One more patriotic banner!

I like to dress up my fireplace with banners for holidays, but I didn't have one for July 4th. I got busy with my papers and vintage postcard prints and came up with this. I layered card stock with background paper, my prints, and then added assorted embellishments. I used some similar elements on each panel to unify the arrangement, but each one is different. The chipboard flourishes are covered with variegated metal leaf for a little shine and interest.

I have my own collection of vintage postcards but some great sources for free are:

http://www.graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/
http://www.vintageimages.org/index.php/
http://antiqueimages.blogspot.com/
http://alteredartifacts.blogspot.com/ 

Some sites that have great images for a reasonable price are:

http://www.thevintageworkshop.com/store/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/AlteredArtifacts?ref=em  

Most of these sites also have great ideas for using these images, too. Take a few minutes and browse...

Here are close-ups of each panel (left click to enlarge):