Greetings, it's Jeanette Wilde! Feels like Spring again and Easter is right around the corner. We always have a big lunch with family I am looking forward to hosting this year. I was inspired by the Banner Builder to create a unique centrepiece for our table. It turned out better than I expected and is super simple to make.
Now, obviously this would make a gorgeous hanging banner but I loved the idea of a centrepiece. Was recently given a huge box of these wooden spools and they worked perfectly to hold up each piece. Just had my husband cut me some pieces of dowel rod and I was ready to create.
I picked out some pretty spring papers and used one of the banner pieces to created a template - just trace on a paper then trim on all sides to a size that nicely fits inside. Since this is a centrepiece you will see it from both sides so I want them to both looks nice so I cut two out for each of my letters. I wanted it to have a shabby feel so I used my distress tool to distress the edges - you can do the same thing with a disposable razer or a nail file. Set these aside.
I then painted my banner pieces with white paint. I didn't worry about getting the paint perfect or that it seeped into the chipboard a little as this helps with the shabby look. You can always give it several coats or use a primer like a white gesso.
Now I needed some ribbon to match the colours in my paper. If you have the right coloured ribbon you are a step ahead but I did not so I decided to "dye" some to match. I used two different types of ribbon - crinkle for the banner and a chiffon for the spool (only because I didn't have enough of either type). You can dye your ribbon using a number of different techniques but I find this the easiest. Using either some spray ink or an ink refill, add a little ink to your work surface then add a little bit of water (you can also squish your ink pad onto your surface if it is all you have). Experiment with extra ribbon/fabric with the amount of ink to water to get the colour that works best. Take your ribbon and rub it around in the water mixture until the whole ribbon is saturated. I did a few ribbons at a time. You may get slightly different colours each time but as long of you stick to your same ratio for each batch they should be fairly close. You can leave them out to dry or use your heat gun to speed up the process - careful of your fingers, I used a skewer to keep out of the heat.
Now to put my letters on the paper. I used the
Alphabet Stencil Blanks to make my letters - just traced them onto some kraft cardstock and cut them out. I wanted them to stick up a bit so I layered them up a few times. To make them stand our a bit and to shabby them up I used some white shimmer ink on the edges. To put them onto the paper, set the stencil on the paper where you want them and slide in your pieces, fits like a puzzle and ensures they are in just the right place.
Now to get my spools ready. I want to have a centrepiece for every holiday so I didn't want to glue my corresponding paper to my spools - but also didn't want to leave them bare. So, I cut a piece of paper for each spool that was long enough to wrap around the spool with just a small overlap. I used leftover paper and my hold reinforcer punch to make some reinforcers for a small hole at one end of the paper. Then added my ribbon and wrapped it around so I could tie it on the opposite side.
My spools were just a little too small for this project so they are a little tippy. Fixed this problem by gluing a magnet to the base of each spool then cut out some scallop circles (layered them up to give them weight) and added the magnet to the bottom. You don't have to glue the magnet to the paper since it will hold itself in place and then you can reuse your magnet with the paper for the next holiday! Now they can tip a bit if they get knocked but they won't fall over.
Again, since I am looking for re-use on this project I didn't want to glue the banner pieces to the dowel rods. So, I took another piece of scrap paper about two inches wide and rolled it over the dowel till I had about two loops and added some glue. You want this tight but loose enough that you can pull it off the dowel (the ribbon is going to help hold it in place). Set these aside.
Now it's time for assembly! For each letter, I took a corresponding banner piece (I made mine to go from scallop to plain) and glue down your ribbon to the centre so that there is an equal amount of ribbon on each side. You just need a little glue to hold the ribbon in place, the paper will ensure it doesn't move.
Then, I glued down the paper piece that I put the letter on over the ribbon. I used a different patterned paper for each letter and matched that to the spool cover and the loop but you can use the same pattern for all.
On the other side, I glued the corresponding paper then glued the loop on in the centre aligning it with the ribbon.
You want to be super careful when putting the dowel rod into the loop - go slow, hold onto the loop, and twist as you go. Since I made them a little loose so I could remove/add the dowel as needed I used the ribbon to add a little hold - plus it makes it pretty for those looking at the side of the banner. I took the ribbon and went under with one, over with the other, then tied. So pretty!
All finished - just need to set the table. Obviously it's a little early for my Easter table but I know that it is going to have a gorgeous and unique centrepiece! Can't wait to make another one for the next holiday!
Supplies:
Distress ink spray
Distress tool
Pinflair book binding glue
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