Three Cheers for the Red, White and Blue (part 1)

As the 4th of July quickly approaches, I thought I would share some house pictures.

As I have said over and over, my house loves being dressed up in the red white and blue. 

 Over 20 years ago, a good friend gave me the red, white and blue bunting. It was old when she gave it to me. I used it in our entry room/staircase for years in our Kansas home. It was probably meant as outdoor bunting originally....Long before there were "outdoor" fabrics that could withstand the weather. 

 But the faded spots just adds to its charm (in my opinion). Last year I used it upstairs in our hallway where I draped "Lola" with the stars and stripes. This year I took it out of storage and hand-cleaned it. While I was letting it air dry, it occurred to me it might just work on the mantel. 

 I did not try to put it up perfectly, but rather just draped it to see if it would work. 

            I stepped back to look and enjoyed the non-perfectness of it. And so it stayed! 

 Without even meaning, one end shows stars and one end shows stripes. 

 I gathered up a few red and blue books to add to the arrangement. Every arrangement with books is a good  arrangement (again, in my opinion!).

 I recently acquired two very miniature gold frames. I added one to each side of the arrangement. In each I put an instagram picture. (Have you printed off your instagram pictures? They are so much fun). 

 Besides the huge oval frame I frequently keep on the mantel, I also added to square frames with chippy gold. 

 Red, white, blue and gold. Classic. 

 This is a picture of my Five, that I took 24 years ago in July. I made it into an instagram picture and had it printed as well. My babies were newborn through seven years old in that picture. Ahhh, seems like yesterday!

 I will have to say from start to finish this took me about 15 minutes. Part whimsy. Part classic. Pure fun. 

 Tomorrow I'll take you outside for the second part of our Three Cheers for the Red, White and Blue! 

Did you see my red, white and blue hutch?

Linking with:

Metamorphosis Monday

Wow Us Wednesday

Stone Gable TTT

Open House Thursday