Celebration Flags

The smallest of us all is about to have a birthday.

It's a big one.

It's the Big One.

When Sister turned one, we did it big- lots of people, lots of food, way, way too many gifts, and way too much time and headaches and hours of precious sleep lost to preparation. Don't get me wrong, she is more than worth it all, but not for the first birthday... I learned to save up that energy for the later birthdays that will be remembered.

Which leads me to our Bubba. Just because he's a Second doesn't mean his big day is less important, it just means his Mama has lived and learned. We're keeping it small, with a very exclusive family guest list (which I hope doesn't offend our like-family groups that will be there in spirit... for now), a much simpler menu, and a much less commercial, more homemade theme.

I'm actually quite enjoying making the short list of keepsakes and decorations I worked up for this little shindig. One I'm particularly excited about is a string of celebration flags I was able to make up with stuff we already had (with the exception of two packs of bias tape), thanks to generous family members and their hand-me-down crafty surplus treasures. It's something that should have been finished in one day, but thanks to my kiddos and our life right now, it took me more than a week... the most tedious part is all the cutting.

Have a pair of pinking shears?

Have some scrap fabric? A little chalkboard paint? Brushes? Sewing machine? You might just want to try putting together a string of versatile celebration flags... after all, it's only a ten-step project...

Step One: procure some canvas

Step Two: prep paint area and canvas

Step Three: paint canvas with chalkboard paint (ours needed 2 coats)

Step Four: cut "flags" from scrap fabric with pinking shears

Step Five: cut canvas blocks, slightly smaller than flags

 

Step Six: sew together flags & canvas, placing canvas at bottom of flag

Step Seven: mark spacing of flags on bias tape

Step Eight: sew flags into bias tape

Step Nine: test for durability

Step Ten: write desired message on flags with chalk

Viola! Something that can be made to say "Celebrate," or "Welcome Home," or "Happy Birthday," depending on how many flags you put on your bias tape, or how many strings of flags you have! I made two, because... well... I think I'm just a glutton for prolonging simple projects into days of frustrating, incomplete piles hither and thither.

That's right. Hither and Thither.

So go find something to celebrate, then make these flags.