Authentique 6x6 Home Decor Panel Series - Thanksgiving

Good morning, Crafters! I love making little home decor items for the various holidays and seasons throughout the year. I have been making a few 6" x 6" home decor panels to sit on my desk, and decided that I would turn it into an Authentique Paper series! So far, I have completed four panels, plus a NEW one for today!

To see the Christmas panel, click HERE. To see the Winter panel, click HERE. To see the Spring panel, click HERE. And to see the Halloween panel, click HERE.

Today I am going to share the Thanksgiving panel with you!

The paper collection I used is called Gracious, which is filled will autumn and Thanksgiving patterns and images. The great thing about these panels is that you can substitute any paper collection you wish! The panels are EASY to make, and fun to decorate and display!

I accented the piece with ribbon and flowers in a bountiful spray! Mix and match prints, add an image and some accent embellishments and you have a lovely panel to display all season!

Here is a little tutorial for making your own panel.

Start with thick chipboard cut to 6" x 6" (the chipboard that I use is about 1/8" thick). You can also use canvas board, like THIS one. I actually prefer the canvas board because it is less porous than chipboard, and less flexible. You can get five panels for under $6 at your local craft and hobby shop. I ran out, and have not been able to purchase more, so I am now using chipboard, which is plentiful in the studio!

Cut a piece of Gracious (utensils) paper to 8" x 8" and use strong adhesive to attach the paper to the front of the panel. 

Cut the corners at an angle and then wrap the piece of chipboard to cover the raw edge, as shown on the below. 

Wrap a length of ribbon around the lower portion of the canvas and secure at the back, as shown.

The front of the canvas will look like the photo above. I used a length (8") of ivory and rust plaid ribbon, with sparkly gold thread running through it. Find the ribbon HERE. 

Then cut a piece of Gracious (plaid) paper to 5 7/8" x 5 7/8" to cover the back of the panel.

Trim out an image and sentiment from the Gracious Collection. (I usually cut out several and match them up with the paper before choosing which one I want for my project!)

Choose three more prints from the paper collection. Cut two prints to 4" x 5" and one print to 2 1/2" x 3 1/2". Mat all three pieces with dark brown cardstock. Select a 4" x 3" image and mat it with dark brown cardstock.

Arrange the prints onto the front of your panel as shown above. Adhere with strong adhesive.

Cut a 4 1/2" x 3 1/2" piece of chipboard and wrap it with Gracious plaid paper (cut to 6 1/2" x 5 1/2"). Attach the image to the front of the wrapped chipboard (see below). 

Attach the image to the main panel as shown. Use foam adhesive as necessary.

You can see here how wrapping the chipboard pieces gives a smooth, finished edge to the panels. I like this much better than the raw chipboard showing, or even inking or painting the chipboard first. 

Create a bow from the same ribbon which you used to wrap the main panel. (I use a Bow-it-All tool to create all of my bows. Find the tool HERE.) 

Glue the bow to the panel as shown. I use hot glue to attach my bows and other bulky embellishments to my projects.

Glue some flowers, berries, and other items around the the bow to make a floral spray. 

I used some shiny berries and some glittery spirals, plus a few sparkly leaves. The ribbon is also very sparkly, but the photo does not pick it up very well. 

Punch out the "give thanks" sentiment from the Gracious Elements Cardstock Die Cuts page and attach it to the bottom of the image with foam adhesive. 

Place your panel onto a small easel stand and enjoy it all season! 

I love to change out the decor in  my home, especially around my desk and studio. I have several easels that hold various projects that suit each season. I think because I live where we really only have one season, I love to surround myself with seasonal decor! (I guess we have four seasons - almost summer, summer, wildfires, and it might rain but probably won't!)

If you want to make some fun decor for your desk, here is a list of all the panels in the series:

Winter - see it HERE (Frosted Collection)

Valentine's Day
Spring - see it HERE (Dreamy Collection)

St. Patrick's Day

Easter

Mother's Day
Summer
Father's Day

4th of July

Autumn

Back to School
Halloween - see it HERE (Twilight Collection)

Thanksgiving - you are HERE

Christmas  - see it HERE (Nostalgia Collection)

I will be making more panels (1-2 a month) for the next year, with the exception of those already finished. I will give you this list with links each month! 

Thanks for looking! 

Authentique Supplies Used:
Gracious Collection: 12x12 paper, Elements Cardstock Die Cuts 

Additional Supplies Used: 
Chipboard: Grafix heavy weight
Ribbon: Really Reasonable Ribbon Ivory/Rust/Gold Plaid
Paper flowers and leaves: Wild Orchid Crafts
Floral picks: craft and floral supply
Transparent leaves: Prima
Cardstock: WorldWin Brown Smooth
Adhesive: ATG tape, Scor-tape, Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L foam squares, hot glue, white glue