4th of July Headband (and a few other last minute ideas)

I am so excited about this headband! I keep wearing it around the house just so when I pass by a mirror I can look at it. It is the cutest headband I have ever made! And I am so excited about the 4th of July so putting the two together makes me joyful!

I made it using the ever-so-popular rolled rose technique. The white rose is made from a (new) t-shirt I bought on clearance. I glued a jewel to the center. I left the red and white striped flower plain (you can pick that fabric up at your local Walmart). For the blue flower, I sewed little pearls all over it to make it look like stars. I finished it with a fluff of tule and a little feather.

I thought I would share a couple more last minute 4th-of-July ideas...

Last year I made this awesome broken glass jello! The white part is made from sweetened condensed milk so it is delicious. And the kids loved it. To make your own, visit the Food Librarian for the recipe. Just change her 4 colors of jello to 2 boxes of red and 2 boxes of blue. I am making some more this year but the Food Librarian has such good pics and instructions that I am sending you to her instead of making my own tutorial. My red and blue jello are setting up in the fridge right now.

My mother-in-law made these great cupcakes last year. I love how they are in gold foil. They are simply decorated with red and blue sprinkles, then the WOW factor is from the awesome firework pop-pom thingys. I also love the reflective tray which make the gold stand out even more.

(The tablecloth is from Walmart, by the way. It is last year's design but I know they have more this year. It is so nice to have a vinyl cloth that can be wiped off instead of throwing a plastic cloth away every event.)

This year we will be having patriotic sundae's for dessert, seeing as how it will be Patriotic Sunday! I bought waffle bowls and will use vanilla (white) and strawberry (red-ish) ice cream. We'll top it with fresh strawberries, blue berries, and raspberries. I have sprinkles for the kids (or kids at heart). I will probably also get out some hot fudge and whipped topping.

I hope you all have a fabulous holiday weekend! I am so excited! I love the 4th! I live in a religious community where most celebrations will be held on Saturday and then everyone gets Monday 5th off work so it is a 3 day holiday! On Saturday we are going to go on a bike ride and attend a local patriotic event. That night we're going to my aunt's for a barbecue and outdoor movie. On Sunday we're having some family over for a little barbecue, and on Monday we are going to my parent's house for a big breakfast.

I just love having a chance to celebrate the founding of our nation. I love celebrating freedom and independence. I love celebrating the individuals who sacrificed so much for our country (Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, etc.). I have the privilege of teaching U.S. history to 8th graders and LOVE that I get to celebrate these things (and share my knowledge and passion) with others all the time!

Linking up to:







Remodeloholic

Fingerprints on the Fridge

A Few of My Favorite Things

The Fireworks Bracelet Tutorial

I LOVE the 4th of July! It is probably my favorite holiday. I am a history teacher so I love to celebrate the Founding Fathers, independence, and freedom. I go all out for the holiday. I decorate my yard and myself. I always go crazy with red, white, and blue. This bracelet is the perfect addition to my holiday- and can be for yours too!


Materials:
Plain chain bracelet (or make your own with chain and a clasp)
Headpins and/or eye pins
Red, white, blue, clear, and/or silver beads (gold would be pretty too)
Round nose and regular jewelry pliers
Wire cutters



Begin by arranging your beads on the headpins. The more random, the better.
Here are three examples of my headpins

Use the round-nose pliers to curve the end of the headpin.

Hook it on the chain of the bracelet.

Clip the end of the wire if necessary and close the loop with your jewelry pliers.

Now, add the rest of your headpins to the bracelet. The number of pins will depend on the size of your bracelet, the size of the links, and desired thickness. I used 1 or 2 pins per link depending on the size of the beads.

I call this the "Fireworks" bracelet because (obviously) it looks like a fireworks burst with the long skinny beads that stick out.

Here is a close-up view so you can see some of my other headpins.

Doesn't it look great? So fun for the 4th of July or any other patriotic holiday. It really can be worn all summer if you want.

If you make one, I would love to see it!


In addition to my fav linky parties listed on the sidebar, this project will be linked up to:

http://todayscreativeblog.blogspot.com/
http://mybackyardeden.blogspot.com/