Monday, December 5, 2011

Where Have All the Eyelets Gone?


I've been hard at work making another holiday banner. You may remember the "Merry & Bright" banners I made last year. I loved the one I kept, but for some reason I couldn't get past the color scheme. It didn't really go with my holiday decor, so I gave it to Smashley. I have a lot of reds and greens in my Christmas decor, so I set out to make myself a new banner with more traditional colors this year.

Apparently it's a little late to be looking for Christmas paper and stickers because the selection was pretty horrid. And eyelets? Forget about it. It seems eyelets have gone out of style. I scrimped and scrounged through my eyelets to put this thing together.

I ended up finding enough paper that I liked, so I spent a large part of a day cutting out letters and backgrounds on my Cricut. Since I was making one banner already, why not make four?


So that's what I did. I made one for me to keep, one for my Student Teacher, Natalie, and two to give away to two of my lucky readers. 

I heart Natalie. She started the school year with me back in August, and she just finished her student teaching. Natalie has made my life so much easier this fall. She's scary smart, quick, motivated, and she has an amazing work ethic.

I'm going to miss her.

I need an emoticon.

Who can give me an emoticon for my sad face?


Changing the subject so I don't cry.

You know how I like to glitter my letters, right? Well, I asked the Renaissance Woman to help me decide what color of glitter to use on this banner, since she is the Renaissance Woman, and she suggested that I use several colors.

What? More than one color of glitter? What about matchy-matchy?

I had a hard time with that suggestion. I just wasn't seeing her vision initially, but she explained to me why I should do it. Some blah blah about complementary colors and making the colors pop, so I did it.

I figured she was the one with the art background and she knew what she was talking about. I'm just some Josephine who likes pretty things that sparkle.


I'm so glad I listened to her.


I didn't use any glitter on Natalie's banner because she's allergic to glitter.

THE HORROR!!!

I'd be a walking hive if I was allergic to glitter. It's very nearly my middle name.


I needed something to make Natalie's letters pop though, so I tried this stuff that I got from Melanie-Who-I-Almost-Killed-With-Pie. It's supposed to give your paper a raised epoxy look. I really like how it turned out.


If you could possibly squeeze this banner into your color scheme, leave me a comment telling me the one gift you are giving this year that you cannot wait for the recipient to open and why.

Please make sure your e-mail is attached to your Blogger profile, or leave your e-mail address in your comment, so I can contact you to tell you that you've won.

The contest ends on Thursday, December 8th, at midnight in Siberia. May the Force be with You.

29 comments:

  1. Look at you, finding time to make, not just one banner, but four, Jill! I love it!

    I actually do have a gift that I can't wait for my husband to open. I saw a commercial one night for this thing called a Jawhorse. It's a sawhorse but allows one person to do jobs that would require two. He's already had to rig something up to kind of do the same thing. I was so proud! I found it at Lowes online, ordered it to the store, picked it up, brought it home and wrapped it, all in four hours on the same day! I can't wait for him to open it Christmas morning.

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  2. I am a horrible gift giver...I nearly make the person go with me...but this year on 12/22 dh is getting a hip replacement..guess what day he is coming home ? Christmas Day...yippee

    I really love the banner...and student teachers...

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  3. I have such a hard time with Christmas. I love finding that one thing that I know that one person will love. The anticipation kills me and I want to just give it to them when I buy it! My daughter asked for some strange gifts this year, but only strange because she is 13 and they have nothing to do with phones,Ithingys,make-up etc. She loves science. She asked for a gyroscope and a Newton's Cradle. I am looking forward to her opening these gifts because I know she will love them. rburkhalter30@gmail.com

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  4. Love the banner! I have a son who is very into movies - he can tell you anything and everything about a movie that he likes. He is a big fan of anything Pixar and along with movies like The Green Lantern and Captain America. He loves to dress up as the characters and one day wants to work at Pixar and make movies (he said when he gets that job he will buy me season tickets to the Portland Trailblazers - what a sweet kid). Quite awhile ago he took a plastic round plate and fashioned his own Captain American shield and just today I found a real Captain America shield at Target that I got for him. I am excited to see his face because I haven't seen these elsewhere and I know he will be thrilled to add this to his collection of movie memorabilia.
    bethmgood@yahoo.com

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  5. I love your banner! So Cute!

