Bottlecap Bunting

Yesterday, I shared my Fourth of July decorated mantel with you.  After adding the barnwood American flag, branch star, and accessories, I wanted a little bit more color.

I decided on a small bunting for the front of the mantel made out of vintage bottlecaps.  A few weeks ago,  I was explaining to my girls about how drinks used to come in glass bottles, not cans.  That got me thinking about all of the different types of soda of years past.  A cold glass bottle of fizzy soda just feels like a hot summer day, so I started looking around for some bottlecaps.

Apparently, they can be quite collectable.  I found mine on ebay through this seller.  They were all unused and most had a cork liner in the cap.  I wasn't interested in their collectable value, I was just looking for some fun colors and typography styles.

I bought a length of twill tape at the fabric store and hot glued my bottlecaps on to make the bunting.  Super simple.

You could really take this idea and go a lot of different directions.  Maybe for an older person's birthday you could use bottlecaps that would have been popular during his or her youth.  I could see making one for my husband with his favorite kinds of beer.  If I had thought of it sooner, I would have used the idea for my sister-in-law's POP themed baby shower.  Hmm, I bet I'll be making more versions of this one in the future.

Barnwood American Flag

I wanted some patriotic decor for our mantel for the rapidly approaching Fourth of July holiday.  So, I went out to our pile of leftover barn wood that we used for our house siding and dug out some red and white painted pieces.  I cut a few pieces to the same length and scraped off any big chunks of peeling paint.

 

I attached some scrap pieces of plywood to the back to hold it all together.

I printed out a large star shape to use as a pattern and began hammering small nails around the outline of the star.  When finished, I ripped the paper away and was left with tiny nails that I didn't hammer all the way in.

 I used some navy blue yarn and tied one end onto a nail at one of the points of the star.

I kept wrapping the yarn from nail to nail, keeping the tension fairly tight on my yarn.  I found that it helped to wrap the yarn all the way around each nail, to keep it from slipping off.  When I was happy with my star shape, I went around the outside line one more time and connect all of the nails with my yarn before tying it off.

I set my primitive version of an American flag up on the mantel and our living room was ready to celebrate the Fourth!  I added a large star that I made by cutting some branches to the same length, then tying them together with twine. A stack of books, some glass jars, and an old bowling pin finished it off.

Tomorrow, I'll show you my little banner I made on the front of the mantel out of old bottlecaps.

I'll be linking up to the following parties:

 

Wood Slice Coasters

I was recently cleaning some things out in my studio and I ran across a box of wood slices leftover from the branches I cut for my vase and wreath project.  I contemplated throwing them out, but I decided I must be able to use them for something.

 I took a few of the larger ones and stuck some self-adhesive felt pads on the bottom.

I was left with a set of instant coasters.  I tend to take a glass of water upstairs every night, so I now I have a cute and functional coaster to set it on.  And the best part -- it was free and took literally 30 seconds.  I spent more time going out to the garage to look for the felt pads than completing the project.

The Power of Spray Paint

It's amazing how a few coats of spray paint can transform an ugly duckling, or creepy bunny.  I found this 80's bunny planter at Goodwill for $1.49.  I gave it a good cleaning, a coat of primer, and several light coats of yellow spray paint.  That simple change took it from yuck to elegant.

 Paired with a tiny succulent plant, it provides a pop of color on the countertop in the girls' bathroom.

My husband says it's still a little creepy, but I think it's somewhat better without the eyes looking at me.  :)

You gotta love quick, easy, and cheap changes.

Picking up Chicks

 Last week, a day we had anticipated for several months finally came.  Our post office called to say that our mail order chicks had arrived!  We were waiting at the door when the post office opened.  We could hear their sweet little cheeps before we even saw the box.  The looks on the girls' faces was priceless.

 We've had a few days to get to know each other.  Our mudroom has been taken over by chick paraphernalia.  I no longer have sleepy girls climbing into my bed when they first wake up.  Instead, I hear soft footsteps bounding down the stairs to greet their chicks a good morning.

 We have 11 of these new little ladies in our life.  Unfortunately, one still seems to be a bit under the weather.  For now, she's separated from the rest while we give her some special attention.

 Grace is especially smitten with the chicks.  She loves feeding them by hand, holding them, reading books to them, and drawing pictures for them.

 Madeline likes the chicks, but would really be happy just to look at them and not touch.  She agreed to this photo if "the creepy claw feet wouldn't touch her."

 They've definitely been a learning experience for us all.  I've got way more up close and personal with these chicks than I ever imagined I would.

 Our chicks are Easter Eggers, so we have a mix of different shades of brown and one little yellow gal.  It will be interesting to see if their color now corresponds to their feather color as adults.

Lily is still a little unsure.  She likes them, but they scare her a little when they run or start flapping their wings.

Guess what you'll be seeing soon on the blog?  That's right.  The makings of a chicken coop.  These ladies grow FAST, but we have a few weeks until they're ready to be outside in the coop on their own.  Time to turn that pile of wood into a cute coop!