The History of Flag Day

Happy FLAG DAY!

Today we celebrate the Stars and Stripes! Old Glory! Red, White and Blue! I am so proud and thankful to live in America. God has truly blessed the history of our nation. I want to do my part to make sure His blessings rest on our nation for my children and my children's children. Last week my youngest son asked me if Flag Day and Independence Day were the same celebration. Of course not, I replied. One is in June, the other is in July. Well why do we celebrate both, he asked. Good question, I replied. Off to Googleland I go to research Flag Day and to learn so I can teach. I found out some interesting facts I never knew and learned the reason why we honor National Flag Day. Scroll down and read the story for yourself. And enjoy some of my Flags displayed outside our home in honor

of the American Flag. I like to keep a flag hanging by my front entry. I have an entire collection of colorful, seasonal flags and usually change them out each month. However, when May 1st rolls around Old Glory is proudly displayed and we usually keep the American Flag on display through July 4th. We display the Flag again for Labor Day and Veteran's Day. My husband, Mr. Panache was in the ARMY so he has taught us all the proper etiquette about the flag. Did you know that you are NOT suppose to leave the flag hanging overnight or in the rain unless you have a light shining on it? Or that you are suppose to display the flag with the blue union field up - never display the flag upside down. Mr. Panache installed a spotlight to shine on our flag. I love coming home after dark and seeing our flag proudly displayed in the spotlight.
Did you know that the U.S. Flag was adopted on June 14, 1777 and it is the fourth oldest national flag in the world? I thought that Britian's flag was the oldest by actually Denmark's national flag was adopted in 1219 making it the oldest national flag.

I use small parade flags in my wreath and container plants for added color and an air of patriotism. Red, White and Blue is one of my favorite summertime color combos. I try to find ways to use these colors in my decor (inside and out) throughout the summer months.

Here, I've tucked a small parade flag inside an urn of Hostas. You can usually buy 3 parade flags for $1 at the Dollar Tree or Target in the $1 Bins by the front doors. In a couple of weeks I will be doing a special JULY 4th countdown and will be showing you more ways I use the Flag, Stars and Stripes and Red, White and Blue in my summertime decor. The countdown will begin on July 1st.

More Flags displays in a bed of hot pink Petunias.

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Here's the story behind the History of Flag Day:
The Fourth of July was traditionally celebrated as America's birthday, but the idea of an annual day specifically celebrating the Flag is believed to have first originated in 1885. BJ Cigrand, a schoolteacher, arranged for the pupils in the Fredonia, Wisconsin Public School, District 6, to observe June 14 (the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of The Stars and Stripes) as 'Flag Birthday'. In numerous magazines and newspaper articles and public addresses over the following years, Cigrand continued to enthusiastically advocate the observance of June 14 as 'Flag Birthday', or 'Flag Day'.
On June 14, 1889, George Balch, a kindergarten teacher in New York City, planned appropriate ceremonies for the children of his school, and his idea of observing Flag Day was later adopted by the State Board of Education of New York. On June 14, 1891, the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia held a Flag Day celebration, and on June 14 of the following year, the New York Society of the Sons of the Revolution, celebrated Flag Day.
Following the suggestion of Colonel J Granville Leach (at the time historian of the Pennsylvania Society of the Sons of the Revolution), the Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Dames of America on April 25, 1893 adopted a resolution requesting the mayor of Philadelphia and all others in authority and all private citizens to display the Flag on June 14th. Leach went on to recommend that thereafter the day be known as 'Flag Day', and on that day, school children be assembled for appropriate exercises, with each child being given a small Flag.
Two weeks later on May 8th, the Board of Managers of the Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution unanimously endorsed the action of the Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Dames. As a result of the resolution, Dr. Edward Brooks, then Superintendent of Public Schools of Philadelphia, directed that Flag Day exercises be held on June 14, 1893 in Independence Square. School children were assembled, each carrying a small Flag, and patriotic songs were sung and addresses delivered.
In 1894, the governor of New York directed that on June 14 the Flag be displayed on all public buildings. With BJ Cigrand and Leroy Van Horn as the moving spirits, the Illinois organization, known as the American Flag Day Association, was organized for the purpose of promoting the holding of Flag Day exercises. On June 14th, 1894, under the auspices of this association, the first general public school children's celebration of Flag Day in Chicago was held in Douglas, Garfield, Humboldt, Lincoln, and Washington Parks, with more than 300,000 children participating.
Adults, too, participated in patriotic programs. Franklin K. Lane, Secretary of the Interior, delivered a 1914 Flag Day address in which he repeated words he said the flag had spoken to him that morning: "I am what you make me; nothing more. I swing before your eyes as a bright gleam of color, a symbol of yourself."
Inspired by these three decades of state and local celebrations, Flag Day - the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 - was officially established by the Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30th, 1916. While Flag Day was celebrated in various communities for years after Wilson's proclamation, it was not until August 3rd, 1949, that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day.

