Summer is here. Kids are out of school, work atire is a bit more casual, and weekends are filled with trips to the beach, backyard barbecues, and family fun. June is coming to a close and we are getting ready to kick off July with patriotic spirit!
John Adams was the first to describe how Independence Day would be celebrated in a letter to his wife Abigail on July 3, 1776. He described "pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations" throughout the United States. Sounds a lot like our modern celebrations... except we tend to have a lot more food and too much to drink ;) And around Steins we of course include flowers!
To get into the spirit we've transformed our shop window display (it seems like graduation was there for only a minute) into a patriotic panorama of tried-and-true red, white and blue!
We draped a flag from the ceiling... which was quite the adventure! Not only did we have to look up proper flag hanging etiquette (the field of stars is to face to the left when viewed from the street when hung in a window) but working a ladder into our tight space was also interesting... Most importantly, no one was hurt.
We dressed our mannequin in a pretty white Summer dress and added a nationalistic red, white and blue sash finished at the back with a big bow and flowing streamers. A couple of long red necklaces, a big patriotic corsage, and a pocket full of flags complete our 4th of July ensamble.
Our fashionable country chair was upcycled from an old wooden chair that was on it's way to the dump. We painted it and then distressed it to give it a shabby chic look and recoved the seat with an old tattered flag. And what's more American than a simple brown Teddy bear?
We finished the window with flowers and plants, more Americana, some stars and stripes, and... is that Bo Obama? We had a nice time putting together the display and we are looking forward to celebrating the holiday. Now lets see some fireworks!
