I'm Back!

 Wow! I feel as if I have been MIA forever! I probably should wait until tomorrow to make this post because I still have a bit of tweaking to do but I have all of the 4th of July decor out and most of spring is back where it belongs and, I'm just ready to get posting again. I reserve the right to change up anything you see here today but begin we shall! Lol

By the time I was ready to take the pictures, the sun was way too strong to get the porch so we will head straight into the living room and catch the porch another day.

Because I made so many new things:

...I knew I was going to have to make a lot of changes. And, whenever that happens, decorating just takes longer. But, I will say, it truly only took me two days for the swap and then today to put everything else away-not bad for a total swap where everything needs to go and all new stuff needs to be brought in.

I will say that when I saw this inspiration on Pinterest, I wasn't keeping my expectations high. I basically chose it because I had the supplies and I knew it would take some time so it would keep me busy for awhile. Now that it's done, I find myself loving it and I decided to move out a few of the things that used to reside here so it could take center stage.

I'm still somewhat OK with this wreath that I made so many years ago but this might be its last year. Maybe I can just tweak it a bit...we shall see...next year. Lol

I love this spindle Uncle Sam I made a few years back and the Pledge of Allegiance stands the test of time for such a simple craft.

I still love the flag holder that I made a number of years ago also. I made these for everyone in the family as gifts once I was lucky enough to find the antique ball feet at an antique fair we traveled to. I saw the inspiration in Martha Stewart Living and knew I wanted to give it a try if I could gather the supplies. It was just serendipity when I found that box full of just what I was looking for-and, at a fraction of a cost than if I had just gone with new ones from Lowes...and, so much more authentic!

I happened upon some books that I've had forever that I realized had beautiful blue and red binding and knew I could rip the covers off of some other inexpensive book club books to get "white". Once I got that far, I knew I would want this star here. At first, I used the other things that I have had here for years but then I remembered the pewter plates that I have. There are actually 7 of them and we bought them back in the bicentennial thinking that each of our girls might want one as a "souvenir" of the year as they grew and had families of their own. That never happened...and not because they didn't want them but more like I put them somewhere and never thought of them again.

Until today. For some reason that star made me think of history and I thought it might be nice to use a few of these plates. I had two of the same holders except that one was copper and one black. A simple coat of black spray paint and I had a matching set. Lol And, I love how this looks...so much better than another red candleholder with a candle or red glass container. I am so happy that I thought of this. You will see at least one more plate as we move on and maybe more if I can find room.

I almost didn't use my Bethany Lowe knock off banner this year but I love that thing so it holds on one more year!

I will say that I would so much rather have a "historical" painting hanging here but I didn't find any locally and, because I do already have this personalized sign and it fits perfectly, I just went with it. I like that the peat pots have the antique sparkler boxes to go with the theme of the sign and then I just went with the single fire cracker that I made so many, many years ago. This was another craft that I made as gifts for everyone. It wasn't my first choice for that "cubby" but I like the way it balances the side areas so I am OK with it for now.

A bit of a change up on the coffee table also.

Last year I used the brick mold here but I decided that I wanted a bit more "merchandising" room this year so I went with my small dough bowl. I used another set of red, white and blue books, the sparkler boxes I made, the new firecracker "can", the new little wood sign, some old fire crackers that I made for a banner but have since disassembled and the bead garland. I like that there is more room for everything to show this year.

The large chest remains pretty much the same.

So that is the living room so far. We shall see if it remains or changes. Lol Off to try to get the rest of spring packed up and then, since I bought every can of "Oil Rubbed Bronze" paint that Lowes had, if it isn't raining tomorrow, I know where I'll be...gotta get the rest of the pool furniture done!

Stay safe and stay tuned...and definitely try to stay cool!