I’m not big on traditional resolutions, but when everyone else is talking about them it’s easy to come up with things I’d like to do differently in life. And then I’m liable to forget about them five minutes later. So this year I decided to make myself a little visual reminder of a few things I want to remember. The first one is on this easy, no-sew felt wall banner.

I chose “Try New Things,” as my phrase because it can encompass so many different areas of life. And like many people, sometimes I’m afraid of things I’ve never tried. But even if I don’t end up outright enjoying them (which I often do!), I’m usually glad I gave them a try. If you need the same reminder, I’m sharing the template I used. But if you have a different phrase in mind, you can easily make your own (I used Arial font, bold, 200 point).

Supplies:
Felt – I used one black 12-by-18-inch sheet for the backing, and one white 8-by-10-inch sheet for the letters.
Wooden dowel
Twine or string
Fabric glue
Printer
Scissors
Ruler
Chalk
Pen
Skewer or toothpick
Hand saw (optional, if you need to shorten your dowel)

Steps:
1. Loop the short edge of the large piece of black felt around the dowel. Measure and mark the point to which you fold it down, about 1.5 inches from the folded edge for me.

2. Spread fabric glue on part of the looped felt, and glue it together. Allow the glue to dry.

3. Print out your chosen phrase (my template) in large block letters and cut out each letter from the paper. Place the cut-out letters facedown on the white felt, and trace around them with a ballpoint pen. You want to trace them facedown (reverse) to eliminate the risk of ending up with black pen ink on the front side of the felt letters.

4. Carefully cut out each letter, and lay out on the black felt.

5. Use the ruler and chalk to measure out and mark a triangular point on the bottom of the black piece of felt, and cut.

6. Insert the dowel into the loop at the top of the black felt piece, and tie a piece of twine around each end. Trim excess.

7. Glue the letters in place, being careful to wipe away any excess glue. The kind I used dries clear, but it leaves shiny spots, so try to use the minimum amount you need. The banner shouldn’t see much wear-and-tear hanging on the wall.

Have you made any resolutions for 2015? How do you keep track of them?