Wednesday 19 June 2013

Independence Day Decorating Inspiration From Pinterest


Last July 3rd, I was on a last minute mission to decorate my house for the Fourth of July holiday.  Being that I had little time and great expectations, I turned to Pinterest for inspiration.  Believe it or not, in just a few hours I was able to gather the supplies I needed to assemble a festive backdrop for our family's Independence Day celebration.  Today I'll give you the run down on the Pins that inspired me and the ways that I put my own spin on those Pins.
 
I'll start at the beginning - the front door.  This wreath is my favorite Pinterest inspired July 4th project, and perhaps my favorite Pinterest project of all time.  I'm not sure if I like it so much because it was so quick to make, or because it was so inexpensive, or because it turned out exactly the way it was supposed to.  Here's the pin that inspired it:
 
My take on the wreath is a bit simpler.  I omitted the "4" and the flag in favor of a big pre-made bow I bought at Dollar General.  See how I made my wreath here.

 
In this Pin from HGTV, a simple tablescape pairs white flowers with red strawberries. You could add some blueberries to complete the 4th of July color scheme. Classic American mason jars make an appearance as well.
 
That Pin inspired me to head out to the grocery store to get some red and white flowers for our outdoor eating area.  Displaying them in a mason jar wrapped in a red, white and blue ribbon adds some patriotic charm.

This pin from Big Bear's Wife inspired me to try making my own "independence punch."

To be honest, I had my doubts about this one being successful.  I was thrilled when it actually worked!  We decided to make our punch in individual glasses since we weren't serving a crowd.  We simply filled clear cups with ice, and then poured in a little cranberry juice.  Next we carefully added some blue sports drink, being sure to pour it directly onto the ice so it wouldn't mix with the cranberry juice.  The original recipe says to top it off with 7-Up, but we didn't have enough room in our little cups.  That's okay, I still think our independence punch looks quite patriotic.
 
 
The kiddos went crazy when they saw this Pin (sorry, couldn't find the source).  Ice cream sandwiches would be the perfect way to cool off on a hot and humid summer day.

Unfortunately, these were a bit of a Pinterest fail for me.  It seemed like such a simple concept that I didn't bother to read the post.  If you look closely at the original picture, you can see that the sammie has a Popsicle stick in it.  That stick is to prevent your fingers from sticking to the chocolate cake and mangling the sammie.  I would have been embarrassed to serve these mangled, finger imprinted desserts to a group of adults, but the kids didn't mind one bit. 


I first saw this free printable on Pinterest.  It seemed like an easy way add a pop of patriotic color to my decor. 
 
I popped the printable in a black frame I had on hand and placed it in a neglected the area of our outdoor eating space  Thank you to the Crafting Chicks for providing such a cute addition to my holiday décor!
  
 
 
There you have it - last year's simple, last minute, Pinterest inspired Fourth of July. 

I'm hoping to come up with some equally simple and clever ideas this year, and my intention is to not wait until the last minute this time (although I work well under pressure).  I'll keep you posted if I find anything interesting!
 
 
Linking To:
 
HookingupwithHoH

shabby creek cottage  It's Overflowing

Funky Junk's Saturday Nite Special
Life on Lakeshore Drive 

UndertheTableandDreaming  Home Stories A2Z


Today's Creative Blog My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia Debbiedoo's
  

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