Bell banner tutorial:
You will need:
-Bells (mine were a pack of regular sized bells from Dollar Tree)
-Brown acrylic paint
-A paintbrush
-A paper towel of some alternative
-A string
Step 1. Lay the bells out on something you can paint such as a paper plate. Use a medium-sized paint brush that is frayed, if possible, and dab brown paint. You can dab the paint over the whole bell or just in parts. I suggest leaving negative space for a rusty look. Then dab the wet paint with tissue or a napkin. The texture should look rough. Do one side, let them dry, then repeat the process for the other side of the bells.
Step 2. String the bells onto a long string and tie them on as you string them individually so that they don't slide around. That's all there is to it!
I was going for a modern-farmhouse mixed with modern-Scandinavian style, and since metallic and shimmering things seemed to be in style, I ended up incorporating some shiny sequins and a sparkly silver tree in my tree display as well as the gold bell banner. I made a dried orange banner that I was very excited about, but then I never actually strung it up and they rotted. The beautiful nativity string art was created by a friend and sold in support of my local HCT theater, and my little brother drew my wonderful Knee-Neep Christmas picture. I typed the typography print on Microsoft word and printed it on brown card-stock, then just drew the star. I saw that quote and design on a welcome mat online. Overall, I wanted a warm Christmas environment that was very natural and minimalist-looking with a calm sort of elegance. I hope you enjoyed the tour!
-Lauryn
