DIY Americana Wreath

Somehow the first half of the year completely flew by. Not sure how that happened. I realized this past week that July 4th was coming up quickly and I had wanted to decorate for it this year. Well, with only 4 days to go, it didn't make sense to go all out or spend a lot of money. 

So I hit up Michael's and obtained some crafty supplies. The benefit of waiting to get July 4th things until July is that the stores apparently put it all on clearance. In fact, when I asked about red garland, I was told to check the Christmas aisle, which they were just setting up. 

Supplies: 

Grapevine wreath $5

Red and white flowers $3.50 each

Flag $1

Burlap garland $5

Rit Tan fabric dye $2

Always check Michael's for online coupons. While I was waiting in line I pulled up a 40% off a single item coupon and a 15% off entire purchase coupon on my phone so I spent even less.

Since I wanted a more vintage look I soaked the flag in the dye for about 40 minutes. Perhaps tea would work just as well, but the fabric dye did the trick.

While that was soaking, I cut and fashioned a large bow out of the burlap garland, and then wove the flowers into the grapevine. The bow is held together with some strategically placed elastic bands that are hidden by the middle loop and then attached to the wreath with a safety pin and twist tie. Why? I didn't want to mess with a glue gun. 

Once the flag was "aged" to my liking, I arranged it on the wreath. I sawed off the long part of the stick with a hand saw. This extra stick is actually now supporting the convex fold of the flag. I also sprayed a little fabric starch onto the flag to stiffen it up. Since I didn't use any glue in this project I was able to tie a ribbon to the top and hang it up straight away. I feel like it needs a little blue - maybe a few stars - around the bow, but I'm worried that would be too much. Thoughts? 

Happy Independence Day!

Got scissors and a T-shirt? Make a workout tank!

I've overloaded my husband with home improvement projects from Pinterest, so I needed to find something that was on a smaller scale to satisfy my need to destroy/create.

Luckily I came across this project which required nothing but a T-shirt and scissors.

I cut off the neck, the sleeves,and the bottom seam (so you have a long skinny piece).

I cut the armholes deeper and a V-shape into the back. I also cut the shirt a little shorter so it would hang loosely.

Cut the seams off of the long skinny piece and then stretch it until it's really long. 

Wrap the skinny piece around the narrow part of the back, knot at each end and voila! A new workout tanktop! Took ten minutes.

So comfy!

Leftover material made a lovely ascot for Ralph.

I know what I'm doing with all those unused T-shirts in the closet!