A project that doesn't cost anything AND makes the kitchen look neater??

Yep. All you need is a kitchen dishrag. (I think I may be starting to sound like a telemarketer. I will try to resolve that). Follow the instructions here.
 

I changed it slightly-- I used an old worn-out hair-tie for the elastic and cut it a little shorter to use some of the fabric for the strap since I didn't have any fancy twill tape on hand. Oh, and I used a button in my case because I wanted to loop it over the side bar of our table.

It looks a little lumpy because we don't actually have that many plastic bags right now... But that's a good thing right? We typically use reusable bags we brought back from France when we remember to take them with us. My family even sent us some with pictures of my hometown on them... talk about grocery shopping in style! :)

How to save on fabrics...

- Sign up for Jo-Ann's newsletter/coupons email list and keep the coupons you may want
- Scrap piles-- typically they're under a yard, but that can be enough for a shirt or skirt! Or a table-runner :)
- Did you know if you show your student ID at Jo-Ann's you get 10% off your purchase? Wish I'd known that before checking out.
- Walmart can have some good stuff for cheaper


Got any other ideas?


And coming soon: my favorite (beat-up) pants revisited and a summer seersucker skirt...

I may have gone a little overboard with the whole red white and blue...

But that's what summer is all about right? Having too much time on your hands. And it's fun.
So just a few ruffles on an old dish rag...

And a few buttons for some patriotic flair!

I learned how to make these on another blog, but I can't remember where. This is a good tutorial though.

When sparklers and long exposure time meet...

Stars!

 

 

Our attempt at an american flag:

This land I live in

I'd like to introduce you to someone: 

meet Monsieur le Marquis de Lafayette. 

This Frenchman saw the potential of the still young American nation. He left his homeland to serve as a General under George Washington during the Revolutionary war. He once said that the moment he heard of the American colonies' plight: "my heart was enlisted and I thought only of joining the colors."
When the Continental Congress couldn't pay for his travel to America, he just bought the ship himself but eventually had to go through Spain to avoid getting caught. Once he made it there in 1877, he wasn't actually given command until months later when he had proved his worth. Always a firm supporter of Washington even when others tried to remove him from command, he relentlessly begged the French for more troops and greater involvement. After the war, Maryland's legislature made Lafayette and his male heirs "natural born Citizens" of the state, which made him a natural born citizen of the United States after the Constitution was in place. Other fun fact: Lafayette was a Mason. 


Why do I tell you all this? Because I have many reasons to be grateful this Independence day. I was born an american and french citizen at the same time, and I love America not despite my being born and raised in France, but because of it. There have been many brave Frenchmen that aided America in its time of need, and  they did it because they understood that America was more than just a geographical region or a country--it was an ideal, a symbol. I love this country because it's a place where anyone can become what they want. I believe it was Benjamin Franklin that once said the pursuit of happiness was indeed a right, but you have to catch it yourself. I am greatful to have the freedom to pursue happiness. I am grateful to my forefathers who established this country, and to those who have fought to defend it. I am also grateful for my fore mothers who "misbehaved" for the right to vote and other liberties I now enjoy. 
I love this rugged land out here in the west, the vast spaces and wide open skies. I am glad for the pilgrims who left so long ago for the right to believe as they please--these families created a brave new world where anything is possible if you are willing to work for it, and I am free to create my own future and worship my God as I please. 
So happy Independence Day, and may we always cherish the rights our ancestors defended so dearly. I hope that I will always have the wisdom to judge which battles to pick.

And how 'bout some fun independence day crafts? :)