So here I am already wanting to rename this post too. As I was posting these pictures, I realized how much of my decorating is done "for free" or "for pennies". I'll point them out as we go.
The Uncle Sam in the scale is just a download mounted on card stock.
Last year was the first year that I did not have a mirror over this piece and decided that I needed a wreath. This is one of my "for pennies" crafts as I think I had the grape vine wreath and a lot of the ribbons and embellishments. All I really had to buy was the Uncle Sam hat and at 50% off, that wasn't too bad.
One of my grand children pointed out to me last year that I had the hand written Declaration of Independence coming out of a typewriter! I think we had a lesson on "poetic license"...or something.
This "chalk board" sign was a free download and I simply found an old frame and painted it red. The "fire cracker" is a paper towel tube covered with scrap book paper and embellished.
The pillow cover on the bench was my PB knock-off from a year or two ago. I did have to buy the linen but I made a bunch of them for gifts and probably didn't spend what I would have for one if I had purchased them from PB.
The Liberty banner was copied from a Bethany Lowe design I saw. I used red card stock for the background and then downloaded "patriotic" writings, glued them together and cut with fancy scissors. I used my Cricut to cut out the letters and glittered them up thick. I embellished with a clear glass bead and glittered star and hung them on some cord I had around. This project was totally free as I had everything in my craft room.
The other "for pennies" was the little flag in the frame. I simply downloaded it all and slipped it into a small shadow box frame that I found at HL for 50% off.
The Statue of Liberty print is another download and the Pledge of Allegiance is simply an old cloth flag I had around that I tea stained and then wrote the pledge on the white stripes.
I have posted about these signs often. One year my grand daughters and I made them as gifts for almost every holiday. I simply bought the craft wood letters when they were on sale. We glued them together, covered them with scrap book paper and embellished with stamps, stickers, ribbon, etc.
This cute little sign was simply ripped from a July issue of a Mary Emmerling magazine and framed.
And, I still love the flag daughter #1 made me many, many years ago from a brown paper bag. If I remember correctly, it got painted with craft paint and then crumbled up to look old. She flattened it back out and rubbed on stain. The stain gives it a "leathery" feel and it has lasted forever just fine!
Nothing in this vignette was "for free" or "for pennies" - as a matter of fact most of them are collectibles from my favorite shop in Micanopy...but, when I find a treasure that speaks to me, I will give in to it. After all, look at all the money I just saved from all of my other projects!
So that is this year's living room. Glad my camera doesn't pick up all of the dust that is still floating around. Only a few more jobs to get finished and the bathroom should be done. I am hoping after that that I can begin to dig out of the haze! Stay tuned.
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