Team USA Patriotic Mantel Decor {Craft DIY}

Hey, y'all.  Well just like every American out there I am very proud of my red, white and blue.  And like many Americans I am glued to the telly (London reference there) right now while the Olympics take place.  I may be a tad of an Olympic freak though because I am ALWAYS watching the events, checking the stats, the medal rankings, athlete bios, etc.  So why not display a little Team USA pride on my mantle alongside my future Olympians?  :)

Check it, y'all.

Okay I'll be honest here.  I'm a tee wit proud of my crafts but I really don't feel like going into detail about how I made these because I have given the telly my full and undivided attention.  And I am super tired y'all.  So I thought I would just show off my mantel and explain how I made these tomorrow.  Hopefully.  :)

Nighty nighty and let's hear it for the home team!  

UPDATE: 8/6/12

Hola!  I'm back to show you how I made my patriotic chargers and tulle wrapped frame.  Here is what I used for the charger plates: 3 silver chargers, 1 red, glitter foam sheet, 3 wooden block letters, Martha Stewart craft paint in Indigo and Crafter's Pick glue.

I first sprayed the wooden letters with primer, let them dry overnight and then painted them with the craft paint using a foam brush.

While the paint on the letters dried, I cut three stars out on the foam sheet.  I did not free hand this star, so I googled an image.  I did not do any star search but a Dallas Cowboys "star" search.  Hehe, I am a dork.  I found a star that I was pleased with, copied to a Word document and enlarged to a full sheet size.  That was the right size to fit inside the charger.  

The foam was self adhesive so all I had to do was peel off the paper back and stick it on the charger.  I then glued each letter on top of each star with my favorite craft glue.  In order for it to set and stick well, I put a jar or can on top of each letter and let them sit over night.

After everything was said set and done, my patriotic chargers were done and ready for my mantel.  I was really hoping to have made these for July 4th but my precious time said no can do.  But at least I had them done in time to kick off the Olympics and cheer for Team USA!

Patriotic Glitter Tulle Frame

I came up with this frame after I saw a patriotic frame at Hobby Lobby.  One of my fave stores.  My daughter is always asking for things with "sprinkles" aka glitter, simmer, bling, etc.  My little diva knows what she likes!  :)

So I came up with this idea after seeing the frame at the store and noticing that the rolls of tulle was on sale for half off.  I purchased my supplies- all on sale or with a coupon like a good crafter.  :)

Here is how I made my frame with red, white and blue sprinkles.

I bought an 8"x10" wooden frame from Hobby Lobby with a 5"x7" opening, three rolls of glitter tulle and 1 silver glitter foam sheet and a medium size star shape paper puncher.  I also used a low temp hot glue gun.

I cut 9 strips of tulle in each color, 20 inches long.  I first started with the blue tulle and wrapped it on the left side of the frame.  I first used the Crafter's glue but quickly realized that using a glue gun would be faster and not as messy.  So take my word for it, DON'T use a craft glue.

I wrapped each strip of tulle on the frame overlapping as much as possible so the wood would not show through too much.  After the blue tulle, I alternated between the red and white tulle starting with the red.  Afterwards, I tucked any extra tulle down with the glue gun.  No biggie.

I then got the star paper punch and punched out one star on some card stock (actually it was someone's business card that I was about to toss).  heehee.  I then used that one star to trace on the back of the silver glitter foam sheet.

I traced about ten stars or so but only ended up using seven of them on the frame.  Oddly enough this foam sheet was not a self-adhesive (like the red one on the chargers) so I had to use the glue gun to put the stars on top of the blue tulle.

Finally after about 30 minutes I had this pretty Team USA frame displaying my future Olympian.  :)

It's not the best quality photo in fact it is a computer paper print out of my daughter and my husband.  I was not able to get an actual photo but I wanted something NOW so this is the temporary photo.  It is a picture of my daughter at her first gymnastics class.  She was a wee bit shy and wanted her Daddy by her side.  He made her feel all better and on she went with the rest of her class.  I LOVE this picture of the both of them.  Maybe it will be used in a P&G commercial when she makes the US Gymnastics team.  :)

P.S. The tulle definitely made the opening of the frame smaller than a 5"x7" so I gently pushed the pictured into the opening and then taped the thin cardboard behind the photo.  I didn't know what else to do but it is a temporary solution and for now it is holding up well.

Once again, here is my patriotic mantle.

I am so enjoying watching the Olympics every day and night. Yep, I am totally losing sleep because I go to bed late every night but I can't help myself.  I am in awe of the games and have been since I first saw Mary Lou Retton score that gold at the '84 Olympics in Los Angeles.  Ever since then I have been an Olympic freak.  Ask my poor husband.  That includes the winter games too.  I am into everything from start to finish- opening ceremonies to closing ceremonies, interviews, mini documentaries, etc.  Told ya I was an Olympic dork.  :)