I love you, Wednesdays.

Because, seriously, Friday is still 2 days away. I love you, Wednesdays is my bloggin' attempt at a.) shutting up about my products and sharing the love of others' with others! and b.) sharing sources of inspiration that often stands behind my jewelry and creative process. The following confession may mark the end of your readership, but I need to be honest. I have never liked the 4th of July. Now, let me be clear - I don't dislike it because of what it stands for. Au contraire. I love America and the freedom we have gained from events such as the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. But what I don't care for is what the 4th of July has turned into for many Americans - a chance to get drunk and sunburned while roasting animals on the grill (there's the vegetarian in me coming out!). I think fireworks are a waste of money and aren't all that great for the environment. And I have never been one to dig the American eagle or any other airbrushed on leather or thin white cotton t-shirts representation of what my freedom apparently means. I really hate the feeling that I am required to engage in any of these activities on the 4th of July when, in all honesty, I would rather take a nap or clean my craft room (which of course would mean I am un-patriotic, right?).

::stepping down off the soap box::

Whew. There, I said it. Moving on. That said, I DO like stripes... and I do like stars. And, as seen by last week's post, I love red polka dots... and I do like light and dark blue. Thus I LOVED these candles and napkins I bought from the TAG outlet store in Chicago. Here is a picture of them on my desk at work. I especially love the star, stripe, polka dot, and light blue modifications! Now this is a 4th of July decoration that I enjoy!

Seems like fellow Etsians dig the combination, too... look what I found!

Check out what else they have up their sleeves!

paperandcake, steppie, KMThomasDesigns, meganbalaban, LolaFalkDesigns, jennysbakeshop, NinisHandmades, SeaPinks, mooshoopork, mamax2, simplyserra, Itybitybags, thenook, thelab, wburley74, NinjaBowTique.

I must admit, I am LOVIN' that super cute rabbit card at the top, and the Sofie Clutch is hip! And the "Keep Calm and Have a Cupcake" print - my kind of 4th of July celebration! And can I give a thumbs up for the "American Ninjas," too? And that "Ellie the Elephant" clutch - how did the artist know I had a stuffed elephant named Ellie? I want them all! If these things can be part of my celebration, I guess I can't dislike the 4th of July after all! In fact, to prove that I am not a 4th of July Grinch, I have an announcement to make. ::mike check. testing 1-2. ah-hem::

FREE SHIPPING from now until July 5th! Let's celebrate our freedom with FREE shipping on all items in my Etsy shop! (discount will be reimbursed after PayPal payment). Get it while it's HOT!

Let's just say the 4th of July - no, our freedom - inspired me :) So, what inspires you this 4th of July?