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Monday, July 22, 2013

Vacation Bible School Athens

Does your church have a Vacation Bible School? 

Since I like to decorate, it's a given that I decorate at VBS at our church.  Every year I join forces with a couple of artists at my church...they do the painting on foam board...give me a few ideas,....and I bring all the fabric and even more ideas!  We make use of what we have, and here are our results!!
 Our artist at church created & painted the Trojan Horse.


I put Greek key "wall paper" on the Foyer walls.  Then added fabric, posters, and columns.  Yes, the columns are upside down...well, we had a teenage boy taping them up...what can I say???   The horse was donated to the church.  Our artist at church decorated the horse to fit the Greek theme colors of gold, blue and white.  I painted the chariot and wheel.  It was a photo op for the kids at VBS.

This was our "Mediterranean Wharf".   We re-used the wharf pylons from the High Seas Adventure VBS that we did a few years ago.

 Greek key pattern & gold, white and blue color scheme.  We used 3M hooks to hold up the fabric. 
 We re-used fabric from our "High Seas Adventure VBS.

We brought in the boat from the outside playground at church.  The kids had a great time playing on it!  We also borrowed sea creatures/stuffed animals from people at church.  We put them in our "wharf" for the kids to play with during VBS.

We used the backdrop from "Group" for our background.  One of our church artists painted the columns.  And the other artist painted the pergola on the left as well as the scene of houses on the right.  We used greenery from around the church for the rest of the scenery.


A large ladder behind the scenery was draped in white organza fabric with a little blue for accent.   Since I decorate for weddings, I have white organza ready to go!  We used a poster glued to foam board for the Athens logo. 

Close up of the pergola -- don't we have a fabulous artist?


Close up of the ladder decorated in organza.

Signs for the various activities.

Saint Paul was a tent maker, did you know that?  I didn't.  We transformed a classroom into "Paul's Tent."  We even borrowed leather hides from someone at church...Saint Paul apparently used leather hides to make tents...




Just sheets!  We borrowed sheets and asked for donations of old sheets...

 We used battery operated candles on a table that the church had already.  We layered the table in a suede skirt that I cut up to fit on the two layers of the table.

This was our "Market Place"

Amazing what crepe paper and fabric can do to transform a Sunday School building! :  )
 Close up of our artist's painting of the Greek city. 
The kids had a fabulous time this week learning about St. Paul's travels around the Mediterranean area spreading the good news about Jesus!
Brag Monday at The Graphics Fairy
Make it Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House
Made by you Monday at Skip To My Lou
 Anything Blue Friday at The Dedicated House 
Show and Tell Friday http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
It's a Hodgepodge Friday http://itsahodgepodgelife.blogspot.com/
Frugalicious Friday http://decormamma.blogspot.com/
Simple and Sweet Fridays http://rootedinthyme.blogspot.com/
All Things Thursday at All Things With Purpose
Pearls and Lace Thursday at Faith Grace and Crafts
The Dedicated House for Make it Pretty Monday
Knick of Time Tuesday at Knick of Time Interiors
Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House
Transformed Tuesdays at PJH Designs One of a Kind
You're Gonna Love It (Tuesday) at Kathe with an E
We did it Wednesday at Sew Much Ado
Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style
Strut your stuff Saturday at Six Sisters
Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper
Share Your Cup Thursday at Jann Olson Blogspot
Share your Creativity (Saturday) at Welcome To It's Overflowing
What's It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants
 Pink Saturday at How Sweet The Sound

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Happy Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day! 
      Aren't we all thankful for our country?  Celebrate the freedoms that we have...pray for those who are not so fortunate.
      Here are photos of the festivities at our house this year.

This sweet bottle is embellished with lace, rhinestones, crochet trims, jewelry and a patriotic image found at The Graphics Fairy.  I filled the bottle with fluffy white feathers and an American flag. 

 I put the bottle in this patriotic vignette next to two apothecary jars filled with...sweet vintage baby shoes!  These baby shoes represent sentimental family moments.  Patriotism and Family...that's what it's all about!  I put some fun patriotic jewelry in with the baby shoes along with ribbon at the top of the jars.






Votives wrapped with ribbon and jewelry complete the setting.


This sweet image is also from The Graphics Fairy.

 More flags added around the house.




      
       The banner above on the mantle is my own little creation!  I used the constitution, the declaration of independence, and sheet music for The Stars and Stripes Forever.  On top of these I layered other patriotic images, (mostly from The Graphics Fairy).  Then more patriotic colored jewelry, glittered paper, crepe paper ruffles, and wooden letters spelling July 4th.  The silver goblets on the mantle hold American flags. 







I copied this idea from pinterest...I used my daughter's outgrown jeans -- cut the waist band off, the used my son's outgrown jeans -- cut the waist band off -- and voila!  Just put them around a two tiered tray!  My son's jeans fit perfectly around the bottom tier.  My daughter's jeans had the type of waist band that has elastic that buttons on the inside - so I could adjust it to make it fit.  Then I added a small amount of hot glue so that it would stay on.  Then I taped napkins to the post in the middle.


  
 The banner on the front porch is made from strips of red white & blue fabric.  The blue is actually denim...my daughter's jeans (that were too small) cut into strips.  I tied these strips onto a simple jute rope while sitting at my son's baseball game (double header...several hours!...so I usually bring an activity.  Tying fabric onto a rope is a good activity for such a setting.)

     Next I embellished this plain gray T shirt - I printed the constitution onto fabric using the freezer paper method.  Then I added a blue ruffle, a white ruffle, and rhinestones!  Oh my!


Printed on fabric, traced my desired shape...

Cut out and peeled off the freezer paper...

Sewed onto t-shirt using zig zag stitch

Fray check any loose threads.  Put a blue ruffle around the edge...

Now a white ruffle around the edge...
And then - rhinestones!

We watched our small town parade...


      We can watch the fireworks display from our front yard - our little Texas town puts on a fireworks display at a park very close to us.  So we can see them perfectly from our front yard.  It's fantastic!
      Hope your Independence Day was fantastic!  : )
Linking up with these parties:
Brag Monday at The Graphics Fairy
Make it Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House
Made by you Monday at Skip To My Lou
 Anything Blue Friday at The Dedicated House 
Show and Tell Friday http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
It's a Hodgepodge Friday http://itsahodgepodgelife.blogspot.com/
Frugalicious Friday http://decormamma.blogspot.com/
Simple and Sweet Fridays http://rootedinthyme.blogspot.com/
All Things Thursday at All Things With Purpose
Pearls and Lace Thursday at Faith Grace and Crafts
The Dedicated House for Make it Pretty Monday
Knick of Time Tuesday at Knick of Time Interiors
Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House
Transformed Tuesdays at PJH Designs One of a Kind
You're Gonna Love It (Tuesday) at Kathe with an E
We did it Wednesday at Sew Much Ado
Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style
Strut your stuff Saturday at Six Sisters
Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper
Share Your Cup Thursday at Jann Olson Blogspot
Share your Creativity (Saturday) at Welcome To It's Overflowing
What's It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants
 Pink Saturday at How Sweet The Sound