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 Kim Montenero is a freelance writer and craft designer. Her work has been featured in many publications including Reloved Magazine, Parade.com and The Huffington Post. She blogs at www.exquisitelyunremarkable.com where she encourages individuals to feather their nests with super easy and elegant DIY and craft projects regardless of their skill level. She can be contacted through her website. |
| Ah fall, it’s on its way. Truth be told, I’m more of a summer girl, but the impending change of season is a great excuse to whip up something pretty for my mantle…like a book page leaf banner. It’s a super simple DIY and your books remain intact. While I have used old pages for other crafts, this one is made on the computer. In addition to a few basic office supplies, all you need is a book, a camera, some twine or ribbon and a little bit of glitter. I started by taking a picture of a book page. I grabbed Runaway Ralph off of my kids' shelf and snapped one shot. Then I went to my computer and uploaded it to a photo editing site. I used PicMonkey, because it’s free, but you can probably do this in any photo editing program. I opened up the tab that said “design”, chose a blank background and sized it to 5×7. Then I went to the “overlays” tab and I added my own photo, which was my book page picture. That became my background. Next, I scrolled down to the "leaves" tab, still in overlays, and chose a few leaves and placed them over the book print. I changed the colors of the leaves from black to red, orange and yellow. Finally, I went to the “text” tab and added one letter on each page to spell out FALL. Again, I changed the color, the font and font size to fill my 5×7 space. I printed my pictures out on regular computer paper, you could use card stock if you want something a bit sturdier. I like the whimsical feel of the lighter paper, it mimics leaves blowing in the wind. To add some sparkle, I added a thin coat of glitter with a brush. I went easy on my application, because I didn't want my pages to wrinkle too much or tear. Once dry, I cut the rectangles out and taped them in place on a piece of twine. Fabulous. The text stands out so well, I can actually see what Runaway Ralph is up to. Now, I'm excited to get cozy, cuddle up and read by the fire. Of course, I should probably get a book. That banner is only going to take me so far. Happy Fall! |
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20 lucky winners will win $500 each in prizes totaling $10,000. 