Stars and Stripes - Fourth of July Decorations

July 4th is coming up soon!  With picnics and barbeques and fireworks around the corner, it's time to celebrate with red, white and blue! 

Here are some stars ...

and some stripes!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

First Day of Spring!

Yesterday, March 20, 2012, marked the first day of spring!  In honor of the occasion, I found some floral paper in beautiful shades of green and pink and made these origami stars.  Somehow, though, I wasn't able to quite capture the colors on camera.  I may need to get around to taking those photography lessons one of these days!

Origami Chore Stars, a Great Alternative to Chore Charts

I was folding origami lucky stars the other day, and a couple of kids asked to see them.  Since I had quite a few of the stars already made, I offered to give them a couple of stars each.  Well, once they saw the brightly colored rainbow array of stars, two stars turned into three, three turned into four, and pretty soon, I had no stars left, and the kids were still begging for more.  I couldn't fold fast enough! 

After seeing how much the kids loved the stars, an idea came to me.  These little origami stars would be great as an incentive the same way teachers and parents use stickers or treats. 

Here's how it works:  The origami stars have customized chores printed on them.  Have the children pick a star and complete the chore listed on the star. If it is done to your satisfaction, they can keep the star in their own special jar or container. Once they fill up their jar, you can give them a special treat! 

Your children will love seeing their star chore jars fill up with stars. It's a great motivation for them to help out mom and dad, and you just may get some well deserved time to yourself!

These origami chore stars can also make a wonderful Mother's Day or Father's Day present! Have your children come up with tasks that they will do for you, and use these stars as "coupons" for you redeem your task.



Lucky Star Wishes for a New Baby Girl

It's a girl!  From the moment you found out, didn't you just want to tell everyone?  Hand out these origami stars to all your friends and family to share the exciting news!

Another way to make these origami lucky stars part of a fun tradition is to fill a jar with origami lucky stars, and make a wish for your new baby girl.  It's a great way to start off the most amazing adventure of your life.  Especially with pink gingham!

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