Patriotic Decor Is Up!

I.  Am.  Way.  Late.

Usually I have my holiday or seasonal decorations in place well in advance of whatever holiday is approaching, but this time I haven't done so.  Something to do with hanging out in the Caribbean, maybe?

Anyway, my patriotic decorations this year are simple:  a thingy on the front door, some stuff on the mantel, and a few things in the kitchen.  I plan on leaving these items out until after July 4th, sort of like two holidays for the price of one.

I didn't do much this time in the way of crafting.  However, what I am more than excited about is how much I paid for all of these store bought items - very little.  You see, I found most of them last year AFTER the fourth of July, at a 90% off sale.  So, maybe I paid a whopping 30 cents for a stand up metal flag, or an extravagant 40 cents for another.  I even bought some patriotic patterned paper plates and napkins at 10 cents a pack.  All of these items I carefully stored away in one of those large rubbermaid boxes, and it felt like I hit the JACKPOT when I opened the box earlier this week.

I love it when I come across crazy deals like those.

The extent of my crafting for this holiday involved some playing around with (cheap) red, white, and blue bandanas.  First I ironed all the bandanas because they looked a little rough after I brought them home from the Dollar Store.  I wanted to make simple centerpiece placemats for my kitchen table and kitchen island, so I simply attached two bandanas together using several strategically placed pieces of double sided tape.

I carefully positioned the two bandanas and pressed them together.

Then I put my (cheap) store bought centerpiece on the placemat and voila, done.

Maybe these (cheap) paper globes are a bit cheesy, but that's OK; I like them.

So there's all the (cheap) red, white, and blueness you'll find in my kitchen.

But, there were still some bandanas left in the bag, so I started knotting a few together, using simple square knots.

Using a tiny piece of duct tape, I attached both ends of my bandana banner (say that ten times fast) to my mantel, and placed my (cheap) decorations up there and there you have it:

I still have a bit of crafting to do to finish the look the way I imagine it, and I'll share that progress if and when it happens.  As I said, I'm a bit behind for this holiday that has certainly crept up on me.

But for now, the red, white, and blue is out, and I'm ready to remember America's heroes.  Happy Memorial Day everyone!