Patriotic Banner

Hi Crafters!

July is here and, with it, one of my favorite holidays - the Fourth of July!  Here's a quick and easy banner that you can make for decorating for the holiday.  It's a banner made with old jeans, red burlap and white iron-on letters from JOY SA Inc.  JOY makes all sorts of iron-on letters and appliques.  You can find them in Michaels now or order through the website.  I'm now on their Creativity Team, so you'll be seeing more projects using their letters.  They are so easy to add to any project.  Stop by the Creating with Joy blog to see more designs from the team.

Patriotic Pennant Banner

You can find all the instructions on the blog here.  You can personalize this banner with your favorite patriotic phrase or word.  This banner is no-sew and is only attached to the twine with clothespins, so it is super fast to make.  In the above photo, the pennants are spaced apart, but I like the way it looks overlapped also.

Patriotic Banner with pennants overlapped

The clothespins make it easy to change the spacing and fit the space you have to hang it.  You'll want to use this technique for other occasions and events, too - birthdays, baby showers, yard sales - wherever you need a quick and easy sign, create it with JOY!

Happy Fourth of July!

and, 

God Bless the USA!

Terry

Designer Crafts Connection: Let's Party

Hi Crafters!

Summer is coming and, with it, a lot of outdoor parties!  Generally, we have sunshine and warm weather that make the patio an inviting place.  We'll see about this year as May was one of our coldest.  Here's hoping June gives us a good start to summer. 

This month, I'm featuring projects that were on my blog in the last few years that suit outdoor decorating for a summer party.  The Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays and these designs are perfect for decorations for the barbecue.  To start off, here's a Denim Wreath.  You can find the tutorial for the process of making the wreath at the link.

Denim Wreath

I love to recycle worn denim jeans to make fun, country-style designs.  Here's another one: a Denim Wall Pocket.  Fill this pocket with some Queen Anne's Lace or some dried flowers and hang it on the fence or gate.

Denim Wall Pocket

And, here's a Denim Flower to wear as a pin or add to a jar, napkin ring, a wreath, banner - anywhere and everywhere!

I hope you'll try these designs for decorating your next barbecue.  Add a few hay bales, more bandanas and some mason jars for quick and easy country decorating!

Now, hop around the Designer Crafts Connection blogs with the big, blue button over in my sidebar.  You'll find lots of cute ideas for your next party!  You can also go to the Designer Crafts Connection blog where you can find the links to all the blogs.

Whatever your party plans, have a great time creating your own decorations and celebrating with family and friends!

Update:  Since I love to create with denim and have more designs with it coming up in the future, I created a Pinterest board exclusively for these designs here. 

Denim Wreath

Hi Everyone!
Welcome to another round of the Designer Crafts Connection blog hop.  This month we're designing vacation crafts.  Since the Fourth of July is only a couple of days away, I went for red, white and blue.

Around our house, ranching and farming generate a lot of worn out blue jeans.  They're great for recycling into interesting crafts.  This month I recycled a couple of pairs of jeans into a wreath.  It's quick, simple to make, and adds just the right touch of country to the inside or outside of your home.

First, take a couple of old pairs of jeans, well-worn, with holes, stains and a little tractor grease.

Cut strips from the worst parts of the jeans (save the rest for another project).  I cut them about two inches wide, but they are definitely not straight.  They don't need to be.

Use a straw wreath for your base or, if you prefer, use a foam wreath.

Wrap and scrunch your strips of denim around the wreath, adding pins as you go or tacking it down with a glue gun. 

Continue wrapping and twisting the strips until you have the wreath covered.

Add a bow if you like.  I tied on a bandana.  A rope or twine bow would also work well with the denim or, perhaps, a rusty cow bell or two.
Happy summer crafting! Hop around the DCC blogs and see what the other designers have in store!  Just click on the big blue button on the left hand side of my post.
Terry

PS  For all you plastic canvas lovers, check out my previous post.  I'm giving away my new leaflet and a box of supplies!