4th of July Charcuterie

 Fourth of July is a week away and you have just enough time to plan the perfect snack - a red, white and blue charcuterie board!  I saw several ideas on Pinterest and made my first charcuterie Board and I just loved how it turned out!  I wanted every food on the board to be red, white or blue.  I wanted everything to be something we liked.

Here are the things I ended up with:

salami

red grapes

club crackers

a mix of peanut and peanut butter M&Ms in red, white and blue

slices of pepper jack cheese, cut into star shapes with cookie cutters

cherries

pepperonis

red vines

salsa

gouda cheese 

(I wanted cheese that looked more white than yellow and did some research and found it's mild and tastes similar to cheddar, so I thought it was a perfect option)

blue corn tortilla chips

red pepper, sliced into sticks

blueberries

cream cheese with red pepper jelly on top

4th of July Lofthouse cookies

A few other food ideas that I had, but let go were cherry tomatoes, dried cranberries, marshmallows, star shaped cookies (the kind with red or blue sprinkles on top), white powdered donuts, ranch dip, apple slices (or apples cut into stars).

I just had a medium sized cutting board to work with, I kind of wished I had a bigger one.  I think these look like really nice options: 

But once I had everything on my work surface next to me, I just started adding things to the board - it was easy to put it together.

Patriotic plates and napkins from Dollar Tree!

 

Everyone really enjoyed it!

Patriotic Windsock

 For This Project You'll Need:

tin cans (save from cooking, wash, remove label)

blue acrylic paint (I gave the kids a few options) and foam brushes

foam star stickers 

Perfect White Glitter Stars from Michaels

These are a fun red, white and blue option from Amason:

a drill

red and white ribbon

string (I used blue and white butchers twine)

hot glue gun/glue (or glue dots)

Step 1: To prepare for this craft, save cans, wash them and remove the labels.  Then drill two holes on the sides, near the top (the part that still has a lid).  Gather materials. You could also cut lengths of ribbon.

Step 2:  Let the kids choose a blue paint and paint their cans.

Step 3:  Add ribbon around the bottom with glue dots or a hot glue gun, alternating red and white.

Step 4:  Add star stickers on the can.

Step 5:  Add the twine through the two drilled holes and tie, which will be the hanger.

Then hang outside and enjoy!

Summer Window Boxes

I've lived in my house for less than a year and I LOVE that my house has window boxes, but I'm still figuring out what looks good in them and what to do with them each season.  Summer is the first season that has really worked.  I love pulling up to my house every day and seeing them!

Here they are empty in May, with the plants I picked out ready to be planted.

Newly planted

 About 2 weeks later - some really good progress

About 2 weeks later - looking amazing

The last week in June, I added this bunting and the flowers and plants went crazy (I did start using Miracle Gro liquid fertilizer - linked above) and I loved them even more.

Then I got new solar lanterns added and loved it even more!!

Have a happy and safe 4th of July!

DIY Tie Dye American Flag T-Shirts

I think this would be super fun for an extended family to make together and then plan to wear on the 4th of July!

For this project you'll need:
Dye in red and blue
t-shirt
zip ties
fabric glitter (optional)

Step 1:  You can get the t-shirt wet or leave it dry.  

Step 2:  Gather the shirt into a line and place zip ties every two inches, leaving about 4 inches at the end for the blue part of the flag.

Spray the tie dye - blue at the end and then alternate red and white (no tie dye on the white sections).

Then let dry completely.

Then follow the instructions on the tie dye - which is to "set" the color by drying for 20.

Then we added spray glitter for fun!

Here is the result - 

If you make one - post a pic on your social media with the hashtag #FlagTieDye

Happy 4th of July!

1. Happy Birthday to my ADORABLE 2 year old nephew Henry!!!

2. Happy Independence Day to you!  I designed this Free Printable as a gift to you!