tiny flags

Good morning!  Today I am sharing some pictures of a miniature, super-easy, Americana flag that I made yesterday.  The ingredients are simple and few as is the idea.  I first thought of making a mini flag on the way home from our last four wheeling trip.  I was very inspired by simply looking out of the truck window at homes and "front door décor".  The complete aesthetic view of someone else's piece of the world can be fantastic.  What you decide to take from it is up to you... more-over what you remember.  In my case my journal was in my lap with pencil in hand.

Here are the ingredients, minus the glue, paint brushes and toothpick.  Red, Blue and buttermilk paint colors, pin, very thin wood or cardboard, a piece of drop cloth.

I cut a piece of drop cloth, un-measured, that is slightly smaller than a postage stamp.  You can measure a normal sized flag and divide it by 12 for your measurements if you need to.

You are painting both sides of the flag here.  I started with the blue on both sides.

For the stripes, since I've not perfected painting a straight line, I added paint to one edge of a small piece of balsa wood.  Sort of like a stamp.  I pressed the edge onto the flag, re-applying red paint between each stamping.

For the stars I only made small dots with the end of a toothpick.  I did blot this with a paper towel while it was still wet.  From a distance, with a trick of the eye, one will not know.

While the flag is still damp, simply pinch some waves into the fabric.  As the flag dries these will stay somewhat... enough to give the affect.

What a cutie!!

Oh yea... paint the sewing pin so it's not so shiny.

I also used my brown ink pad to dab a little nostalgia and age on.

Apply some glue to the pin and gently lay it on one end of the flag and let dry.

I do apologize for the blurriness.  I have to transfer my pics from my phone by email to myself in order to get them to you.  Blogging from my phone simply doesn't work unfortunately.  Surely I will get better at it.  If not I will revert to my old fashioned ways once again :)  

XOxo Laurie

 

Seed Flags

Most of the time when starting seeds for the garden I will label the pots in which I plant teeny tiny seeds.  Then some of the time I will not.  At some point and time, after the seedlings begin to show their pretty little heads above the dirt line, I combine them all in the same trays and eventually forget what's what.  The seed cups get jostled all in there together and until they begin their first set of real leaves I can't tell who is who, especially when I have begun more than one type of tomatoes.  I really try hard not to let this happen.  When I use my newspaper pots I simply write the names on the outside and all is well.  But this time I didn't write the names on the outside of about a dozen Roma tomatoes and a dozen marigolds.  So I came up with a pretty little solution to my problem and thought I would share it will you also, just in case you can use it too.  And in case you use a different type of seed starting pots like the black plastic ones that you can't write on.

 

My idea is little flags.  I made a template, printed and cut them out.  Then, using a glue stick, glued the flag around a tooth pick and taa daa... I.D. flags for my lil cuties! 

 

Again, you totally have my permission to right click and save these as a picture or right click and print.  They can also be used as cupcake flags or you could even pull the Shoney's card at a picnic labelling which hamburger is well done and rare.  Easy Peasy!  Have fun!

 

 

Fill in the blank flags.

 

 

Tomato Flags

 

Little Herb Ones!

 

By the way, if this print and click thing isn't working for you please shoot me a comment or email and I will be delighted to send it to you by email. 

XO Laurie