4th of July 2021

Happy (almost) 4th of July! Here's how I dressed up our home this year, with some money-saving DIY tips added in:

I made the "USA" on my mantel by using 3 frames from the dollar store. I added blue scrapbook paper with white stars, then I glued the letters on the glass of each frame.

I hot-glued a votive holder to a basic blue star to make this tabletop décor.

I made these "firecrackers" from a wood fencepost that I cut into 3 different lengths. I drilled a hole into the tops, then after I painted them, I hot glued some pieces of rope to resemble fuses.

I made the tabletop signs with some wood from the craft store, a burlap bow, and letters that I cut on my Silhouette Cameo machine. The star is from Michaels (I just glued it into a wood frame that I painted).

I spray-painted the spheres in the jar on the left, and I used basket shreds in the jar on the right. The foam stars in the center jar are from Hobby Lobby.

Here's a close-up of what's in my island lanterns. I filled Mason jars with red, white, and black beans, then inserted mini flags for a super patriotic, but inexpensive, touch.

I purchase these stars in an after-Christmas sale many years ago, then painted them. This year, I added some 4th of July ribbon to make them look even more festive. Here's a link to my post about going after-Christmas shopping to purchase décor for other holidays: Dimes are a Girl's Best Friend: After-Christmas Shopping (dimesareagirlsbestfriend.blogspot.com)

It's so hard to find long holiday wooden signs for my mantel. This year, I gave up trying to find something pre-made, and bought unfinished wood. I painted it, added the 2 large wooden stars, and cut the rest of the design out of cardstock on my Silhouette Cameo. I then Mod-Podged the design onto the wood. Last, I attached "EZ Easel" stands so it would stand up on its own; I also highly recommend these stands if you have a picture frame with a broken easel, or a wall frame that you want to turn into a tabletop frame: Amazon.com: Premium Quality EZ Easel Black Pack of 2 

You've probably noticed that I'm a big fan of wall signs paired with easels, which turns them into tabletop décor.

I made these a few years ago out of wood blocks that I painted blue. I Mod-Podged patriotic scrapbook paper on the blocks, and cut out the words (on vinyl) on my Silhouette Cameo. For the spheres, I used red, white, and blue silk rose petals glued onto styrofoam.

Some flags and patriotic bunting always complete the holiday look in my backyard.

I hope you have a fun, safe 4th of July!

4th of July (Exterior) 2011

As promised, here are some shots of our exterior, all decked out for the 4th of July. I hope you enjoyed a festive day, too!

4th of July (Interior) 2011

Happy almost-Independence Day! Here are some pics of our interior decorations. I made most of them; tips follow each picture. Are you ready for the holiday?

 

The Study decor is simply 2 large vases purchased from Michaels, with 3 large flags in each. For the center decoration, I found the 8x10 photo frames at the dollar store, placed a piece of scrapbook paper in each (blue background with white stars), then added the letters, which I had glittered red.

 

The centerpiece is made of styrofoam spheres, with red, white and blue silk rose petals hot-glued to them. I made the extra-tall hurricanes from glass candleholders glued to wooden candlesticks. The stars inside of them came from Hobby Lobby.

I filled glass apothecary jars with stars from Hobby Lobby, basket shreds, and spheres which I had spray painted red, white and blue.

 

This wooden star was originally a Christmas ornament, purchased after Christmas on clearance. I taped it off into 3 sections and painted each section with acrylic paint. Then I drilled a hole in the bottom, and inserted a dowel and wooden base that I had spray-painted black.

 

The word "FREEDOM" is made from 7 separate wooden letters from Michaels, to which I applied craft glue and then red, white, and blue glitter.

  

These stars were also originally Christmas decorations, purchased on clearance after Christmas had passed. I simply taped off the bases and then spray-painted individually for the 4th of July.

I have not decorated our exterior yet; the Las Vegas sun is too damaging to put decorations out in advance. I promise to post them soon!

Let me know what you think; I'd love to see what you did to make your home festive for the 4th!