Happy 4th of July: Upcycle Ideas for a DiY American Flag

I want to wish all of my readers a Happy Fourth of July! In the spirit of red, white, and blue... I've come across a few DiY ideas to make a creative flag using upcycled items. The flag above is made of color coordinated odds and ends, arranged in "stars" and stripes - this is definitely my favorite! Check out the other ideas...






Chainmail flag using soda can pull tops




License plates




Fused plastic grocery bags (love this!)




Bottle caps on strung together on strands of string




Plastic drinking cups pushed through a chain link fence





Wooden boards from a picket fence


I hope that sparked some ideas to create a flag and celebrate this patriotic holiday. Enjoy the fireworks! <3

Lorax Birthday Party at Tanaka Farms in Irvine, California

This weekend we celebrated my daughter's 6th birthday with a (Lorax theme) strawberry picking party at Tanaka Farms in Irvine, California.  Guests enjoyed a tractor ride around the organic farm and sampled fresh vegetables during the tour.  At the end of the tour, all of the kids picked fresh organic strawberries to eat - and a container to bring home.

Here are some of the vegetables that were sampled: carrots, yellow string beans, green onions, sweet corn, and strawberries of course!

There were rows and rows of organic strawberry plants.

After we finished picking delicious strawberries, it was time for the party!  For lunch, there was coldcuts, cheese, and rolls, as well as an antipasto salad.  There was a candy buffet filled with naturally colored chocolate candies, home-made candy dots on paper strips, organic chocolate graham bears, all natural mini marshmallows, whole grain cheddar goldfish crackers, and rock candy sticks in orange, yellow, and light blue!  Naturally colored yellow chocolate mustache lollipops were displayed as centerpieces on the tables.  Saving the best for last.... homemade cupcakes with naturally colored buttercream frosting and truffula tree cake pops (also naturally colored).

I know many of you are interested in planning a Lorax themed party, so I will post lots of pictures to give you ideas for your own event.

 If you decide to use my ideas or borrow my pictures, please link back to my blog.  At the end of this post is a list of where I purchased supplies, and I will post "how-to" pictures of the supplies that I made soon!

DiY HAPPY BIRTHDAY bunting/banner

DiY felt mustache utensil holder

DiY mustache straws and mini mason jar sippers

Faux/artificial grass runner

Naturally colored yellow chocolate mustache lollipops (the kids loved these!)

DiY utensil holders with bamboo utensils

Natural/Organic/Healthy Candy Buffet

Homemade truffula tree cake pops with naturally colored royal icing

Where to get your supplies...

Gingham fabric (to make tablecloth): Fabric Direct

DiY Truffula Tree tissue paper poufs: coming soon!

DiY HAPPY BIRTHDAY bunting/banner: coming soon!

Artificial faux grass runner: Lowes

Folding tables: Walmart

DiY chocolate mustache lollipops:  coming soon!

Orange plates: Party City

Yellow napkins: The Webstaurant Store

Bamboo utensils:  The Webstaurant Store

DiY felt mustache utensil holder: coming soon!

Mini mason jar sippers: Acme Party Box (set of 12)

DiY mustache straws: coming soon!

Apothecary candy jars: ebay and Save-On Crafts

Koziol Babell White Tiered Tray

Lime Green White Polka Dot Cupcake Baking Liners

Tree trunk wood slice: Save-On Crafts

Truffula Tree Cake Pops & Cupcakes: coming soon!

Naturally colored chocolate candies by Sunspire: LuckyVitamin (I separated the colors from the mixed packages.)

Rock Candy Sticks:  Nuts.com

Organic chocolate graham bear cookies: 365 Whole Foods

All natural mini marshmallows: Whole Foods

Butter rolls:  Cream Pan in (Old Town) Tustin, California

Whole Grain cheddar goldfish crackers by Pepperridge Farm: grocery store

Sparkly 6 candle by Spritz: Target

 

 

If I missed something, feel free to ask!

Sneak Peak: LORAX Birthday Party - DiY Truffula Trees & Mustaches!

My daughter is turning 6.... and is obsessed with all things Lorax.  So, we are hosting a Lorax themed birthday party for her and some friends at a local strawberry picking farm.  I've been busy planning everything from little felt mustache utensil holders to tissue paper truffula poufs.  Did I catch your attention yet?  Check back next week for pictures from the party, or sign up for my newsletter to receive an email when new things have posted.

***If you're going to use my pictures or ideas, please link back to this blog!***

Here's a sneak peak.......

 



 

You could not, would not, want to miss

A Lorax birthday party as cool as this!

Wednes-DiY: Hammered Flower Art Project

Take your kids on a nature walk to gather some fresh leaves and flowers,

and then use them to "paint" a picture!

 

You will need:

a small pail of fresh leaves and/or flowers

newspaper or a couple magazines

hammer

watercolor paper (or printer paper)

paper towels

Gather some fresh flowers and leaves.  Try to find colorful flowers, and make sure the leaves are soft, not thick hard leaves.

Then, put your newspaper pile on a hard surface and lay the watercolor paper on top.  We used printer paper for this project, but watercolor paper will absorb more of the "plant juice" paint.

Lay all of the flowers out on top of the paper.  You may also choose to use one at a time, because they may shift and slide around on the paper.

Cover the flowers with a paper towel and start hammering them.  Watch your fingers, kids!

You will see the flowers start to bleed into the paper towel (and your paper as well).  Feel free to lift the paper towel to see how it's going under there!

Once you're done hammering, remove the paper towel and peel away the flowers from your paper.

After you remove all of the smashed flowers and leaves from your paper, you are left with a beautiful masterpiece!

*Results will look even better on watercolor paper.