    Hubby and I got a trumpet for our 6 year old son. He has the gift of music so we thought 'playing' with a trumpet might be fun and perhaps bring us a wad of money one day.

    sharonsaad@gmail.com

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  6. The only person I've shopped for, so far, is my son. He's a WWII enthusiast, but a very slow reader. He's been begging me to see the movie Flags of Our Father (we call it "FOOF" lol). I told him that if he finished the book (he has to read for school) that I would rent it for him. (don't tell him, but I'm buying it! :-D)

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  7. I am just stopping by to say good job on the banner! You don't have to include me in the contest drawing. Leave that for people who will use it. :)

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  8. I am very excited to give my grandaughter her la la loopsy doll she just loves them :-)


    sindyshepard@hotmail.com

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  9. I just love your blog! You are so hilarious and creative.

    This year we are getting our 17month old son this. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Radio-Flyer-500/14321191
    It's basically an indoor roller coaster. I'm already visioning the long days of putting the car back on the track over and over and over and over.... but he'll love it so that's what counts.

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  10. The banner is beautiful! If I won, I would hang it in my kitchen for all to see. I'm excited about giving my twin six year old girls caboodles filled with flavored lip glosses. I had a caboodle when I was a little girl and I'm so excited for my girls to have one to put their little things in. And the flavored lip glosses, I think they'll go nuts over them. They're silly like that about flavored lip gloss. Merry Christmas!
    elsavidaurri@hotmail.com

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  11. We're giving each of our daughters (except the baby) an mp3 player this year. (NOT an i-anything, just humble little mp3 players)

    I can't wait because:
    1. they love listening to music
    2. they won't be borrowing mine any more

    Thanks for the chance!

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  12. You banner is adorable and you are so generous to make two extra for your readers. I am a lurker but enjoy reading your blog.

    I am most excited to give my husband his gift. I am making him a "Year of Date Nights" book, an idea that I found on Pinterest. It is definitely a gift from the heart.

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  13. I love the banner! I have been wanting to make one but have not found the time.

    I am excited for my boyfriend's son's gift. He loves music and fell in love with bagpipes when we were at a 9/11 rememberance. He has talked about nothing else since! We were able to find some kid bagpipes and a DVD to help him learn to play. I really can't wait!
    missyh1976@gmail.com

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  14. The banner would fit perfectly with my holiday decore'.

    The gift I am most excited to give is to my 5 year old son and myself. He has wanted to learn to play the guitar for months, a teacher for such a young student is hard to find. I found a wonderful teacher who is going to teach him and asked that I also learn as he has found when a student so young learns with a parent practicing becomes much less dreded. I am so excited to see his face when he opens his new guitar with a gift certificate for mommy and me lessons.

    Megan
    mtschaggeny@hotmail.com

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  15. I am giving my husband a photo of our three children (17, 13, and 11). We miss him so, you see he is working 2000 miles away and while we see him via skype every day, with all the texts and calls, we are in contact. In person we touch him about every 8-10 weeks depending on $ of air fare. However skype does not compare to having the "physical" near. I thought that at least having a professional photo of the kids (he knows what I look like, and aging isn't as good to me as it is to the kids), that he would have a lighter heart and feel loved each and every day. I am so excited, cuz it's a secret! Thanks so much for your fun posts and creativity, you brighten my day:) Annette

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  16. I am excited for my kids to open (early) a gift of tickets and clothing related to attending an NFL game (their first!). They've been looking forward to going to one for a long time and this year there is a game on Christmas Eve we can take them to. They will be so excited!

    Love your blog Jill! I'm currently an MAT student (Special Ed: Emotional and Behavioral Disorders), and can't wait to use some of your ideas in my future classroom!

    myluv4flowers@gmail.com

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  17. I'd love to win.

    The gift I'm most excited about wasn't even something someone asked for. I'm giving my daughter concert tickets to see Casting Crowns in concert. She's 8 and has never been to a concert but has wanted to go. So she sill be totally surprised and I'm so excited to give her the tickets.

    catwoman522@gmail.com

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  18. I sincerely hope this contest isn't based on creative responses, because I got nothin' super awesome to say ;) BUT I adore the banner! Oh how charming would that look over my 1898's built in fireplace?? Oh yeah, gift-giving...actually gives me stress cause I want the perfect thing that lights up my loved ones face. Can you say pressure? Probably, the gifts I'm most excited about so far, would be the Melissa and Doug puppets that I sent to my neice and nephew in Boston. I think they will love them!! They are super cute (the puppets and my neice and nephew)!

