Dressing the Exterior in Red, White, and Blue

 

 

I am so excited about this coming holiday week-end.  The entire family will be here, and I am beyond happy.  As I mentioned in a recent post, July 4th is my second favorite holiday, and if we are in town, we go all out.  Last year I missed the big celebration because Jordan and I were bicycling in France, and Mr. Right was bicycling across Canada.  Our son and his wife were in Nebraska, but I’ll have them all here this  year.  Plus, it is Little Miss’s first big family get-together, and our son Cory and his wife Josie will be celebrating their second wedding anniversary.  So, there’s a lot to be happy about.  We were out of town last week, and we just returned home Monday.  I am scrambling to get everything ready so that I can enjoy everyone and all of our activities without being frazzled.  The first project that I completed was dressing the exterior in some red, white, and blue.  Even though we live in a townhouse, there’s still plenty of space to spiff up.

 

 

I purposely planted red and white wave petunias in the planters this year using this method so they would match the red, white, and blue flag and banner.

 

 

I hung a banner over the transom window.

 

 

And of course the flag went in its holder.  It’s so nice that this area blends well with the foyer that I wrote about yesterday.  It’s all ready for “drinks on the stoop” Saturday evening while we wait for Shakespeare in the Park to begin.  We will be enjoying “As You Like It” under the stars, and it’s so nice that we can just walk across the street to enjoy this very popular annual event.

 

 

We have a bench in the small courtyard entry, and I added some red, white, and blue pillows that I already had.  I made the flag pillow last week when visiting my mother.  Her craft room resembles a fabric store, and I knew she would have something red, white, and blue stashed away.

 

 

It was so simple to make.  I wanted a rectangular shaped pillow, so I cut out red and white gingham measuring 14 x 21.  Then I cut out a piece of navy blue that looked to be in the right proportion to the gingham.  I used a zig-zag stitch to attach the blue.  I sewed three sides together and used polyester pillow batting to stuff the pillow.  Normally, I use a pre-made down pillow, but since this will only be used a few days, the poly is fine.  Then I whip stitched the open side shut.  It took about 30 minutes to make the entire pillow from beginning to end.

 

 

Have you all gotten your exterior decorated yet?    Be sure to come back tomorrow.  We did a little research into our recipe archives, and Jordan wrote a post highlighting some that will be perfect for your holiday menu.  See you then.  Thanks so much for stopping in.

 

Take care.