Today is the start of the big holiday weekend. So hard to believe that tomorrow is the 4th of July already. We’ve only had a few days of summer vacation so far, since just getting out of school on Tuesday. So it seems to me that it should only be June. It is hard, even after 2 years, to get used to our year-round school schedule. However….it is definitely hot enough to be the 4th! 
Those of you who know me, know that I tend to get into decorating for any and every holiday. I definitely am sparse on 4th of July decorations, but I did want to share the few items that I do have. I haven’t been scrapping as much as usual lately, although I did make just a couple of crafty creations to brighten my home for the holiday.
This star, hanging on the back of my basement door, was made from the handle and paper of a large, kraft shopping bag. I made myself a diamond pattern to begin with, and traced several diamonds onto the backs of various red, white, and blue patterned papers. Each diamond was then cut in half the long way, and opposing halves were placed around the star shape. Once I had all the diamond halves dry fitted, I traced around the entire image onto the shopping bag, leaving about a quarter inch edge of bag. I then adhered each triange down with just a bit of double sided tape, and then machine stitched each piece in place. I also made a small center piece using a smaller star pattern, some ribbon and tulle, and a few paper curls.
As you’ll probably notice, some of these papers are quite old! I love digging into my stash and using up scraps on projects like these. And speaking of scraps, I used the bits of leftovers from this star to make this smaller arrangement here.
I’ve got Christmas balls in a variety of color, and use them throughout the year on various holidays. I use these blue ones for both the 4th of July, and New Years, and I have some bright pink ones that I often use on Valentine’s Day and Easter. To add to the patriotic theme, I dressed up my glass container with a big red satin bow and a small flag made from scraps, more paper bag, and a shish kabob stick from the grocery store.
My last, and by far favorite project, is this gorgeous barn star that my good friend, Kathy made for me this year.
The base is one of those paper mache shapes from the craft store, which she then decorated with various patriotic papers, a big raffia bow, a glittered star, some buttons, and a vintage 4th of July clip from Crafter’s Secret. Kathy makes the MOST gorgeous projects. To see more of her work, check out her fabulous Etsy shop here.
Thanks so much for stopping by everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful, safe, and peaceful holiday weekend.
This is Otis, my friend’s hermit crab. And I am completely kidding about him being a lot of work. I mean, the guy doesn’t DO anything. Nothing. Just look at him.
That is the extent of what he does! Slooooooooooooooow down, Otis….you’re going to hurt yourself.
It’s a hard life, isn’t it?
I love these pictures of Peter rocking out on the paper mache guitar he made in art class at school this year. The guitar cracks me up because it’s missing the bridge, the pickups, and even the strings….but that doesn’t stop my boy.
Paper is Whimsy, by Making Memories. I hand-cut the flowers from one of the sheets of patterned paper, layered several together, and added a stitched button for detail. The greeting was done with my favorite new alpha stickers from 
Paper here is Me and My Big Ideas, and once again, the flower is cut directly from the patterned paper. I simplified the sketch a bit by eliminating the circular embellishments. Great thing about sketches is that you use as much or as little of them as you wish, and fit them to your style. They are a great starting block for almost any project. Sketch This has tons of amazing sketches, so be sure to check it out and play along with us. Hook me up in the comments if you do!
These photos were taken a few years ago at the Rainforest Cafe. What an amazing place. I loved the barstools shaped like animal behinds and the thunderstorms that roll overhead. And of course, who wouldn’t be amazed by all the animatronics?
These photos make me laugh. Look at how short my hair was! Yikes! And look how cute and little my Nik was. This was the summer before she started kindergarten while we were on vacation in California. What great memories we have of this day at the amusement park. Little Nik went from riding the tame merry-go-round ponies to riding the “scariest” roller coaster in the park, all in one day. She sure is a lot braver than I ever was at that age.
These photos really make me smile. My sweet Nik gets more enjoyment out of a jar of bubbles, still, than almost anything else. I believe I used every new product on this page. lol! Love the font of the Storyteller alphas and the elegant scroll photo corner from the die-cut sheet. I also used one of the vellum calendar cards behind one photo, and the cute froggies were cut from a vellum journaling card. That gorgeous spring green trim is from the new collection, as well.
This page uses one of the large frames from the die-cut sticker sheet. I layered it over the new calendar paper, trimmed the edges, and adhered this to the pink background. Fancy cut the scrolled circles, the vellum butterfly, and lots of bold flowers for detail. And that’s the natural trim from the new collection. Storyteller alphabets, too.
This card uses the new designer vellum as well as the papers, and I love how well the new trim matches, too.
And isn’t this paper perfect for beach photos? I have had these pictures on my desk for over a year because I had never found just the right paper to match the beachy theme as well as the bright blue and yellow in Nik’s swimsuit. LOVE it!
