Celebrate!

This week's Just Us Girls and Heart 2 Heart challenges both had to do with July 4th.  The challenge for Just Us Girls was a 3D 4th of July project.  I do love celebrating just about anything but was struggling to come up with something to make that I would use - and let the kids help me in the process.  So I did a search and found some really neat paper decorations to help celebrate our Nation's Birth and still fit into my country/rustic/antique preferences.  Country Living had a great selection to choose from.  I adapted the banner slightly using Barn Red, Pacifica Blue, and Bamboo papers instead of crepe paper (for the Heart 2 Heart challenge) and some Colonial White and Cranberry just because.  I also made the size smaller using 4" by 10" strips of paper instead of 8" by 20".

So get out some red, white and blue paper and left over newspapers.  Cut your paper.  You need one 4"x10", one 1"x10" and one strip of newspaper 2" by 10" for each rosette.  For "CELEBRATE" I did nine rosettes.  Figure out what you want to say and make however many you need.  I also want to make one that says FREEDOM but haven't gotten to that yet.  Anywho, glue your newsprint to the wider colored paper and then glue the thinner colored paper on top of the newsprint.  Allow your papers to dry.  I also used CTMH white daisy ink, Enjoy Life stamp set and Eclectic Edges stamp set to stamp onto the wider strips of colored paper.  I chose not to do it on all the paper but only on a few just to give it some variety.  I was really pleased with how it turned out.

  Then fold the paper in half length wise and unfold.  Next, acordian fold your paper starting at the narrower end and secure with string (I used a twist tie) in the center.  Fan out the paper and glue to make a circle.

String the rosettes together however you choose (I cut slits in the rosettes and threaded the twine through).  Have fun and CELEBRATE our FREEDOM!

I just discovered Today's Creative Blog and 1. Fell in LOVE with it and 2. Think this qualifies for the Craft Link Party.  I love all the new creative blogs, ideas and inspiration I am finding!