As I am writing this I am in the mountains of Arizona and out of the insufferable Phoenix heat. The only downside to owning a second home is there is always some maintenance problem to tackle. But I’m not complaining, as it is cool, green and gorgeous here. So let’s get started on our chat about all good things this past week. Thank you for joining me for Saturday Meanderings on this July 4th holiday weekend.

Speaking of home maintenance..

Upon our return from our 10 day trip to Nantucket, the air-conditioning unit servicing the kitchen, mud room, and library died. Fortunately, our HVAC person is able to quickly respond and get us a new one. OMG! When did the price of air conditioners skyrocket? But after a full day of installation, the kitchen is now nice and cool.

Our cabin has decks made of wood. One of these days, I know we should go to the expense to replace them with a composite material, like Trex. But that too is expensive and anything to do with construction materials is difficult to get right now. Well, I just couldn’t stand the blistering surface of the top of the deck railing by the front door. So a couple of quick passes with a belt sander and a few coats of Behr’s Weatherproofing All-in-One stain and sealer, and it’s a temporary fix for now.

Isn’t Nature Interesting?

As you may recall, we bring our big pots of geraniums up to the mountains for the summer. They LOVE the cooler weather and occasional rains. One of the first things I do when I get to our cabin, is dead head the plants and water them.

However, yesterday, a bird did not appear happy that I was near the plant. It was chattering at me looking quite disturbed. Sure enough, look at the beautiful nest I found buried in all the foliage. But why 3 blue eggs and a speckled one?

Why is a cowbird egg in someone else’s nest?

Cowbirds are brood parasites, which means females lay their eggs in the nests of other birds and let the other mother bird do all of the rearing.

The cowbird will wait for a resident bird to leave her nest and then will usually damage or remove one or more eggs and replace that one or more eggs with her own.

The foster parents unknowingly raise the young cowbirds. Who knew? Thanks to my son, Benjamin for sending me this information.

Update on Furniture damage

Thanks to many of you who shared their remedies for repairing the damage to the dining room table. I did try mayonnaise, but to no avail.

Once we return home, I may try a few more times, but in the meantime, are also seeking knowledgeable furniture repair specialists.

Grilling

It’s that time of year for lots of barbecuing and I cannot recommend these grill mats enough. Not only do they minimize clean up, but the grill marks still occur and the food tastes the same. Recently, we did grilled peaches and they were perfect!

I like the fact that you don’t have a messy grill when you are finished cooking. The mats clean up easily and are reusable. You can find them here.

My Garden

The high summer heat does fry many of the plants in the garden. Surprisingly some plants are actually blooming, like the Lady Slipper, a succulent that looks a bit prehistoric to me. The thin, lime green, leafless stems, create wavy, straight or arched clustered growth.

Right now, they are flowering with delicate pink blossoms that look like a lady’s slipper. Sorry the photo is a bit blurry.

Pumpkins in July? I just picked two pumpkins from the garden. One of these years, I am going to get the timing right. Last time I grew Fairytale pumpkins they were done by mid-June. But aren’t the stems wonderful?

Beautiful Pillows

One of the beautiful items I received in the May box from My Stylish French Box, is this gorgeous pillow sham. The colors are perfect for our master bedroom (see the master bedroom here). Not only is the quality very good, but I am able to order another one through the website. The second pillow sham arrived and don’t they look fabulous on our bed? Here is the link to the pillow sham.

Apparently the theme for the August box will be Un Weekend à Saint-Tropez. To learn more about this box, click here. These boxes make perfect gifts too.

Happy Independence Day!

Wishing you all an enjoyable, safe and happy holiday. Remember to celebrate the true meaning of July 4th~our freedom and the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Thank you again for following me and sharing all your stories, inspirations, and recipes. I am so grateful to all of you!

If you missed any of my posts this week, you can find them below.

I confess that I am not a good DIY-er. My optimistic and ambitious nature often leads me into a false sense of “I can do this”. Yesterday, I got a bee in my bonnet to use up some of the numerous ribbon I have and decide it might be fun to make a ribbon wreath. If you have any red, white, and blue ribbon or even fabric, you too can make this DIY patriotic wreath.

Since we always celebrate July 4th at our mountain cabin, I realize that I have very little July 4th decor here in Phoenix. So the combination of getting rid of excessive ribbon and my silly belief that I can do anything, I ambitiously set forth and seek my materials.

Generally to be successful, one needs a positive attitude, fortitude and hopefully a bit of aptitude. I definitely possess the first two, but for some reason DIY projects do not come naturally to me. However, I plow through them and occasionally I will have a success.

The Materials

Starting with a single wire 14″ wire frame (I did not use the green one in the photo above) and lots of leftover ribbon, you will also need floral wire and scissors. I would imagine you can make this with any wreath frame you may have on hand.

Making the Bows

Now I proceed to make bows, lots of them. The more you fold the ribbon, the more fluffy the bow will be. I use floral wire around the middle.

Tightening the wire will pinch the center of the ribbon. Pull the layers of ribbon apart for fullness.