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On another note, I will be away from blogland for the next 2 1/2 weeks. My Parents are retiring and moving to NC! Yeah! I will be traveling north to help finalize the packing and moving, then driving with my Parents back to NC. I will miss you while I'm away but hope to have some great pictures and stories to share when I return. Be sure to drop by on July 1st for my special Independence Day countdown and a FABULOUS, INCREDIBLE, UNBELIEVABLE GIVE-A-WAY! Until I see you again,

Happy Decorating!

~Alisa

Relaxed Summer Style

Summer! Lazy days of summer!

Something about summer makes all of us long for a slower pace, more casual surroundings and bright, crip colors. This week I will be adding relaxed summer style to some spaces in my home. I'm going to start with my sunroom and deck. These two areas will get a lot of use over the next few months especially with the kids home from school. Pulling a little inspiration from Pottery Barn, I think I will be off "shopping" the house and the garage later today to see what I come up with. Red, white and blue is a classic color scheme but for my house these colors won't work. So, I am going to modify them to a color pallette of orange, cream and turquoise. All of these colors are just various hues of the primary basics. Let's look at some pictures from my idea file. While these aren't the colors I will use, the look and style is what I'm going for.I'm going for a similar look with the mix-n-match pillows in my sunroom. I love the stripes, floral and geometric prints combined. Shopping the house for the right mix will be fun and challenging! I love the pop of sunny yellow thrown in the mix.

I have several pieces of older wicker. The plan is to paint it chocolate brown. My BFF, Bella~Mella, recently painted a wicker piece an espresso brown at my suggestion. After seeing pictures, I loved it so much that I think I'll take my own advice and paint my pieces. In the picture above I love the mix of wicker with metal folding chairs. The mix of pattern again caught my eye. I think mixing up patterns has a natural casual appeal perfect for the hot, sticky days of summer.

The bright navy blue of this umbrella is what drew my eye in this photo. I guess it's my association of blue with water that makes me lean towards shades of blue during the warm weather months. I have three umbrellas in the garage. A leopard print, a terracotta floral print and a solid golden yellow. Depending on what I pull together from my "shopping" trip, will determine which one is featured in the months to come.

I would LOVE to have an outdoor sectional like this! The whole set is just perfect for entertaining outdoors. Cushions so thick you can just sink down and daydream the day away.

Oh, to have a functional outdoor kitchen! We would eat every meal outside! This kitchen is covered by a porch. Whenever I get around to designing an outdoor kitchen, it will need to be weather proof since we have an uncovered deck.

At the end of a long day, to lay and relax on this summery chaise lounge would be perfect. Especially if your back yard bordered a lake or the coast.

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Well, I better get going if I'm going to get a start on that deck today....

Until I see you again,

Happy Decorating!

~Alisa

TABLESCAPE THURSDAY - French Country Flair

Hey, it's TABLESCAPE THURSDAY again! Don't you just love this weekly get-together? I do! Thanks to Susan at Between Naps On The Porch. To see more lovely and inspired tables pop over for a visit. This week I'm showing a little French Country Flair. I brought out some Roosters, Toile and Red, Black and Cream! They are the perfect elements for this French Country breakfast table. Cream placemats, Toile napkins, Ivory plates and Toile bread or fruit plates from Williams Sonoma set the table with French flair. Clear and Ruby crystal goblets and juice glasses add the sparkle. Flatware with Bamboo handles completes my placesettings.

Love this distressed white Rooster. I've had him for many years. Usually he sits on my counter but for today he's made his way to my breakfast table.

This spotted Rooster was a gift from my SIL, Teresa. Thanks, T!

Red, Black and Cream are so FRENCH to me. Red roses were the obvious choice for my centerpiece.

These bamboo handles are rugged yet refined. I've used them with my best china and I've used them with paper plates! These Toile napkins also came from Williams Sonoma. They are luncheon size but they work just fine for breakfast.

My clear juice glasses came from Dollar Tree. I've had the Ruby Crystal Goblet for several years. I have 8 in all and usually they only make their way out of the cabinet at Valentine's Day and Christmas. But I liked the way they added glamour to this table.

