I've Been Drinking Heavily...

Did that title get your attention!?! :) he he he! Sorry, I just couldn't resist! I haven't really been drinking, but I have {still} been collecting bottle caps and came up with another project just in time for the 4Th of July. If you'd like to see my other bottle cap creation, a bottle cap tray, click HERE.

Now this was my first time doing this so in retrospect there are a couple of things I would do differently, which I'll list later. Over all, I think it turned out cute. I wanted to hang this on the front door instead of a wreath, but I will have to bring it indoors should the weather get bad. It is not weather resistant.

Here's what you'll need:

Bottle caps

Scrap piece of board, I used MDF

Krylon spray paint

(Global Blue, Cherry Red, and Glossy White)

Glue gun

2 Eye screws

Patriotic ribbon

Wired Star Garland

Chipboard letters (USA)

Now I will not lie, this was one tedious project. The gluing of the caps seemed never ending...but if you can persevere, it'll be worth it. I was going to hire it out, but my teenager wanted too much money, so I went ahead and did it myself. :)

The number of bottle caps will be determined by the size of the board you're using. I used over 200 {gasp} and the size of mine is about 13 X 19. Odd I know, but it was a scrap after all.

First of all, determine your number of caps by laying them out on your board, sort of a dry fit, so to speak. Determine which will be painted blue, red and white, and separate them, I just eyeballed it. Spray prime them and let them dry, I used cardboard to paint them on and labeled each one the appropriate color so I wouldn't get mixed up...


After the primer has dried, spray on the 3 colors. I used Krylon paints because it dries really fast and you can quickly do 2 or 3 coats. However, I didn't do this all in one day, I let the primer dry over night, and then the final coat of paint over night. I also painted the board white. Now the gluing begins, make sure you have plenty of glue sticks handy, two squeezes of the trigger gets just the right amount of glue per cap.

Keep gluing and gluing and gluing.....
until you've turned old and grey covered your board.

I wanted to use ribbon as the hanger so I measured in about four inches and used an eye screw on each side of the top to tie the ribbon on.

Attach the ribbon of your choice, I had this flag ribbon on hand, but I saw some cute ribbon at Michael's when I was buying the wired star garland. I made a bow with the star garland and attached it around the eye screw and then tied a small bow with the flag ribbon and wired it on too, leaving some nice long tails.

I used some silver letter stickers and put USA on the lower right hand corner, just in case it wasn't patriotic enough. :)

It is ready to hang on the front door! It looks really festive when you're walking up the walk.

Ok, in retrospect, I think I would rather have the "stripes" in single rows.... a single row of red and white vs. double like I have it. It wasn't until I hung it up did I notice that it would have looked better that way, sometimes I forget to step back from a project. I might change it, but then again, I might be being a little too anal.
Secondly, I should have painted the board black and then the caps would have seemed to be floating, which would have been way cooler, oh well.

All in all, I love how it turned out and it is totally original.

I hope you are inspired to keep collecting bottle caps and put them to use! Thanks for stopping by!

America The Beautiful Tablescape

It all started with red buffalo check fabric. It wasn't that I wanted to sew anymore (I've been on some kind of sewing kick lately), I was really hoping to find a nice red check tablecloth, never did. So I started looking at fabric...most checks that I found were rink-a-dink, one inch or smaller, I wasn't going to give up, I wanted big buffalo check! Finally, I found what I was looking for...big three inch check in "lipstick red". It took no time at all to hem the edges and I had a tablecloth for the fourth, well, for the summer season really.
I like having hurricanes as part of the centerpiece, this time I put my cylinder vases on milk glass pedestal bowls. I snipped boxwood from the front yard and filled in around the base. The little flags put a patriotic spin on a simple look. You'll rarely see me use anything but white candles, white goes with everything, even in wax. :)

My sidekick, popped up just at the right moment:


Do you remember the coke crate flag that I made last year? It was inspired by a fresh version that one of the Pottery Barn designers did. My interpretation is smaller and using silks, you can see how to make it by clicking here.

I love how it looks and is certainly low enought to talk over.

