Miss Fancy Pants Designs: Fancy This: EEK Banner

Happy Halloween fellow scrappers! For your Fancy This project, I've come up with a cute banner using the Oct. 31 line and a little of our Trick or Treat line, just to show you that you can mix some lines and your projects will come out looking great!

Fancy Pants Designs supplies:
Oct. 31: Patterned papers (Spooks, Strips, Witching Hour, Shadows)
Trick or Treat: Patterned papers (R.I.P., Skull)
The Good Life: All Good patterned paper (the black side)
Oct. 31: Glitter cuts, Chipboard, Rub-ons, trim and buttons
Oct. 31: Spider Wed Printed Transparency

Other supplies:
black floss
black and orange tulle
stitching wheel
white cardstock
circle punch, bracket punch, googly eyes

Instructions:
Alright, ready to get started? For the candy corn shape, I sketched out the shape on scrap paper until it looked right, and then folded it up the middle to cut it out, so it was the same on both sides. If you want, you can make a large triangle, and round the points. My candy corn is about 8 1/2 inches high by 6 1/2 inches wide at the bottom. I also sketched out the letters (EEK), but you can use a die cutting machine if you like. Once my basic candy corn shape was the way I wanted, I cut out 5 of them out of white cardstock (you can also use chipboard if you have it). I also traced my EEK onto the black All Good paper, and cut them out. After inking them, I placed them onto the green side of SPOOKS and fussy cut them out again. It kind of makes them pop a little bit more than leaving them just black.

Next, I cut my papers into 3 inch strips, and inked the edges black. An inking tip: I use make-up sponges; you get a subtle look, and when you're done applying the ink, take your sponge and run it along the edges to give it one more sharp black line!

When my papers were all inked, I laid them out on my candy corn shapes to figure out the layout. If it helps you, draw some straight lines on your candy corn shapes to help you get your strips straight; OR!!! I just thought of this, but it would also look reaaalllllyyyy cute if they were all wonky!!! Next time...

Lay your middle strip first, making sure to lay it far enough to the left or right so that you don't leave any white space! (but don't waste paper! scoonch it over as far as you can!) Continue on until all your candy corns are covered in strips! Mark on the back the order you have them (1, 2, 3, 4, 5).

Next I, used my stitching wheel to mark the zig zag pattern along the paper seams. Since the paper and the cardstock were so thick, I had to go back with my poker tool and make the holes bigger. Once that is done, find a comfortable chair, grab your needle and thread and your tiny buttons! Put on a movie! Layout your buttons so no two colors are next to each other, and then start stitching. It's really quite therapeutic!

Back now? Aren't they cute? The next thing I did was cut some of the spider webs from the clear overlay (4 to be exact). I wanted them to be peeking from behind the letters, and one above the Black Cat Academy chipboard! Speaking of chipboard, I used some tiny purple and orange pom-pom trim around the edges of two of the chipboard pieces! Then, I reached for my Glitter Cuts (every project needs glitter!!). I put them where they looked the best. I still had some areas that needed something, so I used a few rub-ons (the black cat, the witches hat and the spider web). Fancy Pants rub-ons are the best!

When everything was laid out where I wanted, I started gluing it all down. I used pop dots on the letters and the chipboard pieces. After looking at my candy corns again, I thought, "Well, I have spider webs, but no spider..." So using a 1 1/2 circle punch and a bracket punch, I made a spider! At first he looked like a black octopus because I had the legs turned wrong, so make sure you play with them until they look right!

Having only one googly eyed creature on my candy corn garland just wouldn't do, so I decided to fussy cut some bat wings and use one of my big buttons for his body! Again, add googly eyes, instant cuteness!

Last, but not least, I love the skulls on the Trick or Treat paper, so I fussy cut one of those to put on one of the letter E's! If you want to now is the time to back your candy corn pieces with plain cardstock so seal in your threads and make it more professional looking!

Almost done! Using the striped ribbon trim and three large buttons, I made three bows (using the floss to tie them together). Next, punch holes in the top of the candy corn pieces for the tulle.

Now, take the black tulle (sold in a roll at craft stores), and leave enough on the left end for a tail, put the tulle through your punched holes from FRONT TO BACK, bring it around and tie it so the tulle goes the direction of the next candy corn piece. (it will help it hang straight). It's best to have this lying on the table flat, so you can make sure you leave enough space between them! Keep going until all your candy corns are hanging from the tulle! Tie the tulle at the ends to make a loop for hanging.

Now, tie your button bows onto the three middle candy corns, and add a piece of black tulle behind them. Make two large bows out of the orange tulle and attach at the ends by the hanging loops. I also added pieces of tulle above the first and last candy corn. I would've added more orange and even purple had I had some on hand!!!

Well, all done! Hang your cute little banner up and enjoy! I hope you've had fun with this project! Oh, and one more tip: Scissor cutting (since there is a lot of it in this project)... always look ahead of where you are cutting, and not directly at the blade, it helps you to keep a straight line! ( kind of like when we're driving a car, you look ahead of the road and not directly over the hood!). Also, for curves, TURN THE PAPER and not your scissors. You'll get fewer jagged edges and smoother curves. One last thing, make long cuts with your scissors, and not a bunch of short jagged ones... smoother edges!! Happy Scrapping!!! and ....

BOO!!!

-Valerie Sanchez