Happy Birthday America!

Well, I am a day late with this post, but we have had a busy weekend. Lots of sun, fireworks, family time, swim time and so much more. I love Independence Day, don't you?

I also love messing around and playing with simple photo editing on Picnik. I am sure most of you already know about this little editing site, but I felt like sharing a couple of pictures that I used their 4th of July features on. Above I added the fun little stars to Cole's picture. And below, I used the colorwash of red, white and blue for Desi's sparkler picture. The brackets are also from Picnik; so cute to frame a picture that way. Love it.

Don't get me wrong; I love the vibrant, patriotic colors of red, white and blue and how they majestically represent our country. But what fun it is to shabby them up a little every now and then. Just a little sepia here and there. Pretty, simple, nostalgic and oh so shabby - love that.



The 4th also brings about a whole new season of crafting possibilities. It is such a short time that we leave these kind of decorations up, so I had hoped to get started early. That didn't happen, so my red, white and blue will probably adorn the house all summer long because I love it so. 

I used a variety of product on these simple but pretty pinwheels. The patterned paper is from Tim Holtz's seasonal paper stack. His grungy style makes my heart sing and he is so clever at bringing us fantastic products to craft with. I cannot wait to see what he and Ranger have in store for us at CHA. The red polka dot paper is from Bo Bunny; love their double dot papers. The paint can is just from Home Depot; I filled it with floral foam and then topped it with shredded music paper. The "sticks" that the pinwheels sit atop of are simply pencils that I painted antique white and hot glued to the back of the pinwheels. I covered the hot glued area on the back with a punched scallop circle for a more finished look.

The little centers are mostly from K & Company's Americana line. I added some ink, silver stickles, and a flower or two made from an old farm journal magazine to complete my ensemble. The small flags were a dollar at Michaels and I soaked them in a tea dye to give them a more antique feel. A vintage button here, some tea stained lace there and voila! Might have to leave this little centerpiece on my kitchen table for another month or so. And maybe leave this hanging in the entryway a little longer too...

I hope you all had an enjoyable holiday and your work week goes quickly for you. Thanks for stopping by to see me today. 

XOXO, Nik