When I spied this Merry Christmas Banner in a photo on my friend Amanda Dykes Facebook page I instantly fell in love. If you hadn't noticed, I have a things for books, re-purposing, and Christmas. This project is the perfect marriage.
I invited her to share it with my readers and she graciously wrote up this tutorial so you can make yours. Plus, we have some extra fun free things involving books at the bottom of this post.
Let me introduce you to my talented friend.
Amanda here: Simple trimmings warm my heart in December. A little touch here, a sprig of berries there… vignettes sprinkled throughout to warm the home.
One of the things I love about a simple style of decorating like this, is its ease and affordability.
The hanging pine cone bouquet, for example, which you can read more about in Melissa’s new release, Pioneering Today: A Homemade Christmas.
Here's what the banner looks like over your mantel. Doesn't it make you want to sing a carol or two?
You can make one for Free! Made from book pages, twine, and hot glue. As you can see, it’s seen a bit of wear and—er—tear – over the years, but a tiny bit of Scotch-tape doctoring has made it last well into its third or fourth year now.
It hardly even needs an explanation,(Melissa here: I sure needed one! I can't wait to get started on this) but in case you’d like to try one yourself, here’s what you’ll need:
-A book willing to sacrifice its pages for the good of Christmas cheer
-Twine or ribbon of your choice
-Scissors
-Hot glue gun
-Computer/printer for printing your template
-Pencil (optional)
Using a word processor like Microsoft Word, type in your preferred banner message. Choose a font that suits your style, but will also not be too intricate to cut out. Make it large and bold. Print.
From here, you have two options:
The pattern method, or the carbon-copy method.
To use the print-off as a pattern, simply hold it tightly on top of the book pages you’ll be cutting from, and cut both layers of the letter out (print-out and book page) simultaneously.
If you’d rather not trifle with the double-layer-pattern method, you can also use the carbon-copy method. In this case, you flip your printer paper over once printed, color with a pencil roughly around the edges of where your letters fall, then flip it back over. Place the book page beneath the printer page, on a hard surface, and trace an outline with a ballpoint pen around the letters. This causes the pencil beneath to transfer a light outline of the letter onto the book page below, which you can then cut out.
Alternately, if you have book pages that could fit well into your printer, you could print your text directly onto the book page. Just be sure, when working in your word processor, to choose a light outline and no fill. Print and cut out.
Once your book page letters are cut out, simply take a hot glue gun and glue the tops of them to your ribbon or string. Embellish as desired with faux berries or other Christmas-y delight, and voila!
If you’re looking for a somewhat-quick and very-fun project, this might be just the ticket for you. As you trim your homes and prepare your hearts for the coming month, may the hope of the One who we remember on Christmas day fill you.
Oh! And before you go? I have a special Christmas surprise up my sleeve for my dear newsletter subscribers…
Tin Can Serenade is a Christmas short story told entirely in the form of letters. This project has been such fun, especially because I had the delight of weaving readers’ special Christmas memories into the story.
Here’s a tiny sneak peek at the first pages…
Melissa here: Amanda let me read her story and it is such a delight. You'll love the charm, but the underlying message of God's timing resonated with me the most.
Amanda here: If you’d like to receive Tin Can Serenade, I’d love the chance to send it to you this December. Just sign up for my (Amanda's) newsletter below and watch your inbox for it!
(This signs you up for my newsletter, which is sent out a few times a year, and for periodic blog posts as well. If you’d rather not receive the blog posts, you can sign up for just the newsletter by clicking here.)
Merry Christmas, friends!
