The Unofficial Start of Summer

Happy almost Memorial Day! It's kind of hard to believe that the unofficial start of summer starts in just a few days. I wrote in previous posts that this May has been a blur. It won't slow down much in the upcoming weeks, because we have things going on pretty much every week until after the 4th of July. 

We survived graduation week. This was the last picture that I took at the graduation.  We thought this picture was really funny when I caught him mid jump. It is a keeper for sure! I am currently planning his graduation party which is planned for mid June. 

While I will be making some custom wrappers for our party,  I did just add some new  printable graduation candy bar wrappers in my Etsy shop this week.  

We are looking forward to having a few extra days off of work to celebrate Memorial Day this year.  We will be attending a cookout, but I am not sure about the rest of the weekend.  If you are having any parties or cookouts that you are going to host or attend,  here are a few of my previous patriotic posts  if you are looking for some new ideas. 

While I originally created this post for 4th of July a few years back, these Easy Pops might be a fun treat for your Memorial Day parties.  I have been asked to bring potato salad to the party we are attending, but I might make these again for the 4th of July.  

If you are out and about buying flowers this weekend, I thought I would share one of my favorite planters I made.  I loved the look of the red, white and blue flowers.  You can read more about how I put it together here.

When it was time to celebrate the 4th, I added these easy fireworks to make it even more festive.  This would be a fun craft to make with kids. 

Whatever you do this during this unofficial first weekend of summer, I hope it is a good one! 

 

 

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Last minute 4th of July ideas you can do this weekend!

Happy 4th of July weekend! 

I don't know about you, but it feels like the holiday snuck up on me. It know it is because I have been very busy the last few weeks.  School ended mid June, and then I immediately started watching my friends boys until the end of the month.  On top that the little girl in this picture had a birthday, and my boyfriends daughter did too.  I have been busy planning a watermelon themed party for this weekend.  If you are like me, the 4th has been an after thought, and now I want some last minute ideas on how to celebrate.  I looked back to some of my past posts over the years and I found a few of my favorites.   

*this post contains affiliate links 

One of our favorite desserts for the holiday is this Quick and Easy 4th of July Pie. One year when I made this, we had guests staying at our house. It disappeared so fast that this was one of the few pictures I got of it.  This pie is so good you will want to make it again and again. 

Using Dollar Tree garland we have made Quick and Easy Patriotic Wreaths. They are not only a lot of fun to make but cost only a couple of dollars.  (if you love Dollar Tree crafts you will want to follow me on Instagram) I have been sharing amazing Dollar Tree Crafts that I have been finding, and it seems a lot of people like it. :)  There are some really creative people out there. 

You can make your own fireworks decorations with this Easy Fireworks Craft.   This one was fun to make, just make sure it doesn't get wet. 

If you have colorful planters and red, white and blue plants, you can easily put together this Patriotic Planter.

Put some "pop" in your 4th with these Easy Pops. I remember my kids really liked helping me make the pops.  

If you need any last minute 4th of July decor or party items, many Dollar Trees still have some available.  You can see some of what you might find in my post Summer Party Ideas - Patriotic. 

Hopefully you will be able to use a few of these quick and easy ideas, and have a wonderful 4th of July! 

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Summer Party Ideas - Patriotic

** This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Now is the perfect time to stock up on patriotic party supplies at the Dollar Tree. Not only can you decorate for the 4th  without spending a lot of money, but you can also find everything you need for a party from patriotic dinnerware, crafts, flags, and more.  

There are several different patterns  for their plates, napkins, cups, and tablecloths. If you like the more traditional red and white checked bbq accessories, they have that too. 

This Uncle Sam wreath was my favorite find this year.  I mean how cute it this for only $1.  I might change out the ribbon with a bigger one, but I will definitely be hanging this one on my door.  

They are several wooden wall signs that you can use as is, or use in other projects. 

These signs are almost 2 feet long, and make great welcome signs. 

One thing that the Dollar Tree seems to have every holiday and season is truck decor..  They change the colors and details, but they are always big sellers.   You can see many of the holiday truck items from last year in this post here.  

Another very popular item that the Dollar Tree has been bringing out every holiday this past year is gnomes.  This summer they are in the form of metal garden stakes.  I think my favorite is the red one holding the heart.  

They also have metal truck garden stakes, and wall signs. 

Their solar lights are a really good quality and a great price at only a dollar each.  These red, white and blue lights are perfect for the 4th.  There are many other styles to choose from as well if you want to use them all year. 

Here are some other party finds from this year, mini buckets, a inflatable cooler, and a patriotic headband. 

A recent find was this 11 foot welcome home sign.  It was huge, and would sell for several dollars more at other stores. 

Here are two other options for banner/garland to decorate your home.  The one on the left says Happy 4th of July, and the one on the right is a combo of stars and tassels.  

In this picture are just some of the tinsel garland, and mini signs that are available.  Believe it or not there are a lot more patriotic items that I do not have pictured in this post.   You can see more Dollar Tree items here on the Dollar Tree website.  If you do order anything from their website remember you don't have to pay shipping because they will ship your items for FREE to your local store.

How do you plan to celebrate the 4th of July this year? 

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Quick and Easy Ideas for the 4th of July

This picture is one of my favorite 4th of July photos of my daughter  Our town has a big parade every year and she was very excited to dress up in her red, white and blue and special crown we made. 

