Saturday, July 9, 2016

4th of July Hanging Door Flag Tutorial

I saw this project for a flag door decoration and instantly knew that I had to make it!  Here's how mine turned out:



So my son and I went to Lowes and bought plywood, wood slats, glue and then picked out an old fashioned red and a blue, and had the paint guy mix up some paint samples for me.

"Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?"



Plywood, slats, paint.  The red was called "Flag" and the blue was called "Star Spangled."  I love the "old timey" look of it:

"Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?"

 

My hero, cutting out a star for me.  It may not be a perfect star, but it's a star made with love:

"And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there."

 

As an alternative, most craft stores (Michael's and Hobby Lobby, etc.) sell precut wooden stars!

White star and stripes:

"Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?"
 

Red stripes. The paint looked like maroon to me when it was wet.  It better dry red!

"On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,"


Blue background:

"What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?"



All the pieces are painted. Now to glue everything together:

"Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream"



I used "Liquid Nails" for the glue:

"'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!


Here she is!

"And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,"
 

Place the flag under two bags of charcoal (for weight) for 30 mins to let glue set:

"A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution."

 

Staple on some ribbon, and hang on the front door:

"No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave"

 

And VOILA!

"And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!"
 

"Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!"

"The Star Spangled Banner" 
By Francis Scott Key, 1814

That song makes me tear up everytime.

Happy 4th of July!  Or Memorial Day!  Or Veteran's Day!  Or Flag Day!

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Happy Minecrafty Easter!

Happy Easter everyone!

I couldn't find anything I liked, so I created this Minecrafty "Happy Easter" sign!   I'm posting it here as a free download!



Enjoy!

Friday, January 2, 2015

SWAT Nerf Battle Birthday Party - Preview

I'm working on the post for my son's "SWAT Nerf Battle" birthday party post.

In the meantime, here's a sneak peek at some of the items that I made for the party!

SWAT truck pinata! My first ever homemade pinata!!
SWAT posters with "ropes" added to hang down, as decor.
Handmade SWAT riot shield.
SWAT-themed goody bag, with a mini SWAT car set and an amazing SWAT cookie, made by the incredible Camille, at Sweets 'n Treats by Camille!!
Getting ready for battle!
SWAT themed ice bucket and Nerf battle cover stations, made from pallets.


Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Customer Feedback: Shark Fin Tutorial

If there's one thing I love, out of many, it has to be receiving happy feedback from my Etsy shop customers!

This morning I received a wonderful note from a customer, regarding the shark fin tutorial that she'd purchased from my Etsy shop.  She's used the tutorial to make these gorgeous fins, in colors to coordinate with her party theme, for her son's adorable 4th birthday party!


"Hi Julie! Just wanted to say THANKS for the super helpful and super adorable shark fin tutorial. My son's shark party, including your awesome fins, are featured over on Love and Lion today!"


Her feedback totally made my day!  And her party styling looks amazing!  Go check it out!  Her party, and the shark fins that she created using my tutorial, are featured here, on Love and Lion:
http://www.loveandlion.com/2014/10/featured-rowens-shark-party.html 

Cutest shark I've seen all day!

Check out that wreath, too!  Looks like someone's been chumming the water!


Have a jawsome day! 

 

Friday, October 3, 2014

Glitter-fied Starbucks Cup Tutorial

I did it!! I finally glitter-fied my Starbucks cold cup!!  I've been wanting to do this for at least a year!


These "screw-apart" cold cups are hard to find.  They just don't make them like this anymore.  If you see the cold cups for sale in Starbucks, they won't screw apart into two cups.  So, if you do find some, hoard them all and sell them on eBay for $100 each! 

I know that there are many tutorials out there on how to get your double-cup all glittery, but here's mine.  So simple!


Gather your supplies: 
Double-cupped Starbucks (or any drink cup that unscrews)
spray glue
glitter (the bigger the better, I used fine glitter, but I think I would have gotten a better effect if I'd used larger glitter)
painter's tape


Tape off the inside top rim of the outer cup (not the inner cup), so that the glitter doesn't get into the grooves of the screw-on cup rims.

  
Spray the glue into the interior of the outer cup. Don't get it on the outside of the cup, or you will have problems. "I got 99 problems and this ain't one!"


Then apply your glitter down the sides of the cup. I tried to be tricky and do it in stripes, but you can't really tell. If you use more than one color glitter, use the one you want to show the most first!


Let dry, take off the tape:




And VOILA!!
   
 

Have an awesomely glitter-fied day!

 

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Rocket "Goody Bag" Containers Made From Pringles Cans

For my son's 3rd birthday party, we decided to do a space theme!

One of the ideas I saw floating around the internet were some rockets made out of coffee cups. But I needed a taller container, because I'd wanted to add a coloring sheet to the goody "bag". That's when I had the idea to use Pringles cans instead!


How To:

Gathering the Cans:
I needed about a dozen "goody bags" made from Pringles cans, so I posted a "Wanted" ad on my local Freecycle group. In less than a week, I'd received about 10 cans, from different sources. 1 or 2 cans here, 3 or 4 cans there, so I ended up only having to buy 2 more.


I collected and cleaned them.


Weird that there wasn't one single repeat flavor.

I wrapped and glued some leftover scrapbook paper to the cans.


But you can buy coordinating colors at the store!  Especially colors to match your party theme!





I cut out the cones and fins.





Punched out some circles in coordinating colors, of course, to use for the portals or windows.



Add a ribbon handle.


Voila!


Now fill up with space, astronaut and rocket themed party favors!

Star and planet crayons, in a cellophane bag with party favor tag

Wrist rockets
Coloring page and rocket themed comic book
And you can even use them as decorations for the party!  Then hand them out as the party guests leave.


This entire project was low cost, as I only paid $2 for the 2 cans, received the glue for free and the rest of the materials, like the paper, were from Freecycle and I also already had scotch tape and some sheets in my scrapbooking supply.

I just posted a very detailed how to DIY tutorial in my Etsy shop, complete with templates and a troubleshooting guide on how to make these containers: HERE


If you make these for your party, please post links to your blog in the comments session! 

Have fun!

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