Sparkly Valentine Banner

When I showed you my Chalkboard Christmas Card Display last month you knew it would be appearing again, didn't you? If so, right you were! My new favorite item in my kitchen couldn't be neglected for long, especially when there is another sweet holiday around the corner. So I made this beautiful sparkly Valentine's day banner.

I started off with some creamy white burlap, a little flag template, and one of my favorite new tools, my Silhouette Cutting Machine, to make the stencil.

Before I had my Silhouette, I was a big fan of the pencil transfer method of getting letters and numbers onto my projects. But obviously that doesn't work for something like this, I am DREADFUL at doing such things free hand, and it is such a time (and sanity) saver to let the Silhouette cut out my stencils for me. I need all of the time and sanity that I can get, so purchasing this machine was a small price to pay! :)

I picked out a basic font in the Silhouette Software, adjusted the size of the letters to fit my flags perfectly, and a few minutes later I had these great stencils! But you could easily cut these stencils out by hand or use any store bought letters to get the same effect.

I made sure to use a piece of card stock for my stencils that had a glossy finish so that it didn't get soggy in the middle of my stenciling. I soaked my foam brush in Elmer's glue, and stenciled the glue onto the burlap.

Keeping the stencil in place, I covered the glue in a small pile of fine red glitter, shook of the excess and set each flag aside to dry.

A few times I put on too thin of a layer of glue, but if you do this, don't worry!

I used a toothpick to apply a little more glue to the gap on the letter, added some more glitter...

and it was perfect!

Once you have a fun pile of sparkly lettered flags, hang a string and clip them on! I'm using mine on my chalkboard, but they would look gorgeous across a mantle, window, or just along the wall!

I was originally thinking that I would glue my flags to the string, but since Valentines Day is still almost a month away, I know I'll switch it up and rearrange it a bit in the meantime. More than likely I will add a few photos of my valentines in between the x's and o's.

Look how perfectly the letters came out thanks to my Silhouette stencil!

Sharp lines and fun little detailed fonts, with swoops and tails. Just what I like!

I put one of these Valentine banners in my Etsy shop, so click here if you'd like one just like this.

I'll be linking my banner to these fun parties, so swing by for some more fun Valentine's Day ideas!

And I'll be back on Monday as usual. Have a great week!

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Peony Flower Stencil & Giveaway!

Our house is always a work in progress as houses should be.  It wouldn't be any fun if you ever actually "finished" a room, right?  There has been an empty wall space above our bed for a few years now.  I have thought of different ideas, but never settled on anything. 

This is a real life "before" picture.  I went into our bedroom Sunday afternoon and took a picture "as is" complete with an Avery drawing, baby monitor, burp cloth, and the un-made bed.  I am not a bed maker.  Wish I was.  I am not.  I digress.

BEFORE

We have talked to you multiple times about Cutting Edge Stencils.  They are so much fun and such a quick and easy way to liven up a space.  I chose to use the same white paint as I did on the large tree in our "loft" area.  I used DecoArt's Designer Series All-Purpose Home Decor Acrylic.  I love white.  Who doesn't, right?

I chose the Peony Grande Flower Stencil this time.  I got it level and taped on the wall ready to go.  I painted one coat...

And then two.  I removed the stencil and was very happy with the results...

Ah, finally, a special something to fill that blank wall space.  

And the {very staged} "after" picture...

AFTER

 Quite a difference, huh?  I love it.

So here is another chance for a Lemon Tree reader to win their very own Cutting Edge Stencil !  They have so many amazing ones to choose from.  We have had some serious fun with ours as you can see here, here, here, and here.

Some of my favorites on their site are

Poppy Field Flower Stencil

and Silence Wall Pattern Kit

To enter this giveaway...

1.)  Make sure you are a follower of Lemon Tree Creations.  Leave a comment letting us know for 1 entry.

2.) Then visit Cutting Edge Stencils , find the stencil of your dreams, and comment letting us know where in your home you would love to put it for another entry.

The giveaway will close Friday at midnight and the winner will be announced Saturday!   Good luck!

Thanks for stopping by!  See you next week.

Happy Tuesday!


***This giveaway is now CLOSED! Thank you for entering. Stay tuned for more giveaways on Lemon Tree Creations!***

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Cutting Edge Stencil WINNER!!

On Thursday Lemon Tree Creations hosted a giveaway for Cutting Edge Stencils. They are incredibly versatile and easy to use stencils with endless possibilities! Check out my Kitchen Art, using the Bon Appetit! stencil here.

