Window Flower Box for my Princess

Addie has said over and over that she wants flowers outside her window.. so when she looks outside she can see the pretty flowers and look for the fairies.  *yes, this is her world and I just live in it*   Since I can barely to remember to water my flowers on my front porch... I figure remembering to take care of flowers on the side of the house probably isn't going to happen.  But.. I think I succeeded in giving this girlie a flower garden .. without the hassle of maintenance. 

Pretty proud of this little flower box.. more so because I just decided to do it and actually did it all in the same day!  Small Victories!

 

 

I used pallet wood- but this time didn't have to cut each piece slooooowly with a little hand saw.  I used this baby!  Matt's Father's Day gift :)  hehehehe

OH MY GOSH!  Why didn't I get this for "Matt" sooner!!  Zip Zip and I was done, with pretty decent cuts.  Rough, yes, but it works for what it is.   I nailed the sides together.. somewhat challenging (next "he's" getting a nail gun!)  then dusted off the saw dust and got out the spray paint!  (I did not even bother sanding it.)

I put some that green floral Styrofoam stuff at the bottom and put flowers in it for her.

 

I'm hoping she doesn't need to pick them.. that foam stuff crumbles and makes such a mess!  ;)

 

A happy little flower box.. she's happy... I'm happy.

 

Right?! Purple and Pink and Princess!! 

and a happy little flower box

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under construction

I'm playing around with different templates and designs ... trying to change this up a little and make it new and fresh.  Not really sure what i'm doing..  lol!

any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

sorry, that's all...

Anchors Away Wreath

Here's a few festive things I got done in the nick of time for the 4th!!  You know how it is.. You think you have plenty of time and then it sneaks right up on you! Or maybe that's just me?!   That is what happened to me with our vacation thrown in there. I really wanted to make a new wreath and I have quite a few Patriotic wreaths pinned .. Such good intentions. I knew it was not going to happen if I didn't make it simple ... I remembered I had part of a plastic table cloth wreath started.. In white. Score!  Plus I bought some nautical ribbon a while back that I wanted to use. And (I know the suspense is killing you).. I found a wooden anchor from my "Americana" days.. It just needed to meet the white spray paint!  So bring on a night of wine with a friend who graciously sat with me while I tied strips of plastic table cloth to a wire wreath form while.  And a rainy afternoon during nap time where I chatted it up the phone with my BFF and caught up on "the most dramatic rose ceremony ever" to finish up the ribbon... And BOOM!  A firecracker of a wreath, done.

 The plastic tablecloth is perfect for the humid July weather in Florida! 

Seriously.. All you do is cut strips of the table cloth (about 8 inches long and an inch or so wide).  This is not for the exact science types.. Just eyeball it!   I chose to tie it on to the inner circle, the second row, and the fourth row on the wire wreath.  I think it looks full enough without having to tie every row.  But, you be the judge ;)  Click here to see some larger and fuller versions I made.

As for the ribbon.. I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do.. So I played around with it till I came up with this.  I didn't cut it, I just made loops and hen secured it to the wreath form with wire.  It was sort of a variation of the ribbon wreath I made recently, but without making all the loops individually. 

Happy 4th!  

I used the extra ribbon as I typically do... To make Addie a hair bow ;) and one for her BFF. 

oops.. I saved it wrong I guess.. you get the idea ;)

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Pride

Hope you had a great celebration of Independance Day!  It's one of my favorite holidays.  I love that its laid back and spent with friends, good food, and weather permitting.. Outside!  I also love taking the day to remember and give thanks for our freedoms, our founders & their principles they built the country on, and of course for our military families sacrificing to protect.

As a military spouse I know firsthand what kind of sacrifices we military families make. It's not glorious and it doesn't need to be trumpeted.  We aren't asking for recognition. But respect and a nod to the efforts is greatly appreciated. It makes me smile. 

After nearly 12 years in the military way of life, I still tear up during most versions of The National Anthem. That probably will never cease to make my heart swell with PRIDE.  

It's Pride for our country. Because though flawed and often arrogant.. We still know how to come together and take care of one another when it truly counts.

Pride for the wounded and fallen soldiers.  I am thankful for their service.  I grieve for their families. 

Pride for my husband and our many friends who serve.  I am always humbled by their continued dedication to something that is so much more than a job. 

Pride for the spouses I have met ..They keep me going. These are amazing women who became life long friends & taught me that its more than ok to cry and how to still move forward and even enjoy the sisterhood formed through deployments. 

Pride for the military kids.  The kids truly have my heart. They endure moves, schools, deployments, and more goodbyes than a kid should have to know... And it's not always easy or done gracefully. But for all these hardships.. They do have something Awesome that is only understood by a fellow "brat" .. Homecoming!  I pray the kids would learn what makes our country special, learn the history, and develop a respect for those that serve and did serve. I pray they learn to show reverence to the ones that made the ultimate sacrifice on days such as July 4 and other American holidays. I pray that they are a light in their friendships with civilian kids to demonstrate patriotism even at a young age. 

I am thankful my husband was home this year, I don't take that for granted. And I found myself thinking all day on the 4th, "Next year -at this time- he will be back home.  Deployment will be over again. We just have to make it through all the stuff in between."  

Drawing on that Pride.

July Mantel

Here's my July mantel... I Really like it!! It's going to stay up there all month. 

I love the ribbon threaded through the shutter..Reminiscent of a flag, I think.  The nautical ribbon iso cute!  The stars I've had for a long time. After some spray paint.. I finally found a home for them. 

 This sounds silly... But I kept looking at this the other night, thinking, "something is not right."  But I couldn't quite pin point it. Finally it hit me... The stars on the bottle needed to pop. So white spray paint for them.. And now I like!

Oh my sweet Garrett!  This was back in 06, when Matt came home (Brunswick, Maine) from deployment.  I just love this pic.. 

Aside from the poor photo .. I am happy with it!  

Happy 4th of July!!