Red, White & Blue Etiquette

As we take time to acknowledge Memorial Day, many of us will fly a flag to honor our country's fallen. But did you know that there is a certain protocol to follow when displaying an American flag? In fact, there are actual laws in effect to protect and honor the Red, White and Blue.

Before you set out a flag this Memorial Day, be sure to review the flag etiquette rules. For a full list, including the Flag Code, visit USHistory.org.

• A flag should not be flown in inclement weather, unless it is an all-weather flag
• The flag should not be displayed in the dark. One should display a flag from sunrise to sunset unless it will be properly illuminated during the hours of darkness 
• Any time the flag is displayed in a place other than from a pole or staff, it should be hung flat with the blue/star portion (referred to as "the union") at the observers upper left. The same is true when it is hung from a window-- the flag should be positioned so that from the street, the union appears in the upper left hand corner 
• When a flag is flown at half-staff, it should first be raised to the very top of the flag pole for an instant and then lowered to the half-staff position
• A flag should never be draped across the back of things like boats, nor should it be used as a table cloth Flag pins should be worn on the left lapel near the heart 
• A flag should never be allowed to touch what lies beneath it (whether the ground, water or an object)

Patriotic Wreath {2 part craft}

Patriotic Wreath

This burlap and tulle wreath with painted canvas “flag” is a 2 part craft. You can make them together and have this combo or  make them separate and have 2 different décor pieces. 

 For the canvas "flag" you will need a canvas (I used a sqaure canvas to try something new), paint, a star for the center, paintbrush, and some twine.

I measured the stripes evenly because I am a terrible judge and I cant draw a straight line.

 Paint and set aside to dry!

 Cut your burlap into two-three inch strips and work into a wire wreath form.

 I decided this wreath needed a little something extra.

Cut strips of tulle and insert as you see fit.

After the canvas dries use hot glue to secure the twine hanger. 

Add your center star (this one came from the dollar store already painted)

Can be used as your wreath centerpiece or as an additional decor item!

DIY Cookie Sheet Message Board

Magnetic Message Board

This message board is hanging at my desk. To create this look you will need an old cookie sheet, fabric (I used burlap left over from another project), ribbon, and magnets. Measure your fabric about an inch over each side of your cookie sheet. Hot glue the edges keeping the fabric tight. Hot glue ribbon to the back to create your hanger. I decorated this one with some additional ribbon on the edges. Use pre-made magnets or get creative and make your own. Using vintage buttons or brooches is a good way to incorporate family heirlooms.

last minute teacher appreciation gift

so i have been hella busy trying to get my house in order so i can start inviting guests over...needless to say i have 2 day jobs on top of being mom to one, aunt to 4, and master to one cute but sometimes annoying little pup. at the end of the week i wonder how the heck things went by so quickly. with that being said it shouldn't be surprising that i forgot to think of something to make for my son's awesome teacher & his super awesome bus driver (who is changing routes after 19 years....im terribly upset about this but i wish her the best! xoxox ms. gloria)

SOOOO...in this tiny little town there are not many options for shopping for something unique....i desperately tried to think of things i had at home that i could recreate into something amazing...sadly i realize...i have no clue where all my stuff is...between the 2 storage units that are a wreck and the office i am sitting in as i type...also a disaster...i start panicking.

luckily....i have my succulent garden started with donations from my mom & my awesome aunt j. so i decide to pass along some "family heirlooms" to 2 ladies who mean a lot! i search the aisle of B's $ store and find nada...next is the F $ and i find for a buck a piece some hanging candle voltives. light bulbs flash and i purchase them. i head to the house...clean them...paint them pastel pink...add my potting soil and a succulent and tah:dah! something they arent gonna get from anyone else!!! i add a few elements to dress them up. i hope they enjoy...last minute sometimes has better results than careful planning!

mini succulent owl planter

my mother gave me a few succulents left from my grandmother's garden. in her memory i have planted them in an owl planter (she is where i got my love for owls) hopefully with tlc these succulents will flourish!

$1 Thrift Store Shelf Makeover

i have had this project done for a few days but have been busy getting things ready for the upcoming issue of Lake Wedowee Life Magazine. i got this ugly 1980's brown shelf from the side of the road everything is left outside 24/7 thrift store on hwy 78 in oxford. (those of you from the area know which one im talking about.) i paid ONE DOLLAR for it....he really wanted 3 but i told him no way because it was dated and ugly. what he didnt know was i had plans for it to go into my beach cottage chic themed bathroom. i sprayed it with ocean blue then went over it with a coat of antique white to help hide the blemishes from it's age. it's not perfect...but for a dollar and a little spray paint it turned out really cute.

the frame to the right was also purchased at the same thrift store for fifty cents. the star fish was purchased at a souvenier shop for a dollar. this whole look only cost me $5 (the awesome white frame was a house warming gift from kirkland's) and the sand is from puerta vallarta.

dive for dream free printable

here is one of my favorite quotes by the great poet e.e.cummings. i made this to go into my office and decided to share with you all.

enjoy!

{ click here to download }

time out from crafting. let's decorate a little.

this isn't really a craft project but i just put up shelves on one of the walls in my office/studio. i need to dig all my vintage cameras out of storage and fill this whole set up with them. until then here are a few things i put together.

trying to decide if i should offer the custom long/lat artwork i made to others for a small fee?? not sure yet. you might recognize the decor beside it from my spring time mantle post that was published in lake wedowee life magazine.

Beach Bathroom Thrift Store Mirror Makeover

like i said in one of my recent posts i am officially a homeowner. starting over from scratch is very overwhelming...but that's the thing...i get to start over! fresh new designs and decor! and by new i mean thrift store and yard sale junk turned into one of a kind pieces!!

my sad bathroom looked like it had been stripped bare (like the rest of the house) and it had no mirror. so i searched around on pinterst at ideas...got prices at home improvement stores...and looked at yard sales/thrift stores...and i came to one conclusion... a good mirror is freaking expensive. so i decided to tough it out and wait. i only had to wait a few days because i found this on. at first it had a price of $20 and one of the thrift store workers heard me saying "i'm not spending $20 on this mirror. someone tried to paint it and did a crappy job even though its close to the color i want and it's too small." so she offered to mark it down to $5. so i jumped at that price and brought it home.

even though this mirror is smaller than i wanted ( and a good friend of mine offered me a larger one from her yard sale stash so ill get a larger one) the quality of the mirror was great.

i took the mirror out and cleaned the frame and mirror up.

i did not realize the hunger games were on the newspaper scarp i was using until after i took this photo!

since this is going into my "cottage beach chic" style bathroom ( if it actually ends up looking like that we shall only wait and see) i like the light blue/grey/green tones that go along with that theme. so i didnt have to worry about priming the frame since it is close to the color i wanted. i just mixed my paint and painted away.

after i got done painting 2 coats of blue it needed a little something else. since it is very weathered and it had a really cool design etched into the wood on the inside and outside edge i decided to accent them with a sea green color. then i accented the corners with a little as well. i attached a star fish i painted (its one we found a few years back) and a natural star fish that i purchased on a recent beach trip.

here is the end result.

i wont be hanging this mirror since i will be getting a new one to dress up soon. this one will go elsewhere in the bathroom to add "space" to the area...and so mr. b and i can both get ready at the same time in the mornings!

my next bathroom project will be attacking this hideous brass light fixture in the bathroom. im going to try and paint it with a white washed look.