Inspired by... red, white and blue

Inspired by... red, white and blue

Ah, the colors of summer: orange creamsicle, sunny yellow, grey (and pink!) dolphin and periwinkle blue... just thinking of those colors makes me want to grab my bucket and flip flops and head to the beach!  And yet...

Somehow the patriotic colors of red, white and blue are the perfect backdrop to family and friends gathering around the grill, baseball games and of course, 4th of July.  It's interesting that summer is neatly divided by three patriotic holidays: Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day.  I decided this fact was a great excuse to make one wreath... that I could leave up all summer!  (Don't get me wrong, I love wreaths, I'm just not very good at making them!)

(keep reading for a free patriotic printable!!)

My Easter wreath (desparately) needed to come down! 

My attempt to duplicate Amanda's Easter Egg Wreath was, uh, just okay.   Her's is much better and you can find it over at Every Creative Endeavor... it is sure to inspire! (bookmark it for next year!)

At least Aslan (my baby kitty) got his own mini boa out of the deal when I took the wreath apart! (He loves feathers!)

At first, I was going to make Madigan's Simple Flower Lei Wreath (isn't it gorgeous!).  But, as previously mentioned, I didn't really want to make more than one wreath this summer and knew I would want something patriotic up for July 4th.  (My dollar store did, however, have those fabulous little balls which I'm using in another display in my home.  If it works out I'll share it with you!)

The inspiration for this wreath sort of evolved over time.  I found this great star at the dollar store...

and had some old wind socks with red, white and blue streamers that I used to wrap the wreath frame with...

Further inspiration was slow in coming until I saw this great star garland that Madigan made. (Don't 'cha love her use of turquiose!)  I stuck with the traditional royal blue.  I also laminated the paper before cutting out the stars.  Although our front door is protected by a porch, I thought they would hold up better if laminated. (I picked up my thermal laminator from Amazon for under $30!)

The final touch was this sign...

...which I'm offering to you as a free printable.  Just click on the image to open it in a new screen, then right click to save.  All I ask is that you comment and let me know how you think you might use it! (Thanks to Delicious Scraps for some of the design elements! I also used their elements in my header graphic!)

All-in-all, I'm pretty pleased with the result and the bold colors look great against our rustic front door. 

What do you think?

No matter what you're doing this summer, I hope these patriotic colors will inspire you to remember the men and woman, veterans and active-duty military, who make these freedoms possible.

PS If you're looking for more wreath inspiration, Jessica over at O. Alouette has some great ideas!