Stars and Stripes Forever - Specimen Art

4th of July is just around the corner, and I can't believe it!  It is such a fun holiday here in New England.  Our family loves going down to sit on the banks for the Charles River in Boston and watch the world famous fireworks while the Boston Pop's Music plays!
A few months ago, I saw this post at Nifty Thrifty Things about making easy little 3D paper stars.  This was also about the time that blogland seemed to be inundated with specimen art of every kind :)  So, my mind immediately went to the idea of making star specimen art for a bit of 4th of July decor. 

I started by making a stack of little red, white and blue stars, using the Nifty Thrifty Things tutorial - and they are very quick to make.

Then, I wracked my brain for a way to display them.  Luckily, I had taken apart a picture frame for another recent project, and had this mat leftover.  Score!

I took a piece of white cardstock, big enough to fit behind the mat, and hot glued rows of stars to fit inside the mat. 

I toyed with the idea of handwriting my words - but I'm a bit of a perfectionist :)  Why write it when a Silhouette can cut it out perfectly?  So, with my Silhouette, I cut the words "Stars and Stripes Forever" in vinyl and stuck those onto the mat.

Then, I taped the cardstock to the back of the mat - so the stars fit inside the mat...

Aw yeah!  I hot glued a piece of blue ribbon to hang it - and that is it!  I love it! 
Remember, that you can get just the mat (without a picture frame) at the craft store... I love using a mat without a frame for these inexpensive little projects. 

Happy Birthday America!

Check out these parties I often link up to!