How do I start this post? Hmm … not really sure. My first three attempts failed with their aimless wanderings to places like my childhood backyard, the first six pages of my 2010 calendar and the land of forgotten song lyrics. Yeah, that last one was way out in left field even for me and my easily divergent mind.
What I really want to tell you about is
the story behind this picture.
It was our first, and subsequently only, family trip to
Disney World. We had booked a week in the land of magic so to spend some serious family time together before my husband deployed over-seas. What better place to connect and create memorable moments than the
happiest place on earth.
We arrived on the
4th of July just in time to throw the bags in our room and race to a “prime” viewing spot for witnessing the much
acclaimed fireworks show.
My husband and I were giddy. The excitement and thrill of the upcoming pyrotechnic display blew a second wind into our souls, something we weren’t sure we possessed after the long monotonous hours just spent in the car. But somehow we found the energy to be anxiously excited.
Then the first
BOOM and the air immediately filled with applause and shouts of joy. Then the second
BOOM and the oohs and aahs were filled with even more amazement. But by the third
POW the screams of delight were over taken by our son’s screams of despair.
So much for being the happiest place on earth.
Now at this point I must apologize to anyone reading this story that just happened to be there that evening eight years ago. I’m sorry we subjected you to the
uproar of emotion.
For what my husband and I did next will certainly ensure us a spot in the
Bad Parenting Hall of Fame (which I do believe is located somewhere adjacent to Epcot).
You see, we covered his ears, ignored his emphatic cries and made him watch the entire show.
Yep.
The entire show.
And despite the dehydration caused by the
thirty minutes of sweat induced sobbing, he returned to the hotel room no worse for wear, and to this day has no recollection of the incident.
Well, until after he reads this post and then I suppose his dad and I have some apologizing to do.
Needless to say that from that snot-filled instance on, we have been very
selective in our fireworks display attendance. Over the years our son has grown more accustomed to the
BOOM BOOM POW of July 4th festivities, but we still try to be conscientious of his fireworks sensitivity.
Can you say redemption points?
Speaking of points … don’t the
points of a pinwheel say 4th of July to you? Yeah, I know. Another long, super stretchy segue … but I was working on a pinwheel project the other day and it got me thinking about ways to incorporate them into a 4th of July party scheme.
So I did some web searching and found a few inspiration links.
Of course
Martha had some cute pinwheels to show off.
And the good people at
Good Housekeeping had a fun display.
The City Cradle had some pinwheel party action going on too. Love the pearl accents!
So lots of
pinwheel ideas out there to spark my party planning and here’s what I came up with, for what I hope, is your viewing pleasure.
Of course I started with some
ginormous pinwheels. Stand these in a drinks bucket and let the ice do the securing for you … at least until it’s melted …. ok, there’s a flaw to this plan, but work with me.
For the
pinwheel centers I turned to two of my favorite things,
tulle and ribbon. I gathered both into “yo-yo’s”, layered them with loads of hot glue and topped the centers off with some stickers from the new Jolee’s Parcel line. And btw, I fell in
LOVE with the sticker’s use of
teal alongside the traditional red, white and blue. Loved it so much I used it as my color scheme throughout.
While I had my needle and thread out, and because it was a good excuse to finish watching season six of
West Wing with my mom, I made a few, well, quite a few,
more rosettes.
I attached one to this
lantern I stumbled upon a few days ago. I mean, hello! Could you get any more 4th of July than that?
One if by land. Two if by sea. Three if by home with me. I know. It’s THE perfect July 4th centerpiece. Score!
The rest of the
West Wing rosettes I wired to
lengths of tulle taped to my mantle. Yep. You read that right. I taped it to the mantle using painter’s tape. Hey, it’s blue. That’s within my color scheme. Plus it’s easy to apply and, best part, remove.
Next I turned my efforts to the “paper” goods of the party.
Water bottle covers are very popular with the party people these days. So, because I want to be part of the “in” crowd, I made some bottle wraps. I did end up covering these with clear shelf liner. I thought the layer of “waterproofing” might be a perk.
I carried the pinwheel motif to the
chips label tag by embellishing it with one. A length of teal tulle to tie the tag onto the bucket adds some softness as well as brings some additional color to the table.
Lastly, I wrapped three packages of
Pop Rocks in tulle and topped them with a large paper pinwheel … viola,
easy party favors. A simple sign displayed next to these takeaways explains the sentiment behind the gift in addition to adding color and height to the tablescape.
So with a couple of
pattern paper sheets, a few
yards of ribbon and tulle and a
serious amount of hot glue, you too can have some
pinwheel fun on the 4th of July! The
BOOM BOOM POW fireworks display is optional of course.
But we’ll be there. And you can’t miss us. We’re the family wearing
earmuffs.
Have a safe and fun July 4th dear reader!
~ Elizabeth
(ekb)