Have a safe 4th!

Like so many other communities, our fireworks display has been cancelled due to dry conditions.  So I made some of my own that I can enjoy and will keep me safe and out of harm's way.  Except for all the ink on my fingers.  Now those were some nasty looking fingers!  lol  Even the Ranger scrubby couldn't remove it all but it did make them at least presentable when I showed them to the neighbor.

You can find my source of inspiration here http://inkstainswithroni.blogspot.com/2012/06/landscaping-timbers-to-4th-of-july.html.  She always has great ideas and it's easy to follow her directions.  Except I didn't.  Not really.

I used a scrap of 4x4 post that my neighbor had in his garage.  He even cut it for me into pieces (roughly 9", 7", 5" and 3")!  He's a gem!  I left them as raw wood.  My mom gives me her magazines to read, then I pass them on or recycle them.  Inside 'Reminisce' there's always sheet music.  I ALWAYS save those!  I tore them into wide strips, adding various brown distress inks to the edges and all over the paper.  Only the edges are glued so I can remove these as sleeves when I want to do something else with the wood.

Stuck away in my patriotic folder was some bold red and white striped paper as well as some medium blue with with stars.  More brown distress inks to the rescue!  Rusty wire was wrapped around the posts so I could attach Sizzix primitive stars cut from grungeboard (patterned and plain).  Once hit with distress stains I heat set the colors then sanded them so I could apply more brown distress ink.  LOVE my brown distress inks!!!

The stars are attached with rusty safety pins (Did you know you can buy them this way?  Except I threw away the packaging so I'm unable to share the brand with you.  Sorry!) and bits of twisted wire.  I found some b-r-i-g-h-t silver & gold pipe cleaners in the top of the closet.  Coffee and Jet Black archival ink to the rescue!  I cut them long, placed 3 in the center, stapled them, then pulled them up and curled the ends.

Voila!  A safe and happy 4th of July fireworks display!

P.S.  I'll be entering this in the Inspiration Journal blog for their 'Red, White & Blue' challenge.  There's a $50 shopping spree just waiting for someone.  The challenge lasts all month and you can have numerous entries.  Hope to see your artwork there!