Right now, everyone is LOVING the Banner Blast stamp set and punch from the Sale-a-Bration catalog and so I wanted to sit down and play around with my supplies to see what I could come up with. Turns out, it is really quick to come up with something cute and fun – this is what I came up with:
Apparently, I had the University of Washington Huskies on the brain as I was inspired by Elegant Eggplant and had to pair it with Gold! (Which just so happens to be the school colors.) So, I picked out a few complimentary colors and started stamping and punching.
For the banners I ended up using:
- Smoky Slate
- Elegant Eggplant
- Soft Suede
- Wisteria Wonder
- Crushed Curry
Pretty combo, right?
Each banner piece was popped up on a dimensional and then I tucked some of the Gold baker’s twine behind each one and then just tied a knot at the end for my banner string. I love the subtle shine of the gold – for a girl who has always been about silver, I think gold is growing on me!
Finally, I wanted to use the banner punch in a different way and so I used it to create the sentiment piece as well. I cut a strip of cardstock that was the same width as the punch shape of the banner. Then I could tuck in the ends to the punch…. yes, I realize I should have taken a picture to better explain this, so watch for a photo or video to come soon! – so that I could make the sentiment as long as I needed and have a banner point at each end.
Oh, last note… isn’t this sentiment great? I wanted to mention it because you may be like me and once Stampin’ Up switched the way they do hostess benefits and now they make it so that you can use your freebies on anything in the catalog…. I stopped paying much attention to the hostess stamp sets! So, it is easy to overlook some of the great stamps in the back of the catalog! This was one of the first stamps I got with hostess benefits and thought it deserved a little spotlight. 
Express Yourself – Hostess Stamp set
Virtual Stamp Club Hostess Code – BNDDMDVU
Use this code to get free exclusive tutorials & project kit! Learn more
Stampin’ Up! Supplies Used
Stamps – Express Yourself (hostess), Banner Blast (FREE with a $50 order)
Ink – Smoky Slate, Elegant Eggplant, Soft Suede, Wisteria Wonder, Crushed Curry
Paper – Whisper White, Elegant Eggplant
Accessories – Big Shot, Decorative Dots embossing folder (FREE with a $50 order), Banner punch (FREE with a $50 order), Gold baker’s twine, corner rounder punch