together!

Then comes the birdies! I cut one normal and then one on flip (3 1/2"), this way the birds look at each other and gives the banner a better overall look.

Plaid for one bird and one wing

Orange polka dot bird and wing

Mix and match patterns for that chic vintage look!

 

And of course a bow and rhinestone!!! Delicious!

String it on brown satin feather-edge ribbon and add the additional ribbons to the ends. 

Here is the final banner!

I am so in love with the way this banner came out! And so awesome of my customer to give me such awesome inspiration to work from! I love doing custom orders and these past few weeks I have had a TON 

 of custom designs. So watch for a regular spot on the blog: Custom Mondays! 

So that poses the question....

Where do you get your inspiration?