Keeping It Simple - 4 Stars for July the 4th

db1921 — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 21:58:00 GMT

It all started with four little words. "I can make that." I only said it once. Now every time we see something that our five year old likes she asks, "Can we make that?" Sometimes I have to laugh because she currently thinks that we can make just about anything! Her mother said no to her request for one of those very hairy looking shag rugs. "Then I will ask Meesy to make me one." she replied. This week's list of ideas began when she wanted to decorate the front yard with red, white and Blue for Independence Day and the little stakes she saw at the grocery store were $3.00 each. We came back to the house and embroidered sparkly stars with glittered felt - lots of them. The next day a few went into the garden stakes to decorate the front step before she got tired of the project. Below are some quick ideas for the leftover stars.

Garden stakes

1. Simply hoop the glittered felt (We purchased at our local craft store 3 sheets for a dollar) and sew all of the appliqué star thread colors using the same color.

2. Cut around the outside of the stars.

3. We glued the medium sized stars back to back with a narrow dowel rod inside.

4. Tie it with some curled ribbon and you are ready to decorate.

Download all four star sizes here.

Since I had lots of stars left over here are nine more quick ideas.

1. Napkin rings by gluing to looped ribbon

2. Festive can cozies (Those free ones you get with ads on them work great.)

3. Cupcake toppers by gluing the small ones to toothpicks.

4, 5, 6. Fancy flip flops by hot gluing ribbon and a star on (Emma loves hers and cannot wait to wear them.)

Headbands and barrettes by hot gluing with ribbon onto a metal snap clip or plastic headband.

7. Pencil toppers (I used most of the little ones for these and will give them to the kids in my class on the 4th.)

8. A tin cover. You can see how to make more of these here.

9. A scrapbook page. (Yes, the pictures are from 2009. I really am that far behind!) Go here to see more on how to make these using embroidery.

And since these are real appliqué designs you could make:

- placemats

- napkins

- door quilt

- aprons

- t-shirts

and a whole host of other things.

On another note of summer, Annthegran has the pleasure of featuring these cool backpack towel sets by artist Ditteke Ederveen. Her company, Dpoppen, Inc., is dedicated to creating colorful accessories for girls of all ages.

To see these summer sets click here. What a unique summer gift.

Have fun with the stars and have a great holiday.

Take care,

PS: Here's a cool recipe for Independence Day. It is one of my favorite summer desserts.

Lemon Whip

2 boxes Jello brand lemon gelatin (3 oz. each)

2 cups boiling water

1 package Philadelphia brand cream cheese (8 oz.), softened

2 cups Sprite

1 container Cool Whip (12 oz.)

Blueberries and raspberries or strawberries

Dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water. Using an electric mixer beat in the cream cheese. Stir in Sprite. Refrigerate for about 45 minutes. Using the electric mixer beat in the Cool Whip. Spoon into pretty glass dishes and chill. Top with red and blue berries and garnish with lemon or more Cool Whip. Serves 8.

The Memory Book : Flip flops, easy projects

Keeping It Simple - 4 Stars for July the 4th