Tuesday, June 9, 2015

A little red, white and blue

 So I had grand plans of a spotless kitchen and tons of afternoon light and instead I got with Legos spread from one end to the other and cloudy, sunless skies.  Oh well, it is what it is, right? :)



Up until last year, I didn't really decorate for summer - but I am LOVING all things red, white and blue from June through the end of July.


The boys and I made the hand print canvas flags last year and this year we need to get Griffin to make one as well.  They were really quick and easy and you can find the tutorial HERE.


Last summer I made this flag and I was so excited to pull it out again this year.


 The chalkboard I found on Craigslist and I love switching it out for the seasons. 



The rocket garland Luke and I made a few years ago out of paper towel rolls, patriotic scrapbook paper and ribbon.  Several people have asked me how I made this - I'll try to get some pictures and will add a short tutorial to my Friday Favorites post.





   
Nothing says summer to me like sunflowers.  I threw in an American flag and was good to go!


I wanted whatever I put on the kids table to be easily removable and so I picked up this tray at HomeGoods and decorated it with some gingham print napkins, Luke's hand print flag from last year and some cute wooden cutlery.


  


And this is why I needed it to be easily removable :)

  




The wreath I also made last year, you can find the tutorial HERE.


The little flags are one of my absolute favorite ways to add a patriotic touch.  The more the merrier!



  
I picked up a three pack of these buntings at WalMart and I love how festive they are.






(the pictures above I snapped yesterday)




I need to change out the picture for a fun, summer one.


The giant firecracker I picked up at Hobby Lobby last summer.


Some inexpensive garland, red apples and peanut butter filled pretzels fill up the apothecary jars.


Again with the sunflowers and little flags...



Last week the kids and I worked on a fun, patriotic craft.  Red, white and blue hot air balloons. (ignore the crayons on the window... those were from a special day I did with the kids last week as well, I'll share about it on Thursday)



For me, the key to crafting with my kids is being prepared.  If I prep ahead of time, the crafting itself seems less hectic and I can relax more.

For this project I used 6 white Chinet paper plates (I've tried other brands, but when painting these have always held up the best) and a roll of painter's tape.


I taped off stripes (I didn't measure or anything, I just taped them on there).


I used popsicle sticks and hot glue to create the baskets.




Mason and Griffin were napping, so I got the red paint station part of the project set up and got all the blue paint supplies ready to go while Luke sorted out the star stickers for me.



When the littles were up it was painting time!!!  And then this happened...


Oh, Mason.


The kids covered the striped plate and then painted their second plates any way they wanted.



When we were done with the red, I gave them the blue paint and brushes as well as 

 The kids painted everything and then we let it dry overnight.  I used hot glue to attach a ribbon loop to the top, two ribbons to the bottom to hold the basket and then hold the basket to the ribbons.  

The kids decorated them with shiny star stickers and then I hung them above the kids table in the kitchen using command hooks.


 Griffins "abstract" art on the back of hers :)


And the boys both made smiley faces out of their stars.

 

 Mason put a handprint on the back of his ;)  LOVE!


Happy Tuesday, friends!  Now go pick up some apples and bunting (and some craft supplies while you're at it!). ;)

60 comments :

  1. Awww this post makes me wish I lived in the states and could do 4th of July patriotic crafts:D!! Sooo cool, the decor is lovely as always :)

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  2. I love seeing all your patriotic decorations! So cute! Thanks for sharing!

    Lauren
    www.postgradinprogress.blogspot.com

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  3. I love decorating for summer. I drag out the red white and blue stuff from Memorial Day all the way until Labor Day. lol I need to make your wreath! Oh my. Talk about fabulous! Thanks for sharing your talents with us!

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    1. You're so welcome, Ramona! Good luck with the wreath! I break out my "back to school" stuff in late July because I have no patience :)

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  4. Andrea you read my mind! Yesterday I told myself to look up the flag tutorial on your blog today. Check in this morning and there it is! Thanks for providing the link!

