You’re a Grand Old Flag

Most people don’t know this about me… but my favorite holiday is the 4th of July!

And I mean by a landslide. 🙂

Sure, I love Christmas and I can eat my weight’s worth in pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, but the 4th gets my heart racing faster than any other holiday on the calendar. I couldn’t really tell you exactly why, but I think it has a lot to do with our family traditions… the things we grew up doing together that I wouldn’t trade for anything. I have the best memories of celebrating the 4th with my family. Stay tuned for a closer look into some of those treasured traditions early next week… I think I’ll snap a few photos this weekend so I can show you just how hard we party for America. Here’s a #throwback to hold you over until then…

BUT, before the party gets started, I figured I’d share a patriotic project I’ve been working on today. This one was fun because it probably took about an hour from start to finish and I love love love how it turned out…

Awhile ago, I was running through our neighborhood and came across a house with a whole bag full of garbage sitting on their front curb… with this inside:

So, of course, I sprinted back to my car to go and rescue it from the trash. To make the pallet flag, all I did was pull off a few of the boards (careful of rusty nails!)…

And then cut them to size…

Giving me four equal-ish boards. Don’t worry about being exact- that’s part of the charm! I gave them each a light sanding…

And then watered down some white paint we had in our stash to do a little white washing.

See the difference between just the painted board and the one that I painted and then wiped the excess off? After sanding the white ones to bring out more of that rustic charm, the boards were ready for assembly. All I did was saw off two more pallet pieces to use as braces across the backs of the boards. Screw them together nice and tight…

Add a hanging system, if you’re planning on hanging it on the wall or a door…

And when you flip it all over, you have a flag! The cool thing about this is that you could also use it for other decoration too… it doesn’t have to be patriotic (just wait and see).

Ok, about those stars- because I didn’t want anything permanent (again, I can use the base itself for other things that way), I opted for a few stars cut out of scrapbook paper and outlined in black Sharpie for emphasis.

Tape ’em wherever you want, and you’re all set for a party!

I love that it’s red, white, and blue without being over the top.

Pair it with a bowl of popcorn (that seemed Americana for some reason to me) and some empty glasses and you’ve created a quick and easy appetizer table for the big day!

Happy 4th of July, everybody! May your hot dogs be charred, your tan lines be bold, and your sparklers long-lasting. Can’t wait to check back and see how everyone celebrated this weekend! What are your family traditions?