Pursuit Of Happiness

I discovered today inspiration on The Authentique Blog. I highly recommend stopping by for a visit, they really have an amazing team of designers. What a fun patriotic project featuring Authentique’s beautiful new collection, Pride.

If you’re like me, you love to decorate your home for every holiday and season, and I always love to add some handmade items to my decor. The Pride Collection was the perfect choice for this beautiful Americana frame.

By removing the glass from an old frame, you can add lots of depth and dimension to your home decor project. And with the help of several die cuts and a huge choice of fabulous Pride Authentique stickers and embellishments, this project came together in a snap.

First, cut a panel of patterned paper to fit your frame. Then lightly draw three arced lines in pencil spanning the background for the star bursts. Using a needle or paper piercer, pierce evenly spaced holes along the arcs, and hand-stitch with embroidery floss.

Audrey die cut lots of stars from various prints and layered them in different arrangements for visual impact. Adding machine stitching and using foam dots between some of the layers help the stars really shine. She then inked the edges of the papers with brown ink for a shabby chic touch. No sewing machine necessary.

Once the stars are adhered in place, add a banner strip of patterned paper across the bottom of the frame and layer on the cardstock stickers. Audrey placed die cuts behind the stickers for a bit of extra framework. Too cute!

Add buttons and a Happy 4th of July banner. And for a final touch, twist thin strips of patterned paper around a wooden skewer to create curly-q’s, and tuck around each star.