Wednesday's Project: Birthday Banner

As I mentioned before, Hallie's B-day was on Monday. She is now 15 and I'm applying for an AARP card next week. J/K. I'm not that old, but everyday I'm creeping closer.

It is really, really weird having a child that is on the downhill slide to 20 years old. I really don't know how this has happened. She just started Kindergarten last year, or so it seems.

Anyways, about my project, I have to tell a little back story first.

Growing up in a big family (11 kids) it was hard sometimes to not feel like just part of the herd, but my mom did something that made us feel really special on our birthday. I don't think she even realizes it to this day, so this might be news to her.

Every year on our birthday she would make us a birthday sign (I wish I could find a picture from one of my birthdays to show you). It always said "Happy Birthday _______" and always had a little bunch of flowers and vines and leaves in two opposing corners. It didn't matter if you were a boy or a girl, you got flowers. Coincidentally she would decorate my brown paper lunch sacks with the same flowers and vines when I needed a sack lunch for field trips. Those flowers were her specialty.

Anyhow, I digress. So, naturally when I had kids I took up that tradition. But I'm not good at making flowers (my mom tole paints--I don't) so I have to cheat. Sometimes I hand write the letters, I'm actually pretty good at graffiti-style lettering (don't ask me how I learned that particular talent because I have no idea). Sometimes I cheat royally and print a banner on the computer, but a sign we always have.

On Monday afternoon I realized that I hadn't done the sign yet, so I set to work making a banner. I decided to go a step above a computer printed sign this time. Probably everyone of you have made this style banner for your kids already and I'm the last person on the planet to get with it.

As I was gathering the supplies I realized that I was getting low on the cute colors of card stock, so I used a color I knew I wouldn't use otherwise. I'm now regretting this decision because it is quite an ugly shade of green. But oh well.

Those little fans were kind of a pain in the neck and the whole thing took me waaaaay longer than I had time for.

But it turned out pretty good, considering the awful green. I wanted to embellish it a little more but ran out of time. Plus, this is going to be Zane's banner next week and I didn't want it to be too girlie.

Actually, considering how much time it took me, this may well be our official "Happy Birthday" banner forever.


Next week I'm hoping to be done with my family room drapes....

P.S. Thanks mom, for making me feel special on my birthday.