Now onto the fun stuff.. the winner of her very own stencil is...

Congratulations to Crystal, who loves the Casablanca Stencil!

Crystal, where are you going to use your new gorgeous stencil?? Email me your contact info and address and we will get it to you as soon as we can!

Congratulations again!

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Kitchen Art

Cutting Edge Stencils have become a good friend of mine! I used one of their all-over stencils to transform my living room, here, a few months ago. Then I received my latest wall-art Bon-Appetit stencil in the mail a few weeks ago and got even more excited! Today I get to share with you my latest stencil creation.

I used these simply wonderful tools...

To create this...

What do you think? Here is how I did it...

First, I took two inexpensive oak boards from a local hardwood store and "mended" them together using two mending plates.

Next, I dry brushed three thin layers of white acrylic paint to the boards.

Then, I placed my Cutting Edge Stencil in just the right spot.

I decided to use Americana's Weathered Wood solution since I was attempting an 'weathered' look for my kitchen art. I simply followed the directions on the bottle, which was to apply one even coat of Weathered Wood to a dry acrylic painted surface. I applied the solution directly onto the stencil, just as I would with paint.

When the Weathered Wood solution dried, I applied my blue paint over the stencils. The results were awesome! The paint started crackling immediately to give me just the right finish! And as always, the stencil stayed in place, giving a fool proof finish.

To add to the aged effect, I lightly sanded all over the painted surface, trying to reveal some of the natural character of the wood. (I especially love all of the fun knots the wood had to offer!)

Now my kitchen art stands proudly in my kitchen, trying to hide the unfortunate immediate view of our unsightly fridge! I can definitely say it makes an impact right as you walk into the kitchen. I am loving it.

I have entered this into the CSI: The Color White Project:

**THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!!! Please check out who the lucky winner is here.**

Now it is your turn to pick out a Cutting Edge Stencil of your own! That's right, we are having a GIVEAWAY!

Check out some of these great products Cutting Edge has to offer right now...

Casablanca All Over Stencil (LOVE!)

Zinnia Grand Stencil

To enter this giveaway simply visit Cutting Edge and comment letting us know what your very favorite stencil is.

For an extra entry, you can "like" Lemon Tree Creations on facebook and comment letting us know.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!!! Please check out who the lucky winner is here.

Happy Thursday!

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Cutting Edge Tree Stencil & A Giveaway!

I was so excited to get my hands on the Large Tree and Birds Stencil from Cutting Edge. The original plan was for it to go in the girls room but the wall quickly filled up in there so I moved on to plan B. Sometimes I love plan B!

I used this white all-purpose home decor acrylic from DecoArt. It was perfect for the project.

And I love the mini foam roller that comes with the stencils! Again, perfect for the job!

I actually completed this tree in one naptime which was awesome! The large tree comes in 2 parts so I began by leveling and taping the bottom part of the tree. So easy.

Then the real fun began...the painting. I started rolling away and in no time the bottom part was done and I was taping up the top part. I have no pictures of this because I got way too excited and forgot! I get a little crazy during my projects! Ha.

I barely used any paint on my brush as the instructions note and it came out perfectly! I didn't even have any smudges! It was seriously so quick and easy.

Before I knew it, there was a perfect white tree on the wall in our "loft" area upstairs. I was so very excited about it and so proud that I did it without any assistance from my husband!

The large tree stencil comes with a separate bird stencil full of different birds. I found two that were perfect for what I wanted.

I stenciled them above and on either side of the tree. I had been looking for a place to hang some of my daughter's artwork! She has been taping her papers all over the house so this would be the perfect spot to showcase her special drawings.

A screw was placed right under the bird's feet to look like the bird was carrying the twine. I tied twine around each screw and hung up some of our favorite art and pictures of the kids with clothespins.

This is the area in the house where I do my blogging, crafting, and sewing. The tree gave this area just the right touch and makes it feel so cozy and peaceful. I love it and so do my kids!

Cutting Edge offers a large variety of awesome stencils for you to choose from and now is your chance to win one!

Look at what you could do with this cool Chandelier Stencil. How fun is that?

And you can make a beautiful design like this with the Parsley Blooms Wall Pattern Kit...

To enter this giveaway simply visit Cutting Edge and comment letting us know what your very favorite stencil is.

For an extra entry, you can "like" Lemon Tree Creations on facebook and comment letting us know.

The winner will be announced on Saturday.

I will be joining these parties this week! Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Tuesday!

This giveaway is now closed! Thanks for participating. Stay tuned for future giveaways on Lemon Tree Creations!

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