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    1. YAY!!! I aim to please! Let me know how it turns out! :)

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  5. Your house looks great, girl!! Love it all but my favorite is that big flag you made. So cute!!

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  6. Love all the red white and blue !

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  7. So, this post is totally going to be one of my Friday Favorites :). Love every single thing about it!

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    1. YAY!!! Have you started constructing your flag yet??? :)

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  8. Do you free hand your chalkboard sayings? Can you come to my house and do mine?

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    1. I do... I look online for ideas and inspiration and then just kind of go for it. :)

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  9. Is that a Volcano-scented candle that I spy?! My absolute favourite! Do you have any other candle recommendations? I'm not a fan of the overly flowery/powdery/fake scents and I'm looking to add a few nice ones to my collection!

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    1. Yes ma'am! It's my favorite right now. I also love Apple Strudel and Country Morning by Circle E.

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  10. Yes...your house is ALWAYS FESTIVE! And I love it!

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  11. Love your red white and blue decorations and crafts. You are so creative with your kids. My favorites are the wreath and the flag over your fireplace. Your house is so "Americam" that I forgett you're Canadian!

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    1. Thank you!!! And yes - I'm technically Canadian, but living in the States since 1991 I consider myself American :)

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    2. Thanks for the clarification, Andrea!

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  12. Cute!!! Added to my to-do list🇺🇸

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  13. Love all of your patriotic decorations! I want to make that wreath! :)

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  14. LOVE the American flag you made on the mantle and that burlap American flag wreath!!!

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  15. Seriously, how do you have all of this energy to tackle all of this? I'm tired for you by the end of your post! ;) I barely find the will to decorate for Christmas, much less every other holiday!

    You are wonder woman!

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    1. I really enjoy decorating and making everything all festive, so I make the time to do it :)

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  16. When do you plan on painting those walls?

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    1. Color isn't for everyone! :)

      Love compassionately - Really!

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    2. The things people find to criticize you on...it's just sad. Don't let it get you down!

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    3. Apparently people will go after anything - even paint color ;) I love the color and so that's what matters.

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  17. Love the crafts! Where did you find the boxwood that you have on the wire rack on your island? You're awesome at displaying things so beautifully.

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    1. Thank you! I found it at Home Goods before Christmas.

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  18. OT.... But thanks to you I have become addicted to Anthropologie lately. It's totally ok if it's on sale right? Lol. I'm a newer reader and wonder if you ever resell any of your clothes on your blog? I'm sure there are tons of us who would be interested. :)

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    1. Totally! hahaha I donate most of the clothes that I don't wear anymore, but I do have some jackets and such that I may post on What Griffin Wore at some point. I'll keep y'all posted!

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  19. I love the craft! I might have to do that one with the kiddies, it seems easy enough.
    I saw on the news about a pool party in your town that went wrong. It even looks like your neighborhood! Since you actually live in that town, I'm interested to hear your take on it. I've only read opinions from people that are no where near there.

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    1. The craft is super easy and your kids would love it. It doesn't have to be red, white and blue either.... they could make it whatever colors they like :)

      I'm sure that everyone and their mom has now heard of the "Texas Pool Party" incident. Thankfully, it wan't in my neighborhood... but in a community about 10 minutes away.

      The whole situation makes me really sad. Sad for the parties involved and sad for the town that we love.

      The home that Dave grew up in here in McKinney was built in 1856 - his ancestors were some of the first in McKinney and I've been proud to call McKinney home for 18 years. While McKinney isn't perfect, we feel blessed to get to raise our kids in a community that is seemingly so much better off on issues of equality than others around the world.

      There are so many accounts of what happened that night and so many sides to the story that aren't making national news. As bits and pieces are shared, I have faith that the police department and other authorities will be able to figure out exactly what happened and why and let the judicial system take over accordingly.

