Happy Fourth of July!!!

Yes, I'm a day early, but I won't have time tomorrow to post. I've been a very, VERY busy girl since my last post and I only have a moment to pop on and show you what I've been up to.



I'm making 20 of these to give to each family who will be sitting with us at the parade tomorrow. A card and a TON of cupcakes!! The parade is a HUGE tradition in our family. We have sat in the same spot on the parade route for over 30 years and it is mandatory that we get the same spot every year. It can get a bit tricky getting the same spot because we can't throw down our stuff until 5:00am. We used to be able to camp out days in advance to save our spot. We would bring a little tent, coolers, etc. and camp on our spot. However, the people who live along the parade route got tired of that and now, we can't 'throw down' until 5:00am. And it is strictly enforced - anyone caught 'throwing down' before 5:00am can be subject to a $500 fine from the city police! YIKES! So now we get there by 4:00am and just kind of stand on the area. Silly isn't it???? I know! We usually have anywhere from 10 to 100 people show up. It really depends on the weather, and with it threatening to rain tomorrow, we probably will only have 30 to 40. Why all the fuss over a parade? The parade in our city lasts about three to four hours which is unheard of in many cities. It is a long-standing tradition and with all the military in our family, it is a chance for us to support them in one of the best ways we know how!!

Okay - back to the card.....All the paper is by Papertrey Ink. except for the blue which is from Michael's. The red ribbon is also from Michael's. I used my Nestabilities to cut out the layered circles. I stamped the sentiment with Stampin' Up! Brilliant Blue ink and Lisa Johnson's release through PTI called Let Freedom Ring. It's a great little set and only $15!!! See that little tiny word 'happy'? That is a little stamp all on it's own - it is sooo tiny and cute - I love it!



























I glued a snippet of ribbon from my stash between my circle layers and glued some stars that I punched out on to that. I like how it looks like the stars are shooting out. And of course, I had to decorate the inside! The sentiment is from a retired SU! set that I have had forever. I added a little touch of glitter with my Gelly Roll by Sakura pen. I've had that pen for as long as I can remember and I use it a lot, but it looks like I haven't touched it because there is still so much ink in it.





That's it for the card. I hope you liked it. I wish you and your family a very happy and safe Fourth of July! I have a sign in my house which reads, "The land of the free BECAUSE of the brave" and if you have the opportunity over the weekend, I hope you thank a military service member for their bravery! TTFN!!!