Dress Up Your Home
for Fourth of July
I just love the American flag.
Besides being a symbol of our
country, I think the flag is beautiful.
It’s beautiful in a look-at-me kind
of way. The red and white stripes
set against a block of blue with
white stars makes for a symbol
that’s hard not to notice. That’s
why I like to dress up my surroundings
for Fourth of July and put red,
white, and blue all over the house
– because it grabs your attention
and celebrates our national birthday.
And, if the party’s at your house this
year, putting out Independence Day
decorations will put everyone in a
festive mood for the Fourth.
Start up front
When you make an entrance inviting, it’s hard not to get more enthusiastic about what awaits your Fourth of July picnic or party. Put some bunting or pleated fans around the door and don’t forget to put your flag out, too. You can usually purchase bunting from hardware stores and home centers. Look for it in the gardening and outdoors sections. Add some stick flags to planters or beds on either side of the door. Use an odd number, such as three, or whatever you have on hand. It just adds another layer of decoration that looks terrific.
Make a Pull Down
Pull downs are long, narrow representations of flags. I like to add pull downs on either side of the door because of their unique appearance. Pull downs can be used to flank doorways or hung from trees to wave in the wind or from a porch. These can be ordered over the Internet or you can do like I did and make your own.
Start with a square of blue fabric and add a single white star or purchase blue fabric with white stars on it. Cut it into a rectangle measuring 16 by 19 inches long and hem the sides with one inch hems. Cut two long lengths of red and white fabric about 73 inches long by nine inches wide. Join the red and white fabric together. Hem and then finish by sewing a four inch pocket hem at the bottom. Add a three inch pocket hem at the top of the blue fabric to insert a pole for hanging. Then join the red, white, and blue fabrics together, making certain that the pieces will all fit and be the correct finished widths.
Decorate the house
Add flags in all plant pots around the house, hang flags from doors and windows, put flags in vases on the mantle, or make a flag display on an island in the kitchen. Decorate the island with inexpensive small flag bunting to serve your Fourth of July feast. For the table, create table runners of varying patterns, such as a red and white stripe. Top this with a blue with white star fabric placemat or napkin. Echo the flag by mixing stars, stripes, and solids. Your fabric store has patriotic themed yardage for all these projects.
Or, go no-sew and make your own patriotic tablecloth by purchasing a solid, dark blue bed sheet. Buy a large rubber star stamp and stamp the star along the outer edge of the bed sheet in white fabric paint. Then, you can either leave it that way or fill in with a small star rubber stamp creating any pattern you like. You could also do this with a white sheet and rubber-stamped blue stars. The possibilities are endless.
This Fourth of July make your living space a patriotic space with some fun and festive patriotic decorating around the house.
Fourth of July Decorating Resources
Oriental Trading Company has reasonably-priced decorating and party supplies for almost every occasion. Buy decorating and party supplies for the Fourth by visiting tinyurl.com/zjhwr
For fun crafts, recipes, and decorating ideas, check out Martha Stewart’s Fourth of July web page at tinyurl.com/gkw85 or FamilyFun.com’s fun crafts and decorations for kids page at tinyurl.com/evgol.
© 2007 Kathryn Weber, all rights reserved
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Kathryn Weber is the publisher of the Everydayclean.com Cleaning Calender, that calender that puts you in control of your home by ending the power struggle. For more information log on to http://tinyurl.com/d9rh5.
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©2001-2007 Kathryn Weber
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