      I will say that it's been encouraging and uplifting to see pastors and leaders in our city come together and support and pray for each other, for the parties involved and for the city as a whole.

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    2. I just came across this post and I love everything that is says, so I'm posting it here:

      The gospel in McKinney, Texas

      I don’t have any first hand knowledge of what happened at the now infamous pool party in McKinney TX on June 6. I’ve read a lot of “but that’s not how it really happened” on my Facebook feed, and I’m sure that’s true. The mainstream media is doing what they do - constructing a narrative that fits into the grand drama of the last few months a la Ferguson, New York and Baltimore. Even a year ago there is no way this story would have made it into the national spot light.

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    3. But here we are, and as a Christian living in McKinney with a lot of Christian friends, my question is what are we going to do now? Because to me this is an opportunity to live out the gospel. So for what it’s worth here are my thoughts…

      Some Gospel Principles

      - The gospel teaches us that people matter. The teenagers and the police - they were all created in the image of God. We are called to love them and pray for them and if they don’t know it or trust in it already, tell them that Jesus Christ loves them and died for them.

      - The gospel is very clear – we are all capable of sin. All of us. And from what I can tell from the videos, there was no shortage of sin from the police officer cursing at those teens to the teens showing blatant disrespect for the authority of those officers.

      - The gospel teaches us that truth matters. Yes it matters what happened at that party, but if you weren’t there, and even if you were, you can’t know all the details. And guess what, you aren’t going to learn them on Facebook or in the press. So let’s let give our city officials the chance to do what they say they’re going to do and investigate and ask God to guide them and reveal the truth.

      So, as Christians here’s what I think we need to do…

      - Settle the question - “who’s my neighbor?” I live in one of McKinney’s many predominantly white, upper class neighborhoods with a community pool and playground. But the people in this neighborhood are not my only neighbors in McKinney. Jesus made that abundantly clear when he told the story of the good Samaritan. Like a lot of McKinney-ites (if that’s what we’re supposed to call ourselves), I’ve had my feathers ruffled by some of the press reports about our city. The subtle (and not so subtle) implication is that we are a bunch of privileged, snooty white folks who enjoy the unofficial segregation our fancy master-planned communities provide. But it doesn’t mean there isn’t some truth there. Do the Christians of McKinney Texas really care about ALL our neighbors? I’m praying and answering that question for myself.

      - Listen. If our African American neighbors are telling us they feel discriminated against, singled out or even threatened by our police force, we need to give that perspective a fair hearing. As communities we can have blind spots and what if that’s one of them? It’s not exactly showing the love of Christ to tell people that their lived experience can’t possibly be true because we personally have never witnessed it. We don’t have to be in 100% agreement with their conclusions to say “I’m sorry you’ve felt this way.” We can listen and consider and then assure them that God cares about justice and so do we. And then work to make our community a more inclusive place, starting with our churches.

      And it wouldn’t be a bad thing if all of us took a good hard look at ourselves and asked God to reveal any racial prejudice we might be harboring. Racism is sin. Jesus Christ died to bring people of all ethnicities, races, genders and social classes together in his kingdom and to build his church. What are you and I doing to share that vision with the people of our community? (Again, starting with me on this one too)

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    4. - Respect our police force. God gave earthly governments the responsibility of “wielding the sword” and attending to matters of justice. We are to respect the governing authorities over us and teach our children to do the same. A lot of us were taken aback by the disrespectful attitude many of those teenagers showed the police officers. But what kind of attitude are we modeling for our kids? What do we say about the police when we pass one with his radar gun pointed at our car? Or when one gives us a ticket for an expired inspection sticker? (Not that I would know anything about that).

      In my house this incident gave us a great opportunity to discuss the proper respect you show a police officer. I am concerned by the popular notion that respect has to be earned before it is given. Um…no it doesn’t. You can and should show proper respect to those in authority even if they haven’t earned it, because you know who has earned it? God. And he says we’re to respect the governing authorities.

