Spring Wall Hanging

I got this idea from my friend, Susan Stringfellow. She posted several of her wall hangings on her blog, Creatively Savvy. She has several that she changes in the frame throughout the year.

Right now I'm decorating for spring and as I was working on a banner for the mantle, I decided to make one of Susan's wall hangings to hang above the entry table.

I used MME and Karen Foster papers with a teeny bit of Rusty Pickle thrown in (wow! talk about a blast from the past!) I cut the papers into 1 1/2 inch squares and arranged them in a grid of 7x7. That left a border of 3/4 of an inch all the way around.

I also pulled a 12x12 ornate cherry wood frame out from the back of my closet -- my family used to own a needlework shop with custom mat and framing. When the state decided to widen the hwy, taking out the front half of the shop, we sold out and moved on, but of course, years later we still have frames and things left over. I painted it white and then sanded it here and there for a springy shabby chic look.


For a bit of embellishment, I dyed the Rusty Pickle paper with Pesto Color Wash, then cut them out with Alterations Tattered Leaves die. The flowers are a wet, messy, crumple technique that I featured on a layout about a year ago. You can see how these are made here. The paper I used here is a really thick, shiny wedding paper that I dyed with Colorwash and some really old Fiberscraps Walnut Ink that I found when I was cleaning my scrap room a few months ago.

Of course, as Susan did, I sewed on the paper once it was secured in place. I love the look and texture that sewing gives to paper crafts. And lastly, since we celebrate Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday in the spring, I added one of my favorite hymns. When I was growing up, I loved to hear Mrs. Beeson pound this out on the piano as the church congregation sang loudly. Therefore, it was only fitting that I scan my hymnal and add a copy of this song to my spring art.

I'm looking forward to make several of these for different seasons throughout the year.