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At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

Where Ideas for your Home Meet Inspiration for your Heart

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May 26, 2015

American Flag Candle Log

Hello At the Picket Fence friends! It’s me, Julie, from redheadcandecorate.com. You might be wondering if I didn’t realize that YESTERDAY was Memorial Day and thinking this project is too late.
But decorating our home for Memorial Day and The Fourth of July has always been something I truly look forward to and enjoy. The American flag is so beautiful…it makes it so easy because no matter where I display it (or what time of the year), it seems to belong.
Last year, I decided to take things a step further and I designed this “American Flag Candle Log”…

Almost-Free-American-Flag-Candle-Log-Tutorial


Not bad for almost free…
I had no problem finding a log after a terrible storm brought down this huge Oak tree in our back yard.
In fact, I think I could have made one of these candles for everyone in the United States!

Rick w: tree 2
Well, for now lets just stick to one! This is how I did it…
After we cut the size log I wanted for our table, I marked where I wanted the candles to sit. My strong husband was able to drill holes with a really large 1 1/4 inch drill bit.
I found the candles at Nordstrom Rack and they seemed safer than just using tin tea lights. You could always take your candle to the hardware store and have them match you up with the right size drill bit.

Candle Log Drilling

Candle Log Drilling Tutorial
For a few minutes I admired how pretty the candle log looked unpainted.

Log Candle by redheadcandecorate.com
Then I decided to continue my mission and I painted it.
First, I painted it all red. Then I did the white stripes with a foam brush. I did the blue last and painted the stars from my own little star stencil I made out of a piece of hard plastic.
Painted American Log
American Flag Log Tutorial
Lastly, I decided to lightly sand it all after it dried to give it that vintage look. I also painted the glass candle holders, but that really isn’t necessary.
Red, White, and Blue Candle Log

Free Log to American Flag Candle

Thanks for joining me as we kick off summer and celebrate this amazing country!

Love, Julie

You can find redheadcandecorate.com on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.

 

11 Comments Filed Under: Crafts, Decorating, DIY, Fourth of July, Good Ideas, Holidays, Summer Tagged With: 4th of July, 4th of July crafts, cheap crafts, DIY, fourth of July, memorial day

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Comments

  1. Delanie Collings says

    May 26, 2015 at 5:11 AM

    I LOVE your American Flag Log Candle! What a fun way to get rid of, uh, recycle those awful fallen tree debris we all have! And what cute gifts! You are a genius! And now I’m going to look like one too! Of course, I’ll give redheadcandecorate all the credit! Thanks for the inspiration! Again!

    Reply
    • Julie says

      May 26, 2015 at 7:55 AM

      This would make a perfect gift, Delanie!

      Reply
  2. Sue Tait says

    May 26, 2015 at 5:19 AM

    This is the cutest idea I have seen in quite awhile. How clever and very impressive… (I love “FREE”~~).
    Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  3. Pamela says

    May 26, 2015 at 6:41 AM

    Glad know one was hurt because of the tree. Very cool project. It loos great.
    Have a blessed day
    Pam

    Reply
    • Julie says

      May 26, 2015 at 7:56 AM

      Me too, Pamela!!!

      Reply
  4. Vanessa says

    May 26, 2015 at 7:41 AM

    What a great piece and perfect for the summer.

    Reply
    • Julie says

      June 4, 2015 at 5:33 PM

      Thank you, Vanessa!

      Reply
  5. FABBY says

    May 26, 2015 at 2:39 PM

    This is a fabulous idea! Gorgeous, I love it!!!

    Thanks for sharing.

    FABBY

    Reply
    • Julie says

      June 4, 2015 at 5:31 PM

      Thank you, Fabby!

      Reply
  6. Linda J says

    June 2, 2015 at 8:36 AM

    Not everyone has a fallen tree…..alas, where the heck can I find a log? Even though I have an abundance of palm
    trees around me, they don’t do me much good. I LOVE this project so much that finding a log may now be my life’s mission! I HAVE to make it! lol

    Reply
    • Julie says

      June 4, 2015 at 5:33 PM

      How about the wood they sell for bonfires down there? I lived in FL for 6 yrs.- I think they sell it at Publix. Unless I’m totally forgetting.

      Reply

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“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.” Psalm 9:10
This is one of my most favorite projects from my b This is one of my most favorite projects from my book Life in Season! 

Because, if heaven has a fragrance, I’m fairly certain it smells like lilacs.

I think that somewhere along the way the verse in the Bible that said, ‘heaven will smell like lilacs’ just got lost in translation. But it HAD to have been in there at some point, right?

When I bury my head in the blossoms (which I absolutely MUST do every single time I walk past them), I immediately feel a stirring in my soul.