      Now that doesn’t mean we assume our law enforcement officers are perfect or that there are not some aspects of the system that need an overhaul. There are bad practices in place and some bad officers out there, no doubt. We should encourage the McKinney Police Department to monitor the behavior of its officers and as a community take a look at how our police departments are equipped and funded.

      But can we please give them the benefit of the doubt? Do you want their job, because I sure don’t. I am willing to bet that most officers work really hard and have far too little appreciation shown to them. We should listen and get their perspective too. How can we better support their efforts to keep our community safe?

      - Pray. I would really like to see God do something amazing out of this event. Fellow Christians, could you dream with me a little here? What if this brought our community together and what if Christians led the way and demonstrated the astounding nature of the gospel? What if instead of picking sides, we could listen to the concerns of police officers and minority citizens and work together to make our city better? I know, in this cultural climate, that is crazy talk. But I know this guy who is really good at miracles…

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  20. too. many. photos. of the same thing over and over. Minimize your hundreds of photos to about ten-twenty and your blog would be bearable. I cannot get through it anymore, I stopped reading halfway.

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    1. Except you made it to the comment section to leave me a lovely note - thanks for that! :)

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  21. I'm 18 and absolutely love your blog! (all the way here in MA!) I babysit multiple times a week and also work in my church's nursery and we often make the crafts you post! So easy and so fun! Keep em coming!

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  22. I am a long time reader of your blog, this is my first comment, ever, on any blog! :) I am so grateful that you share your life with others. When I talk about Griffin my friends know who I am talking about! When the seasons change and the holidays come I look forward to what you have in store. Your family, home and spirit are all so beautiful. You got me hooked on Ruby Blue bows and for that, I will always be thankful! Again, thank you for sharing all your adventures!

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    1. I feel so honored!!! First comment EVER! WOO HOO!!!
      You are so sweet and I appreciate your kind words more than you know.
      Thank you so much for reading and following along and how sweet that your friends and family "know" Griffin :) Thanks, Again!!!
      :) Andrea

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  23. Andrea!! I am absolutely, totally obsessed with these hot air balloons...well let's just say ALL of your 4th of July decor!! It is my style exactly, & I even love more that the kiddies can have fun making memories & also keepsakes for us mamas!! I will be trying some for sure! Also! I love that you mentioned being prepped before they start! -- so SO true!! That is the key! Loved this post!!

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  24. I Love the bunting...to Walmart I will go (tomorrow) and that hot air balloon craft and the flags! Genius.

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  25. You've inspired me to pull out some red, white and blue decorations. Time to "shop the house." :) Have a happy hump day. Love reading your blog everyday.

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  26. Forgive me if you've already posted about this, but I was wondering about the handprint flag..it's the cutest thing! Did you make it? I'm not the craftiest person, but i would love to know the details on how to do.that. The big flag is awesome as well! You are one creative and apparently energetic mom! Back around Christmas time your Elf on the Shelf pictures had me in tears laughing.
    And BTW, I like your wall color!

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  27. I love what you wrote below about the McKinney incident. It's balanced and nuanced and promotes an important discussion. I'm not really one to comment on blogs (with a few *littles* of my own), but I do feel that it's important not to malign an entire community for racial tension that is pervasive throughout our country. And what better way to let the community know we're praying for it than via one of my fave blogs:).

    Also, so poignant that this was all under the Fourth of July post. Now, if just need to ply one of my crafter girlfriends with a cocktail to make it for me...

    Final thought: commenting on wall color and baby pictures? Really??? Must be a slow day where you are, ladies.

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  28. Hi Andrea- any chance you recall where you got the white buffet piece under the canvases of your kids? I love yours and have been looking for something similar. Thanks!

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  29. This is def one of my favorite posts ... Where did you get that cute wire rack by your sink ??? Looking everywhere .. Just did a book club with my 2 boys after your post . We did Blueberries for Sal and went blueberry picking

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