This salad / bread / dessert Toile patterned plate came from Williams Sonoma. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the pattern and colors! See the little Rooster?

I think I will serve Eggs Benedict, Crisp Bacon and warm, flaky Croissants with fresh squeezed Orange Juice and fresh Melon. Hmmm!

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I hope you've enjoyed this week's French Country Flair. Until I see you again,

Happy Table Setting!

~Alisa

Patriotic Decor & Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day! I hope you are having a wonderful day with family and friends and have taken some time to remember the fallen soldiers who have given their lives to ensure our freedom! I am so thankful for their sacrifice! There's just something about Summer and Red, White and Blue! It just goes together like peanut butter and jelly or ketchup and fries. I find myself automatically reaching for clothes in my closet in these shades from May through July 4th! Adding a little patriotic flair to our decor during this season seems pretty natural too! From the weeks leading up to Memorial Day to the fireworks finale on the Fourth, we Americans just seem to gravitate to the classic of all classic colors schemes - Red, White and Blue! Here's a little home tour to give you some inspiration for adding American Spirit to your summer holidays!Ever since I was a little kid, I've loved patriotic buntings! They look so festive and regal! Paired with Old Glory, the front of the house is all decked out and can stay that way through Flag Day in June to Independence Day in July!
Love this family room! The white slipcovered sofa is just the right backdrop for displaying these Flag pillows. Wanna know a secret? The reverse side of the pillows are a floral print that the homeowner simply turns around when the summer holidays are over.

A light filled dining room painted white is the perfect setting to showcase this red, white and blue tablescape. I love the fresh blue and white ginham check napkins and the punch of red Gladiolas.

Glorious color, beautiful frabic and crip white wicker makes this sun room by the sea the ideal place to lounge during the hot days of summer. The only place more perfect would be by the sea shore itself. I love the use of blue and white stripes paired with the red rose chintz.

Kick back and relax with your family and friends at the end of the afternoon on this All-American screened porch. A collection of mismatched furniture gets a "pulled-together" look with lots of blue and red paint and fabric. You just can't go wrong! Various shades of blue paired with red, tan and white lends a preppy panache to a family friendly space that can be enjoyed all summer long!

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I hope you enjoy the rest of your holiday! Be safe! Until I see you again,

Happy Decorating!

~Alisa

The Powder Room REVEAL

Well today is the big REVEAL. My mini-makeover of our Powder Room is practically complete. There are a couple of special order items I'm waiting for but the majority of the make-over is done. If you remember from my design board posted earlier this month, I wanted to give the room some punch and I wanted to leave the textured, tan wallpaper intact on the lower part of the wall. Since I use lots of earthy, warm colors throughout my house, the eggplant upper walls were painted a lovely shade of dark red which flows much better with the entry, foyer and lower hall. Let's take a look:

Just to refresh your memory I've posted a couple of "before" pictures.

Here you see the dark eggplant walls. The walls were painted this shade when I bought the house and I knew I wanted to change the color. But one thing after another took priority over this little space. The Paris street scene border was replaced and a decorative molding was added at the bottom to add depth.

Kind of bland compared to the rich color of the makeover. I just love RED and animal print! For this little powder room, it was the perfect combination.
I found the cheetah print towels at Marshalls, the border and paint came from Lowe's, the mirror is a vintage piece from Home Interiors. I moved it from an upstairs bedroom.

I added a plate stand and placed a decorative plate with a Palm Tree motif ringed with cheetah print over the towel rack. I also added two metal scroll-work sconces and ball candles.

Here is a close-up of the wall border. I really love the colors and pattern. I am on the hunt for more Zebra print accessories. I just love those stripes!

This wall cabinet holds a collection of decorative accessories. Since this space is used infrequently, I did not have to be concerned with practical issues such as storage for toiletries. A metal stand is used below to store extra tissue and hand towels.

I found this giraffe statue and added him to the mix. His coloring and pattern fit nicely with my exotic "safari" look.

I love the antique finish and crystal finial on the towel rack.

We are waiting for the faucet and hardware for the flusher on the toilet. After these are installed my mini-makeover will be complete. All in all, this little project cost just a little over $125. The power of paint goes a long way in transforming any space. The fun border and accessories add interest and whimsy. I hope you've enjoyed looking around.

Tomorrow is Tuesday and our tablescape day has been moved to Thursday and I will be posting a new table featuring an unusual color scheme. I hope you will stop by to check it out. Until then,

Happy Decorating!

~Alisa