It seems like I wait forever for my lilac tree to bloom. Every year I anxiously watch as the buds begin to form on the branches and then when the blossoms finally burst forth I begin that agonizing process of deciding the absolute perfect moment to snip them and bring them inside.

And then, after all of that waiting and watching it’s just over…done. Because, unlike heaven, lilacs don’t last for an eternity. So, making my own lilac room spray seemed like the perfect way to enjoy their fragrance long after the blossoms have faded.

Here’s how to make it! Ingredients: Water, Vodka, Lilac fragrance oil. Directions: Fill spray bottle with 50/50 ratio of water to vodka. Add 12 drops of lilac oil. Give it a shake, spray and if the scent isn’t strong enough, simply add a few more drops of lilac oil.

Once you’ve made this lilac scented room spray you will be very tempted to spray it in every room in your house. And someone may want to use it in the bathroom to cover up other less…ummmm….pleasing aromas.

But, do not, I repeat do NOT, let them.

You’ve captured the fragrance of heaven in a bottle and you wouldn’t want to go and tarnish it now would you? 😉
We had two back to back days of sunshine (the most We had two back to back days of sunshine (the most we’ve had in a LONG time) and now we are back to pouring rain. This has officially confirmed what I’ve know to be true for awhile now.

I’m a MUCH better version of myself when the sun is shining! 🤪 So I’ll just be over here today plotting and planning how my husband and I can be snowbirds someday when the kids are out of the house.

If you could spend your winters (and apparently most of spring too!) in any part of the country, where would it be?
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Two of our bathrooms are also in need of major makeovers. And we’ve saved up enough money over the years to tackle those projects. But, for the most part, we made the decision to use the bulk of that money in another way. While we knew that it was financially wise to invest in our house, we also knew that the greatest investment we could make was in our children. 

I’ll admit, there are times where I see other people doing massive overhauls of their entire home in a matter of months and I feel a prick of envy. But, we decided that if our choice was between waiting a bit longer to enjoy a renovated bathroom or going on adventures as a family, we would choose adventures every time. And we don’t regret that decision for a single second. It’s not that we haven’t tackled home projects (we’ve done a lot!). It’s just that it’s been a slow and steady process. 

Most recently, we let our son pick where we would travel for spring break since this is his senior year of high school and we are trying to make up for lost time. With so much of life ‘paused’ for two years, we have appreciated these moments more than ever. And, since he’ll be heading to college in the fall, we are very aware of how important it is to spend this time together while we still have a modicum of control over everyone’s schedules.

We have many years left to remodel our home but only so much time left to make memories with our children.

And, while I’m always happy to look around my home and see rooms that are updated and more reflecting of our style, it doesn’t compare to the joy I feel when I look around my home and see the people I love the most who have been shaped by the many adventures we’ve experienced together.
Happy Saturday!! After endless days of rain (and h Happy Saturday!! After endless days of rain (and hail and snow) we are finally getting some sunshine and warmer temperatures. I’ll be honest, it’s really affected my spirits having one gloomy day after the next. So this is a much needed reprieve. Our cherry trees are showing off outside my kitchen window and we plan to get outside and make the most of these days while we have them.

What’s the weather like where you are?
“The devil, darkness, and death may swagger and “The devil, darkness, and death may swagger and boast, the pangs of life will sting for a while longer, but don’t worry; the forces of evil are breathing their last. Not to worry…HE’S RISEN!” (Charles R. Swindoll).

Happy Easter! He is risen indeed!
Who has believed our message? And to whom has the Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

For he grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; he has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to him.

He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face, he was despised, and we did not esteem him. Surely our griefs he himself bore, and our sorrows he carried; yet we ourselves esteemed him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 

But he was pierced through for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon him, and by his scourging we are healed.

All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him. (Isaiah 53)
I try to always remember to put a water bottle in I try to always remember to put a water bottle in my car before I go to pick up my daughter from school. She didn't ask me to do this, but a few months ago I began to notice that she was often thirsty when she would get in the car. Her water bottle filled up at the beginning of the day was empty by the time school got out and she would ask if she could have some water from my hydroflask. So I make sure to have one waiting for her. It's just a simple thing, really. But, I want her to know that I'm paying attention, that I see her.

Isn't it amazing how small gestures can make us feel less invisible? Knowing that someone is thinking of us and takes the time to meet a need that we might not have even realized we had? These little acts can have big impacts. What is something that someone has done for you recently that made you feel valued and seen?

What have you done for someone else to remind them that you are paying attention to their needs?

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”
― Charles Dickens
“The next day the large crowd that had come to t “The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!’ – John 12:9-19
#palmsunday
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