July 4th Fun: Patriotic Hair Bows

Over winter break, I channeled my inner five-year-old and rediscovered my adoration for colorful hair bows. I used to wear them all the time as a kid. What's not to say a 22-year-old can't wear them? But simply buying them was not enough...I wanted to make them myself! So I bought some ribbon of all colors and varieties, found some helpful tutorials on YouTube, and crafted some awesome bows.
Last week for the 4th of July, I was feeling crafty again, so I made myself some patriotic hair bows. Michael's had an awesome selection of red, white, and blue ribbon, and it was on sale, so what more could I want? And since I knew I was going to the beach with Kevin and his family, I made some for me and his sister. We matched. It was adorable. 
Bows are not that difficult to make, but they do require some attention to detail. The folds and creases have to be almost perfect for the bow to look the way it's supposed to look. I think mine turned out okay! And they were perfect touches to my outfits for the holiday weekend.

Bows make everything better!
I was invited to write this post by Jessica from raise.com. Raise.com is a new online platform that sells gift cards for a wide variety of stores and brands at discounted prices. You can also sell unused gift cards for cash. It's free to join and get started. Check out raise.com's own 4th of July Fun blog, too, where you can find great recipes and ideas for your own July 4th celebrations. Check out Raise.com's wide assortment of gift cards that will be sure to save you money as you plan your holiday parties. 
Thanks, Jessica! 

Happy 4th of July, Y'all!

I could not be prouder to call myself an American, a citizen of the world's greatest country. We are all incredibly blessed to live where we live and to have the lives we have. I am thankful for the opportunities here, and that we have a kick-butt military watching out for us around the globe, and protecting us on our soil.

Thank you, servicemen and servicewomen, for putting your lives on the line to safeguard our freedom and defend the land of the free, home of the brave. Y'all are heroes. 
I am proud to be an American, today and every day.
As per my tradition, I plan to blast this song at full volume on the road later today:

I'm driving down to Cape May, New Jersey, to spend the weekend with Kevin and his family. I've never been to a beach farther north than North Carolina, so this will be a whole new experience. 

Happy 4th of July and God Bless America.