BIRTHDAY BASH: Circle Embellishment for a Banner

Hello Everyone!!

Happy Birthday Demas!  Yesterday was his birthday and this Saturday is his "American Idol Karaoke" birthday party.  It's his big FORTY birthday, so his mom is throwing him a party and I helped her plan & coordinate it!  Of course, it's not a party if we don't have at least ONE thing made with our Cricut!  ;-)

I love making banners... but spelling out HAPPY BIRTHDAY means cutting out 14 pieces and stringing them together... makes for a long banner and is not very personal.  Besides, you can buy one of those at the party store.  So, our banner is only 6 pieces long, because we put "Happy Birthday" all on one piece and spelled out the birthday guy's name on the other 5.

This banner was made using the BIRTHDAY BASH cartridge.  It has 13 different banner shapes and each one has a shadow feature which I love because your patterned papers show up better and are much sturdier when backed with a solid shadow.  Because this is a special birthday... the big FOUR-ZERO... I wanted to emphasize that in my banner.  That's where the "circles" come in:

I used a circle banner from BIRTHDAY BASH that had two holes already in it, so using the 'HIDE/CONTOUR" feature on my gypsy, I simply hid one of the holes.  Then I welded the "BIG 40" together, the font is also from BIRTHDAY BASH.  Just like in my scrapbook layout yesterday, circles make great backgrounds for embellishments, but their not just for layouts!

There are many ways to 'string' a banner.  I like this method the best... cut ribbon 6" inches long and simply tie each banner piece to each other... knot it and trim the edges at an angle.  Small ribbon works best.

TA-DA!  Finished project!  I think it says it all and is only 6 pieces long!  See how cute the circles are dangling from each banner piece?  Use your imagination and you could use actual pictures cut into circles too!

 Perfect size for the fireplace... add photos on the mantle and you've got great decorations for the party!

I wanted to take a moment and thank everyone for all of your encouraging and supportive comments!  I can't even begin to tell you how much your comments and emails meant to me.  There have been several times over the past 6 months that I seriously considered walking away from everything... closing down Creative Critterz and giving up.  I have my grown children to thank for the support and encouragement to continue.  They may only be 20/22/24 years old, but they have all grown up so much through this trial in our lives and they each have taken an active role in my metamorphosis.  Personal Trainer, nutrition advisor, fashion consultant, Zumba partner and roommate... I have them to thank for holding my hand as I start down this new path.

This new path also includes new projects and things for me to share with you.  I am currently working as a brand ambassador for the Kiolbassa Sausage Company out of San Antonio and have started sharing recipes with their product on TOPPER IN THE KITCHEN.  I'm excited about that blog because I love to cook almost as much as I love to scrapbook (almost, lol).  I will also be sharing my weight loss journey with you on a separate blog (to be announced soon!) and even more exciting... I will continue sharing my love for my cricut here, but can't wait to show you what Jinger has been up to!!  It will take your breath away!

So, to celebrate my return to everything crafty... how about a GIVEAWAY!!?  National Scrapbook Day is right around the corner and I have a brand new CRICUT MINI to give away!!  I will draw a winner and announce that person on National Scrapbook Day, Saturday, May 5th!  Wow... that's just a little over 2 weeks away!

To be eligible to win, you must be a follower of my blog and can get extra entries if you also join my TOPPER IN THE KITCHEN blog too! One comment per post please.  Thanks again everyone!

Creatively yours,

Tammytopper