Mix it Up with a Summer Welcome Banner

Hello, Deb Riddell here today to share a mixed media banner celebrating the last days of summer for our Mix It Up Monday. For this summer banner,  I used Rebekah Meier Designs Mixed Media Medium for a photo transfer technique onto muslin fabric and then constructed the banner in a whimsical patchwork design using Rebekah’s Mixed Media Art Paper, Mixed Media Heavy Weight and Light Weight sheets and Deco Foil™ Transfer Sheets.  Read on for the how to!

Summer Welcome Banner

Therm O Web Supplies Used:
Rebekah Meier Designs Mixed Media Art Paper 9″ x 12″ (4 sheets per pack)
Rebekah Meier Designs Mixed Media Medium Jar 4 fl oz
iCraft Mixed Media Sheets • Heavy Weight
iCraft Mixed Media Sheets • Light Weight
iCraft Mixed Media Adhesive 2.1 fl oz
Fabric Fuse Liquid Adhesive
Deco Foil™ Toner Sheets
Deco Foil™ White Foam Adhesive
Deco Foil™ Transfer Sheets • Spring Green
Deco Foil™ Transfer Sheets • Amethyst Watercolor

Other supplies:

Mini Raven Mosaic and Mini Star and Flower stencils – Rebekah Meier Designs For TCW
Acrylic paint and white gesso – DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics
Distress ink, Distress Spray Stain and Archival Ink – Ranger Ink
Small Tattered Florals, Detailed Butterflies and Alphanumeric dies – Sizzix
Rings stamp – Stampers Anonymous
Muslin and burlap fabric
Vintage summer fruit image – The Graphics Fairy
Glitter glue
Crinkle ribbon – Advantus
Eyelets
Foil Laminator • 12 inch
Sewing machine
Small branch or dowel
Jute string

Summer Welcome Banner Instructions:

Size your chosen vintage summer fruit image (this one is courtesy of The Graphics Fairy) to approximately 3″ x 5″ and print onto copy paper. If your image has writing on it, reverse the image in your photo editing program so that the printing will not be backwards once the image has been transferred onto the muslin. Cover the printed image with a coat of Rebekah Meier Designs Mixed Media Medium and trim it to size once the medium has dried.

Adhere the image to a piece of cotton muslin with more Rebekah Meier Designs Mixed Media Medium, orienting the image face down. Make sure that the image has an adequate amount of medium under all of the edges so that it will transfer evenly and gently roll over the image with a brayer to ensure good contact. Set the muslin aside to dry overnight and then remove the copy paper on the back of the image by wetting it and rubbing gently until the image is revealed. Trim and fringe the edges of the muslin fabric around the transferred image and set aside.

Cover a piece of Rebekah Meier Designs Mixed Media Art Paper with white gesso and let it dry (the art paper I used had some blue ink on it so you may see some peeking through in spots!). Once the gesso has dried, stencil a section with the Mini Star and Flower stencil using shades of green acrylic paint (I mixed all of the paint colours I used with some DecoArt Media Interference Gold for a bit of shimmer) and tear around the stenciled area randomly once dried to make a piece about 4 1/2″ square.

Repeat the stenciling on another section of the gessoed art paper, using some purple paint through Rebekah’s Mini Star and Flower and Mini Raven Mosaic stencils and tear out a piece about 4″ wide by 6″ tall.

Stencil a final piece of art paper with acrylic paint in shades of peach through the same two stencils and when dry tear a piece to about 1 3/4″ wide by 5″ tall.

Paint a piece of Mixed Media Heavy Weight Sheet with Antique Linen Distress Stain and when dry, stamp a circular motif background stamp onto it with a permanent brown colored ink (Rings stamp and Vintage Photo Archival ink).

Position the torn pieces of stenciled art paper onto the Mixed Media Heavy Weight sheet, overlapping the pieces slightly in a patchwork style pattern. The finished size of the banner will be about 6 1/4″ x 10″. Peel off the backing paper when you are happy with your arrangement and stick the stenciled pieces onto the Heavy Weight sheet one at a time, sewing a couple of lines of messy stitching around each of the pieces with a coordinating color of thread.

Adhere the muslin piece with some Rebekah Meier Designs Mixed Media Medium, squaring it up as best you can with the patchwork stenciled segments. Once the medium has dried, sew a couple of lines of messy stitching around the edges of the muslin with a coordinating thread.

Cut a banner shape out of the Heavy Weight sheet (the finished banner is about 6 1/4″ x 10″).

Adhere the banner to a piece of burlap fabric with Fabric Fuse Liquid Adhesive to give it some stability and let the adhesive dry.

Sew around the outside edge of the banner with a couple of lines of messy stitching and trim away the excess burlap.

Cover a piece of Deco Foil Toner Sheet with Spring Green Deco Foil Transfer Sheet by running it through your pre-heated laminator.

Die cut the words ‘Summer Welcome’ with a letter die (this is Alphanumeric from Sizzix) and adhere the words running vertically down the left side of the banner with Mixed Media Adhesive. (or make your life much easier and use the Deco Foil™ PeelnStick Toner Sheets like I should have done!)

Cover a piece of Deco Foil Foam Adhesive with Amethyst Watercolor Deco Foil.

Die cut a butterfly from the foiled Foam Adhesive (this is one of the overlay butterflies from Sizzix’s Detailed Butterflies die).

Peel off the backing paper on the Foam Adhesive and adhere the butterfly over top the green stenciled patchwork segment of your banner.

Next, die cut numerous flowers from Light Weight Mixed Media Sheets (I used the Small Tattered Florals die from Sizzix). Color the die cut flowers with green, purple and peach/orange Distress inks to coordinate with the colors of your stenciled patchwork pieces. Adhere the flowers as shown below onto your banner with Mixed Media Adhesive and add a bit of coordinating colored glitter glue into the centers of the flowers.

Add a couple of eyelets to the top of your banner and color some Crinkle Ribbon with shades of brown Distress inks. Cut a branch from a tree in your yard or use a small dowel and tie the banner onto it. Cut a piece of jute twine and tie it onto the branch to act as a hanger and your Summer Welcome banner is complete!

Here are a few close-ups of the finished Summer Welcome Banner.

Thank you as always for stopping by today and hope you are enjoying the last few days of summer as the season winds down. Have a wonderful week and happy creating!

Deb xo

Learn More about Mixed Media Art Paper here and be sure to follow us on YouTube to stay up to date on the latest videos featuring Rebekah Meier’s Mixed Media collection!