Hang on Autumn, there's one more thing to decorate for!

As labor day rolled around, I thought, "Do I decorate for Labor Day? Am I supposed to put out a flag? What IS Labor Day anyway?" So I did a little digging (i.e. Googling). According to this rather official website, it is a, "National tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country." So well put! (Anyone else out there find it ironic that we celebrate our hard work ethic with a day off?) Anyway, I didn't end up putting out any patriotic decor, because I got sick and spent the weekend in bed and on the couch. yay.

Sad I missed getting to put anything out for Labor Day, I noticed our town being decorated with flags and banners for the tenth anniversary of 9/11. I decided this would be a great reason to decorate and show a little patriotism at the same time! So, I have put off my autumn decorating for a little bit, and got out some of the decorations I made for my 4th of July party.

I threw this party before I had my blog, so I'll share with you some really simple crafts you can quickly whip up in case you too want to put a little splash of patriotism out to honor the lives lost on that day.

First up: Star wreath

I got my idea from this gal, but I did mine a tad bit differently. 

I didn't have any special tools to do this, simply:

scrapbook paper (I found the regular weight- not card stock is easier to fold), 

a grapevine wreath and 

my hot glue gun. 

I don't have a cricut or silhouette machine (gasp! I know, I'm like the only one left in the world), so I found a star shape I liked on Google images and traced it onto some paper for my template. 

Then I traced and cut out each of the stars. Now for those of you who are lucky enough to have one of those machines, I'm jealous this process will go much faster.  But this method really wasn't that much work at all! I did it while sitting in front of an episode of Nate Berkus.

All you do is fold each point from the top point to the inside point, all the way around. You will start to see some of the folds stick out more prominently and some are pushed back. Now just slap some hot glue on those babies, and stick 'em to your wreath.

Voila! I just used a piece of coordinating yarn to hang it up.

It really makes a big impact for such a simple craft. I've gotten so many sweet compliments on mine.

Another option: Star garland

 I was so uncertain about this one before I tried it. I am, as I've mentioned before, a novice sewer. I had definitely not tried sewing with paper before. But this site had me confident I could do it. I'm so glad I tried it. If you can sew anything, you can sew paper! I used the same star template I used in the aforementioned wreath, and traced it onto more scrapbook paper (cardstock weight this time). 

 I picked the order I wanted my colors to go in, and just fed them right through the machine! (The only thing I did was change my tension- to the lowest setting, since I was working with such a fragile material.) In between each star, I just kept pressing my pedal for a half inch or so before I fed the next star. That's how I got the stringing effect between each star.

Seriously people EASY PEASY!!

And lastly: Streamer stick flags

I got my idea from here

All I did was buy cheap dowel rods, and red, white and blue streamers. When I cut my streamers to the length I wanted, I folded them in half lengthwise. This gives a little ruffly look to them. Then I literally taped them onto the dowel with clear packing tape & pounded them into the ground. 

My husband wasn't sure if he would like them, but totally changed his mind. They were almost a modern twist on displaying a "flag" without having those little plastic dollar store flags everywhere (Oh I had some of those too, but just a few) :)

Unfortunately, due to all the hullabaloo going on that day,  this was the only picture I got of the actual ones I made:

You can see them if you look close... with a magnifying glass. I think they would look absolutely charming if you and your neighbors put them up and down the street. So sweet, and SO easy to make. You could even get the kids in on it! 

So, there you have it. A completely random patriotic decor post in the middle of September! But all I know is, with all the media attention this time of year, my mind goes back to those people, and the families they left behind. And I also know the feeling of the rest of the world going on around you while you are frozen in time with grief, thinking no one cares or remembers. So, for that reason, I'll pay my own little tribute and hope my friends and neighbors don't think I'm a crazy lady who can't read a calendar :)
Partying HERE this week!

Love,