I Bunted. No Kidding.

So, if you had asked me 6 months ago what "bunting" is... I would have told you that I make an excellent bundt cake.  (Side note: why does my computer not recognize "bundt" as a word?)

So, naturally, bunting is the act of eating some really delicious bundt cake.  Or not, whatever.  You people and your grasp of the English language, whatever.

Anyway, someone told me what bunting is.  Those cute little flag banners that wave in the breeze and make everything look homespun but also very chic.

Image from 8balloons.com

So, a couple of weeks ago, when talking to my co-worker about a bridal shower, I decided I needed to conquer the bunting beast.

The original ideas I saw all involved burlap.  Side note: Hobby Lobby doesn't sell burlap.  At least not in the fabric department, and I couldn't find it and I was quite distressed.

So I got some cheap canvas instead.... and it worked perfectly.

First order of business: find a bunting template on the internet, print, and cut the fabric.  I can't find the one I used any more, of course.

 Then I freaked that the canvas was too light and neat looking.  Panic panic panic.

And then I remembered tea-staining.  Make a couple gallons of piping hot tea on the stove, dump my little pennants inside, and wait.  The original color is on the right, final color in the middle.  BAM.

It took forever for them to dry because it was freezing out that day... so I ended up ironing them dry.  It helped to have a nice, pressed surface in the end when I did the painting, so it all worked out.

I used some cheap, black acrylic paint that was gathering dust in my closet and stenciled the letters onto the pennants.  I broke down and bought stencils at Hobby Lobby... they ended up being the most expensive thing about the project, probably $8-9 before the coupon.

  The Bride's New Last Name

 I used a hot glue gun to attach the pennants to the string, but ended up making it so the letters aren't stationary - you can move them to the left and right. 

I figured she might be able to reuse it someday, or even for the wedding, so I wanted it to be as easy to modify as possible.

I'm really pleased with how it turned out, and everyone was asking about it at the shower.

It's been a loong time since I flexed an even semi-crafty muscle.  It felt good, real good.

So, bunting.  No longer the act of eating bundt cake.  Sad day, really.