Star Spangled Banner

Today I am getting ready for the  Fourth of July Celebration.  I am going to be doing some cooking and baking.  Tomorrow we are going to the "Wet Parade" out in Pueblo West like we have in years past, and are going to our friends the Jone's house afterwards for some food and fun.  We are all going to pitch in and cook.  

Meanwhile back at the ranch...   I was wanting to make a few easy decorations this year ; I had a few simple things that I do every year,  but had an itch to do something crafty, fun and easy. I ended up making this little banner.  I thought I would share it with you.  If you need a simple Fourth of July craft you can make with the kids... this is one you can add to your list.  The kids will have fun helping you cut these out.  I like to put on an old movie and watch it while I do stuff like this.

On the back side of your paper, draw star  shapes with cookie  cutters as a stencil.  I dug through my cookie cutter collection and came up with four different cookie cutters.  I used all four to make a variety of sizes.

Cut  your shapes out in  different "Fourth of July type paper"... even brown paper bags will work nicely in a pinch.

I happened to have an extra piece of burlap, so I cut some burlap stars too.

Cut the burlap stars using the paper stars as a pattern.  I cut them roughly and slightly bigger than the paper stars.

Sew them together.

Sew a little bit of looped ribbon to each end (you can barley see mine on the top right corner).  That works well for hanging it in a variety of places.   In the picture above I didn't have it looped over a hook or a nail, because I didn't have the space to let it hang the way I want to leave it. I just had it on this wall to get a picture (it is my only blank wall in the house.... I am going to hang this outside; but at the moment it is too windy to get a decent picture... this is the best inside wall picture I can manage..and its not a very big wall).

Sew the stars together in a variety of ways, some with paper and burlap combined, some with only burlap and no paper stars, and you can even layer some of the shapes and sizes... which I did, but can't show you, because I took these pictures in too much of a hurry and didn't remember to get a picture of each type... sorry.... now if I done this a week ago.... I would have had plenty of time to get it just right for you; but what can I say... the fourth of July is tomorrow.  I have to get to cooking.

I will hang them out in our patio after we get everything spiffed up out there today.

They twist and turn and dangle nicely.

Have fun, and have a great Fourth of July.