************** July 4th Porch Decor and DIY Firecrackers

I saw this wagon at Rodworks in Gilbert, AZ and I had to have it! It will be a great addition to every holiday display. I had the chalk board and drew the American flag. I found a few flags, sparkly star sprigs, patriotic flowers, and garland and threw everything in the wagon. Use books to prop decor up higher.

 This is my wagon combined with my DIY wood firecrackers from last year. See http://extremedomestication.blogspot.com/2013/06/july-4th-yard-decor.html for those.

 I had a bunch of tulle spools that I used that I thought would be perfect for some DIY "firecrackers." All you need is some scrapbook paper, glue stick, a paper cutter, and some feathers, marabou sprig, or sparkly accessories to put in the top.

Happy 4th 2014!

July 4th Yard Decor

Note to self: do not do this craft outside in July in Arizona. Besides my heat stroke, I had a fun time making this "dynamite" yard decor. Ever notice how outside decorations are so small (besides the big blow up figures)?? The scale of this project is quite large, so it will surely be noticed from people driving by!

You will need:

8 foot fence post from Home Depot (and a husband to cut it)

5 feet of thick rope (Home Depot)

Red, white, blue, brown, and clear spray paint

painter's tape or Cricut to create design

wood glue

a drill with 3" wood bit

3" screws

plywood

raffia or ribbon

1. Cut 8 foot post to 3.5, 2.5, and 2 feet sections. It would help if your husband could temporarily drill the posts upright into the plywood or else you will be holding them and trying to paint at the same time. 

 2. Figure out the design you want and start taping. I did stripes for one post, Chevron for another, and polka dot for the last. For the stripes, paint the whole thing white, tape with painter's tape, then paint with blue. For the Chevron, I painted the whole thing white. Then I cut out several zig zag strips (came with the cartridge that comes with the Cricut) and taped those to the post, then paint in between with red. For the polka dots, I painted the whole thing blue. Then I cut out a big circle and used the surrounding paper for my polka dot stencil. I free-handed a white border to make the red stand out against the blue.

3. Have your husband drill a 1-2 inch deep hole into the top of the posts. Squirt some wood glue in there and stick in your rope. I heavily frayed the ends of the rope that are hanging down to look like the dynamite is lit. 

4. Cut out a 2x2 foot plywood piece for the stand and paint it brown. Use 3 inch screws to screw them into the base from underneath. Tie some raffia or ribbon around them and you are done!

Happy 4th!

I love making wreaths. I have been seeing cute wreaths and the thought struck me to make one out of cellophane! Fun, but a little hard to work with. I got two rolls of each color from the dollar store, the wooden wreath from Michael's. You just cut strips, twist and tie them on. I ties smaller strips to a large strip that wrapped around the wreath so I could make it extra fluffy. I got the accent bow from the dollar store as well. Total cost of project= $10