My first mistake is that the bows are a bit too small. Making bigger and more abundant bows will make this project go by much faster. Once I realize this, I add larger bows next to the smaller ones.

Affixing to the Frame

Twisting the wire around the frame secures the bows, but does not keep them from rotating. The more bows you add, eventually they will pack together and not spin around. Again, think bigger bows! Less work!

Mix up the colors and patterns of the ribbons. This is a great way to use up all the scraps of ribbons I collect (does anyone else do that?)

For the 14″ wire frame, I made approximately 32 bows. To fill in, I also add single ribbons that are tied to the frame to add more color and interest.

Couple of things to note:

The larger the frame, the more bows you will have to make. This would actually look cute in a smaller size too. I wonder if you could just tie strips of fabric onto the frame and tie bows, but I’m not sure how time consuming that would be.

Here is the finished wreath. I suppose you could squish more bows onto it if you’d like. But at this point, I am ready for it to be done!

If I were to do this again, I would make much fuller bows and I bet you would be able to reduce the bow-making task significantly.

How Long?

The entire project did take me about 2 hours, with some interruptions. I think this would also be cute as a table wreath with a vase of flowers or perhaps a tray of cookies in the middle? If I were to use this outside, I would spray the ribbon with a UV protectant spray like this.

If you are not a DIY person, here is a very cute wreath on Amazon that is quite affordable. Patriotic ribbon can be found here and wreath frames here if you don’t have any on hand. Floral wire can be found at Michaels or any craft store or here.

Happy Wednesday, my friends! The air conditioner has been replaced and now it is cool and comfortable in my kitchen!!

For more July 4th ideas, check out these previous posts.

If you enjoy this post, please share on Pinterest!

This post shared with Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday #666

I do like making decorations I can use over multiple holidays. Anything red, white and blue is good for Memorial Day, Flag Day, July 4th, Labor Day or just a fun summer holiday party. Here are two easy ways to make two DIY patriotic garlands using both paper and fabric, some twine and glue. All the items I have laying around so get creative and see what supplies you may already have on hand.

The Paper Banner

These paper placemats from Hester & Cook will be used on my patriotic table for July 4th. But I am using two of these placemats to create the blue triangles for a 5 foot long garland. For the red/white triangles, use any paper from a craft store. This red and white paper table runner I am using is also from Hester & Cook. Even though these products are designed for table settings, I often use them for crafts or wrapping paper.

If you need paper supplies, Amazon has a great selection of patriotic paper here.

First I fold the paper placemat length-wise, creating a 6″ x 18″ cutting surface, with the pattern inside.

Not wanting to make this a difficult math problem, I divide the 18″ into 6 triangles that fit within the paper size. You can make the size of the triangle whatever you want. Mine are 6″ wide by 6″ long.

Since I want a garland with the pattern on both sides, I will only use the triangles I can fold over and secure. So in the picture above, I will have leftover triangles. You can toss these or create another project with them.

Using the first triangle as a template, I trace it on the red/white striped paper that I, too, fold.

Once I have cut enough red and white striped triangles (really diamonds), I am ready to assemble.

Assemble the Garland

Cut the appropriate length of your twine. This cute twine holder with scissors in the above photo can be found here. I keep this handy in the kitchen on the shelf above the stove, as I use it often.

When you lay open the folded triangle it forms a diamond. Using glue sticks, secure the triangle to the twine, so they do not slide. Also add glue to the edges and tip. I try to limit my use of glue because the paper can look bumpy if you use too much. Use too little and the triangle will not stick to itself. Fold over the triangle and press to secure.

Alternate the colors of the triangle. I do this until I have 5 blue star pattern and 4 red/white stripes. You can certainly cut more triangles for a longer garland, but 9 triangles at this size will make a 5′ long garland.

Affixing the Garland

Using removable clear Command hooks, I secure each end of the garland to the top of the mantel.

Here is the finished garland. It is so simple and very colorful!

Fabric Garland

Finding yards and yards of this flag fabric in our garage inspired me to try a different type of garland…one with torn strips of material.

Since the fabric is 42″ wide, I cut 15 notches at 2 1/2 ” wide. Tearing the strips along the width of the fabric is quite satisfying! I end up with 15 2 1/2″ x 42″ strips.

I fold the strips in half and cut and tidy up the edges by cutting off the selvage using pinking shears. Now I have 30 strips of fabric which I tie onto a length of twine.

Assemble the Garland

Here you can put the fabric strips as close together or as far apart as you’d like. As you are tying on the strips, make sure the lengths match.

Once all the strips are on the twine, your garland is complete!The most time consuming part of this is tying on all the strips of fabric.

This rag garland can be made with any fabric or individual strips of red, white and blue material. Cute gingham would work too. This is so easy and would be a fun project with children. All it takes is ripping and tying and doing it yourself!

I hope this post will inspire you to create a DIY patriotic garland. You don’t need a mantel or fireplace. This garland would look fun on a door or window frame, over a table or strung between trees. Be creative! Share your projects with me, as I love seeing what you design.

If you enjoy this post, please feel free to share on Pinterest.

This post shared with Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday #647