Patriotic Star Porch Decor

I'm short on patriotic decor,

so decided to pull out my wood and tools

and make myself something.

I was inspired by THIS PIN.

Here's my version.

Since I didn't have anything to make stars with, 

I went with what I did have, and used a circle dauber.

Polka dots are just as cute, in my humble opinion!

Such a fun piece to decorate with for Independence Day,

or to leave up year round!

I think it's found a permanent place on my porch :)

Patriotic Doily Banner {My Version}

There are so many great ideas for 4th of July decor in blogland, but the minute I saw THIS BANNER from The Scrap Shoppe, I just HAD to have one!  I don't own a Silhouette, so I had to figure out another way to make mine.  This is what I came up with:

I feel more patriotic every time I look at it!

Want to make one for yourself?  Here's what you'll need:

**White Doilies (I used 4", 6", and 8")
**Royal Blue & Red spray paint
**Mod Podge
**string, yarn, ribbon (something to string them together)

Spray paint the 8" doilies red, and the 4" doilies blue (mine needed 2 coats of spray paint).  Once they're dry, cut them in half and Mod Podge the 3 layers together.  Be extra gentle as you spread the mod podge on the doilies...they are delicate!  When the Mod Podge is dry, string your yarn, ribbon, etc. through the holes in the doilies and hang up!  Easy peasy!!

Have a happy, and SAFE Independence Day weekend!!

4th of July Cookies

*****Edited to Add:  The cookie recipe I used can be found HERE, and Icing Recipe HERE********
My girls and I had a fun time decorating cookies for the 4th of July holiday!  We tried new techniques, and experimented with different designs.  My oldest daughter came up with the star flag cookie design (the one on the left).....then I had to copy her with the circle cookie above it!

I apologize for the terrible picture.....I really need a new camera!!

Patriotic Cupcakes...

If you're looking for an easy dessert idea for this weekend, try these!! I found the idea here, but instead of making mine with 5 colors, I just used red, white, and blue.
I'm excited to try this same idea for other holidays too. Think how cool they'd look using Christmas colors....and Valentine colors.....and pastels for Easter! Yummy!!