Garden Party Pennants

These pennants are a wonderful way to decorate a back yard BBQ, wedding or baby shower, or of course, a garden party. You can use vintage fabrics in any pattern, old shirts from the thrift store, or new fabrics from the craft store. Try using a mix of solid fabrics and printed fabrics for a nice contrast. I like choosing 4 to 5 colors to focus on as a theme. This is a quick, easy project that will spice up your back yard in no time!

What You'll Need:

1 yard each of 4 to 5 different fabrics

2 spools of 1" wide grosgrain ribbon in any color

needle and thread or sewing machine

scissors

Pen and Paper

Ruler or measuring tape

1. Lets start by making a pattern. Start by folding a piece of computer paper in half, lengthwise. Starting from the folded side, along the top edge, measure out 3 inches. Make a mark.
2. Next, starting from the top of the paper along the folded edge, measure 9 inches and make a mark. Draw a straight line between the two marks you made on your paper.
3. Keeping the paper folded, cut along the line you just drew. When you unfold your paper, you should have a perfect triangle.
4. Next, it's time to trace. Lay out your fabric, right side down. Using your pen, trace the pennant pattern onto the fabric multiple times until you have no free space left. Make sure you have an even number.
5. Cut out each triangle.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 with each fabric.
7. Next it is time to make the pennants. These pennants will be double sided. You can choose the same fabric for front and back, or you can mix and match your fabrics. Choose two triangles and face them wrong side to wrong side so that the right side of each fabric is facing out.
8. Using your sewing machine or needle and thread, sew along the diagonal edges of each pennant. Continue this step until you have no more triangles left.
9. Now it is time to attach them to the ribbon. You can choose to pin the pennants to the ribbon beforehand, or you can eye-ball it. I prefer the latter. Be sure to leave at least 4" at the end of the ribbon before you attach your first pennant so you have a way to hang the pennants.
10. Fold the ribbon in half so it forms a ½" line and insert each pennant into the fold, about 3" to 4" apart from one another. Sew each pennant to the line to secure.
11. To hang, tie each edge of the ribbon to a branch, limb, or pole.

There you have it! A whimsical and easy way to decorate for any festive occasion. 

Wall Stenciling

Spring is in the air and I always get the itch to redecorate when the days get longer and warmer. Nothing brightens up a space better than a new paint job - and what a paint job this is! Stenciling is a wonderful way to update your space and unlike wallpaper, when you get sick of the pattern, you can just paint over it. It's the perfect project for a rainy, March afternoon and a wonderful little item to check off your "Sring Cleaning To Do" list.

What You'll Need:

Acetate (.005 or .010 thickness)

Permanent Marker

Razor

Masking Tape

Small Paint Roller

Paint color of your choice

Paper Plate(s)

Rag towel or paper towels

1. Go online and find a pattern you would like to use. Try searching for wall stencils or damask patterns. You can do a repeating pattern, or you can do a single image. Once you've found your pattern, print it out as large as you would like onto a piece of paper.
2. Layer your acetate on top of the pattern and using your marker, trace the pattern onto the acetate.
3. With the acetate layered over cardboard to prevent scratching the surface below, use the razor to cut out your pattern from the acetate. You now have a wall stencil! On to the actual painting of the wall.
4. Next, lay the tape along each edge of your pattern. Place the pattern on the wall where you would like your stencil.
5. Pour some of the paint onto the plate. Coat your roller in the paint. Once your roller is coated, drag the roller across the towels a few times. Your roller should look almost dry.
6. Carefully begin to paint over your stencil onto the wall. Do not press too hard, otherwise the paint will seep under the edges of the stencil resulting in a sloppy image.
7. Now comes the most rewarding part - carefully remove the stencil starting from the bottom up.
8. If you have a repeating pattern, replace the stencil in the next location and repeat. And there you have it - a cheap and easy way to update any space for the Spring. See below for stenciling tips.

Stenciling Tips:

• Start simple! If you're new to this, do not pick a pattern that is too ornate with a lot of curls or leaves. The simpler the better.
• If you are doing a repeating pattern, start your stenciling in the most visible corner and work from there. That way, if your stencil does not line up properly in the end, it will be in an unnoticeable area of your wall.
• As I mentioned above, make sure there is not too much paint on your roller. Your roller should look almost dry before rolling it over the stencil.
• At the end of your stenciling, use a paint brush to touch up areas that were hard to get to or need a sharper edge.