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  19. Love the banner!! Saw a sign on Pintrest that said "Glitter is the herpes of craft supplies".... Lol

    As for the most anticipated reaction to a Christmas gift? That would have to be the Electric Guitar we bought for the Princess. She did put it on her wish-list but I know she has no clue that she's really getting it.

    LivinInDuckville@gmail.com

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  20. Oooh! I love when people do traditional colors....hubby is a huge traditionalist and the OCD freak that is me cannot make an eclectic Christmas!

    My favorite gift this year. I traded work for a pool table (it's used, but gently) for my Hubs and I'm cleaning/rearranging our basement as a surprise. He has no idea and I am a happy wife :D I love the shock value!

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  21. I love the banner! I think the gifts I am most excited to give this year are to my daughter's skating coaches. My daughter made it all the way to Sectionals (provincials) this year. So I made sure to take pictures of her with her coaches. I then created custom photo mugs through Creative Memories. She picked an inspirational quote for each mug that reflected how she feels about each coach and then she picked out pictures. It will be really nice to give them something so meaningful that my daughter had a hand in creating.

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  22. Your banner is BEAUTIFUL!!!

    I'm so excited for my hubby to open his new miter saw and table saw. He's been wanting them for years and I've convinced that we just don't have the space for it. He'll be surprised when he opens both on Christmas morning. He actually doesn't have to work on Christmas. WOO HOO!

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  23. Every year, my husband and I take our 3 children back to Kansas and Nebraska for 2+ weeks to visit all of our family. We do lots of fun stuff with both sets of grandparents and see all the cousins and siblings. It is so fun. This year I was just going to make a photo album for the grandparents on Shutterfly, but I was able to get Photoshop for my Mac and have discovered the brilliance and fun of digital scrapping. I am doing 4 pages a day. To make it even more special, my dad just had double bypass surgery (he and my mom were supposed to spend Christmas with us in Arizona). I am working super hard to get the album done in time to take it to him on the 13th. He is going to melt when he sees all the pictures with the kids and he and my mom. Getting my Kleenex ready :)

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  24. Your banner is GORGEOUS!!!! You've got some made crafty skills!

    I'm giving a "Ninja" (blender-thingy) to my hubby. He's been wanting one FOREVER, so this year, I'm obliging. I sure love him ;)

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  25. I totally need that banner! My 3 boys are ruining all my decorations, but that could be hung HIGH and totally out of reach...and seeing as how I'm like the only person in the world without a cricut, I can't make my own (at least without lots of cursing and tears).

    I'm most excited for my husband to open the french loaf pan I got him. He loves to bake bread and without this loaf pan all his attempts are flat as a pancake...I am dreaming of the wonderful bread smell wafting through my house and the look of victory on his face when he finally triumphs. :)

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  26. I love the banner! It's very pretty! My mother in law was so excited about the air swimmers she saw on the Internet. I'm getting her one and can't wait to see the look on her face on Christmas morning!

    Bonnie
    ( brewer05@msn.com )

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  27. Color scheme=MINE! Oh yeah! You are so creative and now I'm all coveting a Cricut. Anyway, the banner is gorgeous.

    The gift I am most excited to give and see opened is a new set of bed sheets for my 13 yr.old son. He has this crazy OCD-ness ["Gee, where did he get that from?" she says, while whistling innocently] whereby he cannot stand the coolness of bedsheets. That's coolness as in temperature-wise. So I found him some nice warm flannely-type sheets that I know he is going to thank me for profusely.

    Who am I kidding. He's a teenager. He will open it and say, "Meh."

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  28. This holiday season has been tough so far. Two of our dogs (both 13)are going to have to be put to sleep due to uncorrectable health issues. Therefore the gift I am most excied to give is the "regifting" of a maltipoo puppy, to my five year old son, that one of my patients so generouly offered during this trying time. Im sure this is going to make his face just light up!! :)

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  29. My husband and I will be giving our children the gift of 'giving'. We will be feeding the homeless next weekend, decorating a tree with them in the park, and giving gifts to them as well. What a wonderful gift and lesson to teach our children: the TRUE meaning of Christmas :)

    The Stokes Fam

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