Hello everyone!
On this last day of March, we are looking forward to warmer weather and signs of spring here in the northern hemisphere. It's a strange time in history and I think regardless of where we are living, each of us is craving a bit of normalcy. When I see banners flapping in the wind I think of parties, lemonade stands, kites, and Tall Ship displays in ports, all of which evoke a carefree feeling in our hearts! Today Melina and I are sharing banner designs we hope will put a smile on your face.
Melina's sharing created a simple traditional design and tells us, "I’m so excited to share my project with you today using banners. I also used twine to make this a “hanging banner”. I think it turned out so cute! The April kit, Up and Away, is so bright and cheery! I used some silly pics of my kiddos that actually turned out too dark but I wanted to use them somehow. The brightness of this kit was just what the pics needed."The twine and sticky fold over banners in the Pocket Memory Keeping kit are easy to put together. I hope you can join us! We want to see your projects too."  Melina's process video is located here: https://youtu.be/IvytNSuH2bQ.
Next, I am sharing a pocket page introducing April in my 52 Favorites album. I want April to be colorful and fun and to take advantage of this time at home to get outside in my backyard more. I hope the weather cooperates! To evoke the feeling I want to carry throughout the month, I made fun little 2x2 squares with banners and flowers.
First, I went through the kit papers and found colorful patterns to serve as the foundation for my banner triangles, ephemera and hand stitching. Then I cut the papers into 2x2 squares, pierced and stitched. I often choose to stitch something in the paper's design which makes it very simple to pierce a pattern.
Next, I decided which banners I wanted to use and put a bit of twine in the fold over. I wanted to give the banners some texture but didn't want to string them on the twine. Then I pierced the outline of each banner free-hand and stitched to bring more consistency to my design. I wrapped thread around some of the banners to add interest and to mimic a kite, which for me invokes a pleasant feeling.
I decided to add the cloud and raindrops with the idea that April is a time of renewal and hope desperately needed in the coming weeks and months.
Then I chose my April quote and several flower and word ephemera pieces from the kit to finish up my design. I love the happy feeling I get in my heart when I look at this opening page for April in my 52 Favorites album. With April, I am moving into album #2 for 2020 and will be trying more 2x2 pocket page ideas for introducing the months ahead with our kits.
Melina and I hope we have inspired you to add your own banner whimsy in your April memory keeping using the Up and Away kits. Please share your memory keeping with us by tagging @cocoa_daisy on social media or posting in the Cocoa Daisy Fans Facebook group.
Be safe and well friends!
~Robin