Buttons, banners and...hankies?

Have you been following the Imaginisce blog this week? If so, you've seen some great ideas for using the i-Top during the "I-Top Intensive" we're hosting! It's now Day 3, and I'm up with a layout idea.

My mother-in-law found these beautiful vintage handkerchiefs and offered them to me and, of course, I snatched them up for my crafty stash. I knew they would make beautiful i-Top buttons (isn't that sad...that's where my mind goes these days), so it was just a matter of time before I found a perfect match between papers and hankies.

Enter the Enchanted collection from Imaginisce. The pinks and blues were identical to one of the hankies. Normally when I'm doing a layout, I go for i-Top brads. But I decided to try something a little different and go with i-Top buttons for this one. I'm using the medium button daddies for this project.

At first, I had a little trouble because the silk was so thin and fine that it barely held the backing in place. So to add a little thickness, I cut a circle of clear acetate from some sticker packaging (recycling!) and layered it on top of the silk. It worked in making the backing secure, plus I think it might protect the delicate silk from breaking down over time. It also added a little extra shine!

Once I had the buttons made, I strung them onto a strand of baker's twine and created a little swag border to go across the bottom of my layout. It's a fun variation on the wildly popular banners you're seeing everywhere, but with a bit of a twist!


And here's the finished layout...

If you hopped over from Penny Smith's blog, the next stop for you is:

Cari Locken's blog

And if you're not participating in the hop, now's a perfect time to start! You could win an i-Top of your very own, along with all the accessories!

Here's how to win: visit the blogs of all three of the designers who are participating in the i-Top Intensive today, leave a comment and then hop back to the Imaginisce blog and leave a final comment letting us know what you discovered about the projects and the i-top. All of your comments make you eligible to win an awesome i-top and accessories of your own. The designers you need to visit today are:

Penny Smith

Robyn Schaub (you are here)

Cari Locken

One more thing - You will also want to visit the Imaginisce blog all week for more ideas on how to use the super creative and incredibly fun i-top with chances to win your very own i-top each day and a SECRET grand prize opportunity on Friday.

Happy hoppin'!