Graphic 45 French Country banner and letters tute!

This was a really fun banner to make and it's the first one I've done.  I'm going to hang it in my studio!  I used Graphic 45 papers to make my banner and a number of Leaky Shed chippies.  Below I have shared the process for preparing the letters.
  Here's the whole banner.

The banners are Leaky Shed chipboard pieces that I've covered with French Country papers  and are nicely sized at 6.4" x 8" as are the letters which are 4" tall.

Letters Tutorial
I love altering my letters and this is one of my favorite methods for giving them a vintage and worn appearance.  The steps for making the letters are as follows:
1.  Paint the letters with acrylic paint in vintage white and allow to dry.
2.  Ink around the edges of the letters with Frayed Burlap Distress ink.
3.  Stamp the letters with a patterned or script stamp using Archival ink in coffee.      Be sure to use Archival ink so that it doesn't smear in the next step.
4.  Apply a thick coat of Ranger Crackle Accents and allow to dry naturally, i.e. do not use a heat gun to speed the process.
5.  Rub Frayed Burlap Distress ink into the cracks.
6. Take a lightly moistened paper towel and lightly wipe the ink off the letters leaving ink in the cracks but not on the surface of the letter.

The word inspire is a Leaky Shed chippy that I've covered with Stampendous Aged Embossing Enamel in aged spice.

Up in the corner is a Leaky Shed butterfly that I've simply painted with Splash of Color Silks in Emperor's Gold.

The sunflower is handmade using a Spellbinders die and Heartfelt Creations stamp.

This sunflower is also handmade but using Spellbinders Sunflower Set 2.

I added a Julie Nuttig doll to this banner.  I painted her body with iridescent water colors and cut her dress from a French Country paper scrap.  I really love these chipboard dolls, they are so fun and work with so many different projects:  cards, tags, layouts and even banners!

On this banner I've used a Leaky Shed oval frames behind the letter T.  The frame has been heat embossed, again with  Stampendous Aged Embossing Enamel in aged spice.

Leaky Shed Studios chipboard pieces used:

Waterbury Medallion Banner 1201-01

Large Type 4" letters

Julie Nuttig doll Sassy 4"

Victorian Oval Frames

Spring Butterfly small

Inspire Family Tree word

Other Supplies:

Graphic 45 French Country Collection

Prima Mountain Lily Sunflower

Spellbinders sunflower set 2 die

Spellbinders blossom 2 die

Heartfelt Creations Aztec Gold Sunflowers stamp

Many Graphic 45 and Leaky Shed products are available at the Flying Unicorn store.  

Thank you for the comments you leave, I really appreciate it and love hearing from you!