I don't have any napkins or napkin rings that are specifically for the fourth, so I mixed and matched what I did have. Red herringbone napkins are usually for Christmas, they work well enough!

I also used a muted watermelon red too, it's got a great summer floral motif and I love the faded look (it looks well with the faded coke crate). The blue dessert plates and white dinner plates are the only thing consistant with each place setting, but I like the mix. The red napkin rings are another holiday item I bought during Christmas, it doesn't hurt to think ahead, although I wish I had bought more, they are nice and heavy and have a flat bottom so they sit real pretty, oh well.

A full shot of one of the hurricanes, the boxwood is such a great green.

My outdoor table sits 8-10, that is if I had any chairs. I have yet to find any second hand chairs that I like (I been on the hunt since this time last year), so my plan is to have Justin build me two benches intead, we've got the wood so hopefully this weekend I can sweet talk him into building me some. I don't know though, it is his birthday and Father's day weekend. I wonder if I can turn this project around and make him think it's for him, I'll have to work on that.

The cobalt blue goblets are super cheap and from Wal-mart, and the utensils are from Target, don't you just love how retro they seem?

I used my flag banner in the backdrop, if you'd like to create one for yourself, click here.

Oh, and I forgot to tell you that I used a full size coverlet under the tablecloth, I was so excited about the buffalo check, I forgot to mention it! I've used it often, and it fits perfect on the table.

Thank you for stopping by! I hope I have inspired you for an outdoor party for the fourth!


Hope you are having a great Summer, I am getting better and better everyday! I had a doctors appointment yesterday and everything is looking good.

Trying to keep up with this guy helps!

Do you like my edits? I love playing around on Picnik!

Would you like to view more photos and details of this tablescape? Take a look at my photostream by clicking here.

I am working on a patriotic project that I hope to have finished up by the weekend, I hope you'll check back.

Joining Susan

A Natural Christmas Tablescape

I can tell that I've become acclimated to Missouri winters when I can bundle up, put on a hat and gloves and withstand the chilly cold all in the name of good lighting. :) Of course winter hasn't fully hit yet, so I definitely wanted to get an outdoor tablescape under my belt with my new old table. Really, all tablescapes would be outside if I could! Even with the brown grass and barren backyard, it proved to be a neutral backdrop, for a bright red!

My collection of vintage camp blankets is becoming quite nice, I'm on the hunt for them weekly, this is a nice big one, the label says "leisure blanket", but rightfully I've renamed it as an official "Camp Blanket". I think it's fantastic all the quirky colors that I've found, if you've missed the others, you can find them here and here. This blanket has a great red, black and a funny green-brown palette I thought would look great for Christmas.

I also wanted to use burlap, I mean who doesn't, so I used the placemats I made at each place setting. Chunky white stoneware plates, red flatware, everyday glasses and black napkins.

For each napkin, jute string ties on a rusty jingle bell, I left it loose enough to then put three twigs and some boxwood cuttings in. These are the same twigs I used on the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving tablescape, yep, I'm a twig keeper. I actually keep them in a milk glass vase as a twig bouquet! :)

Very simple.

Bird's eye view:

For the centerpiece, I used my beloved cylinder vases (are you sick of these yet?), and cedar stumps as candleholders. Red berries and pine and burlap garland.

I'm still on the hunt for 7 more mismatched chairs to go around the table, I recently found some on Craigslist, but they sold out from under me, so I'm still looking around. This is an odd chair I have had, and I tied my jingle bell hanger on the back. I think the black looks great with the blanket.

Some of my favorite glassware that you've seen a kagillion times.

And of course because of Daylight savings time, evening shots are becoming more frequent! ;) By the time I get use to it, it will be time to Spring forward!

Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope you are inspired! Things might be a little quite this coming week as I try to finalize Christmas happenings! I will be back to wish you all a Merry Christmas and share some hopes and dreams for the New Year! AHhhHhhHhh-I can't believe it's that time already!! See you then!

If you would like to browse through 60 million more photos of this tablescape take a look here at my Photostream

What to see more? Take a look at a great collection I'm included in over {happy, happy, joy, joy} at Houzz:

50 Photos of Amazing Holiday Decorations

Joining Susan