DIY Network

Thanksgiving Dinner Pages From "Scrapbooking" episode SCB-536

Project by Anna Griffin.

Anna uses fallen leaves to create a decorative wreath embellishment on a special Thanksgiving page. Then she creates place cards to use in another special page.

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Materials:

Anna Griffin decorative papers
Plaid/Anna Griffin brass frame
Plaid/Anna Griffin brass corners
Plaid/Anna Griffin rubber stamps
Plaid/Anna Griffin green ink pad
green wire-edged ribbon
gold satin ribbon
ivory cardstock
vellum
preserved leaves *
foam adhesive
glue stick or gel medium
1/16" hole punch
brass mini brads

* See instructions for preserving leaves and branches after these steps.

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Place Cards Scrapbook Page
	Figure E
	Figure F

1. Trim gold swirl patterned paper to 11-1/2 inches square. Mount it to a sheet of green houndstooth check paper. Mat photo with solid gold and green paisley paper. Mount photo to the center of the background page.

2. Adhere four 11-inch strips of gold satin ribbon to form a border on the gold swirl patterned paper. Attach brass corners (figure A).

3. Beginning from the bottom center of the page, start placing leaves in a laurel shape. Try to match the right and left sides of the laurel. Also, make sure that the smallest leaves are at the bottom center and the top edges. Once you've arranged the leaves to suit you, use foam adhesive to attach the leaves to the page. The foam adhesive helps hold the uneven texture of the leaves nicely and gives your wreath more dimension.

4. Use wire-edged ribbon to wrap sections of the laurel. This creates a nice contrast with the dark green leaves and makes the laurel look more finished.

5. Stamp an image onto ivory card stock using green ink. Mount the ivory card stock in the brass frame and mount the frame onto the center bottom of the wreath (figure B).

6. Add journaling on ivory card stock, mat with green paisley paper, and attach to the bottom of the page (figure C).

7. To make place cards: Cut a piece of ivory card stock to 3-1/4" x 4-1/2". Fold it in half to make a rectangle 2-1/4" x 3-1/4". Use a glue stick or gel medium to attach a small preserved leave to the front of the place card (figure D).

8. Cut a piece of card stock to 3/4" x 2-3/4" and write your guest's name on it. Hold it in place over the front of the place card and punch two holes through the name tag. Use mini brads to attach the name tag to the place card, with the leaf between the two (see again figure D).

9. Cut a piece of solid gold paper 3-1/2" x 4-3/4" and a piece of green patterned paper 4" x 5-1/4". Fold these in half. Layer the gold onto the green. Layer the card stock layer onto the gold.

10. To create the scrapbook page with place cards: Trim gold swirl patterned paper to 11-1/2 inches square.

11. Cut eight 5/8-inch-wide strips of green paisley paper and attach them to the gold background page to form a memo board. Use adhesive only along the edge to leave the middle free to insert your place cards (figure E). For the two longest diagonals, you will need to piece together two strips of the green paisley paper to stretch across the page .

12. Cut eight strips of gold satin ribbon. Attach them along the center of each strip of green paisley paper. Trim any overhanging ends of ribbon evenly with the background page (see again figure E).

13. Mount the gold swirl sheet to a sheet of green houndstooth check paper.

14. Add a journaling block to a piece of ivory card stock. After printing your journaling, mount it onto a piece of green patterned paper. Attach the journaling block to your page (figure F) and insert the place cards into the memo board.

To preserve branches:

Cut your branches when they have a color you like, but before the first frost. They should be fairly small with a lot of leaves. If the branches are very woody, smash the ends with a hammer to make it easier for them to absorb the glycerin. Fill a bucket with a half-gallon of water and 17 oz. of glycerin (you can get it at a drugstore usually). Stand the branches in the buckets, stem end down, and keep them away from the sunlight until they are completely done. The time varies depending on the kind of leaf you use; some will begin to feel supple in days, some in weeks. Once all the leaves have absorbed the glycerin, remove the leaves from the branches and allow them to dry out on paper towels or newspaper. Any excess glycerin will "sweat" out of the leaves. Allow to dry for about one week.

To preserve a few leaves:

Mix one part of glycerin to two parts of water (about 8 oz. of glycerin with 16 oz. of water). Layer the leaves in a flat container and pour the glycerin mixture over them. Cover them tightly and allow them to sit out of the sunlight for a couple of weeks. Check on them every few days to make sure the leaves are all covered in the solution and that the solution is still well mixed. Once the leaves are flexible, proceed as above.

Preserved leaves can also be purchased at www.flyboynatural.com or at a local craft store.

RESOURCES :

Anna Griffin decorative stamps
All Night Media Inc.
c/o Plaid Enterprises
Attn: Customer Service
PO Box 2835
Norcross, GA 30091-2835
Toll-free: 800-842-4197
Website: www.plaidonline.com

patterned paper and ribbon
Anna Griffin Inc.
Website: www.annagriffin.com

decorative paper and embellishments - Anna Griffin
Anna Griffin Inc.
Website: www.annagriffin.com

GUESTS :

Anna Griffin
Anna Griffin Inc.
Website: www.annagriffin.com