We have made several 4th of July crafts and treats  over the years, and today is the perfect time to re-share them because there is still plenty of time to make them for your celebrations this weekend. 

*this post contains affiliate links 

One of our favorite desserts for the holiday is this Quick and Easy 4th of July Pie. One year when I made this, we had guests staying at our house. It disappeared so fast that this was one of the few pictures I got of it.  

Using Dollar Tree garland we have made Quick and Easy Patriotic Wreaths. They are not only a lot of fun to make but cost only a couple of dollars.  

You can make your own fireworks decorations with this Easy Fireworks Craft 

If you have colorful planters and red, white and blue plants, you can easily put together this Patriotic Planter.

Put some "pop" in your 4th with these Easy Pops. 

Hopefully you will be able to use a few of these quick and easy ideas, and have a wonderful 4th of July! 

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Last Minute 4th of July Wreath Craft

We are still busy packing and getting ready for our move. Unfortunately we will not be able to enjoy leisure time on the 4th this year.  For those of you who are looking for fun ways to decorate for the 4th, I am posting this throwback post that my daughter shared on how to make Quick and Easy Patriotic Wreaths.  They take only minutes to make and are very festive.

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Free 4th of July Printable - Feature of the Day

Are you ready for the 4th of July yet?  I have to admit, this year it kind of snuck up on me.  We were so busy in June, that I can't believe the 4th is only two days away.  There is still time to make some  flags using the free  printable from  Carrie Elle. They would be fun to print for the kids to color.  Your kids will be  proud to  take their flags  to the holiday parade, or to decorate your 4th of July BBQ.  Thank you so much Carrie for linking up this great printable to Dare to Share.

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4th of July Patriotic Wreath - Feature of the Day

I have been busy preparing for our annual neighborhood garage sale, but I know as soon as it is over it will be time to get into 4th of July mode.  I LOVE this 4th of July Patriotic Flag Wreath made from burlap by A Mom's Take, She gives a wonderful picture tutorial so anyone can follow along and make one too.  Be sure to stop over and see how she made this beautiful wreath.  Thanks so much Janel for linking up you this great craft  to Dare to Share!

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Quick and Easy Fireworks Craft

Can you believe next week is already the 4th of July?   I have a quick and easy craft that will be a great addition to your patriotic decor.   With just a few items you probably already have at home, you can make your own cardboard fireworks. 

The base of the fireworks are just regular old toilet paper tubes. Make sure you remove any remaining paper pieces  before painting.  I find Charmin usually has the cleanest tube.  While I like Cottonelle to use, a lot of times there is paper stuck to the roll. 

I painted each tube one color.  When making your own though, you can be creative, and paint the tube however you like.  I am thinking of trying a striped tube for my next round of fireworks.

I raided my scrapbooking stash, and found some gold letters.  I also added some flags and stars to my fireworks.   I know JoAnns  has 4th of July sticker books in their dollar section by the registers, if you don't already have stickers at home. 

I used a bamboo skewer to make the fuse.  I used scotch tape and secured it inside the tube. 

To make the cone top, I found something that was a few inches bigger than the end of the toilet paper tube.  I cut out the circle and then made a cut to the center.   The cut allows you to  form a cone. 

Once you have the cone to the size you want, secure it with a piece of tape. If you don't want the tape to be seen, secure it with glue or a scrapbooking adhesive.  I just made sure that the tape faced the back.  The hardest part of this craft was attaching the cone to the tube.  I used a bit of adhesive in the cone where it touched  the tube, and added a couple small pieces of tape on the outside of the tube to secure it in place. 

The rockets make a fun centerpiece when placed in a bucket of candy.  

I also thought they looked good in my Patriotic Planter.  I placed them in the planter after I took pictures of them in the candy.   It has been raining quite a bit around here lately, so I will have to wait until closer to the 4th to use them outside.  

I will be linking up my fireworks craft to this amazing linky parties here. Be sure to stop by and check them out.  

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Put some "POP" in your 4th of July

Do you like the look of cake pops, but not the time it takes to make them?  Here are several types of pops that would be fast and fun to make for your 4th of July get together.   Kraft has Jumbo StarMallows in the stores right now that are only out for a limited time.  It is super easy put the three colors on a lollipop stick or skewer. Marshmallow lovers would eat them right up.   The USA pops are Oreos covered in red, white and blue candy melts.  I have been looking for the plain Oreo mold, but all I have been able to find are the ones with extra shapes.  It was not too difficult to dip these by hand, they are just not quite as smooth as an Oreo from the mold. 

These colorful pops are made from packaged Rice Krispie Treats dipped in candy melts. They are decorated with  Wilton Patriotic Stars and Sprinkles, and Sparkle Gel.  I used a thicker lollipop stick for these pops because they are a bit heavier than the other pops. 

A fun way to display the pops is to fill a container such as this Ikea  bucket with colored candy.  I found red hot tamales, and white chocolate gems on sale at Meijer.   The candy helps keep the pops in place, and after they are gone, guests can help themselves to the candy. 

The pops are all ready for the 4th! (Though I know they will disappear long before then) 

This post is part of the Sharing is Caring Summer Blog Hop hosted by http://www.lifewithlovebugs.com"> Life With Lovebugs

, http://www.powerfulmothering.com"> Powerful Mothering, and http://www.aspectacledowl.com"> A Spectacled Owl!

All of the blogs listed below are sharing Summer themed posts as part of this event, so click on one or all of the links below to find some great recipes, tutorials, crafts and more!

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