July Favorites {Give-Away}, Stars and Stripes edition

**The give-away is now closed and the winner will be contacted shortly. Thanks for stopping by!

My July favorites are inspired by Old Glory and good ol' red, white, and blue!

1.  favorite DIY starry wall art: Constellation Embroidery from Diana Hulme seen on Say Yes to Hoboken
I'm a sucker for anything even vaguely scientific, so these gorgeous embroidered constellations are right up my alley.

2.  favorite latest crafty obsession: digital paper downloads like this red, white, & blue digital paper set from hue too on Etsy
You know when you have a picture in your mind of how you want something to look, and then you search the scrapbooking paper aisle at your favorite craft store in vain? Well those days are long gone thanks to downloadable digital paper sets. These adorable patterns come in coordinating sets of 8-12, cost less than $1 per pattern, and arrive in your inbox to be downloaded to your computer and used over and over and over again! I've already bought several sets and have gussied up baby shower invites, menu cards, and book club bookmarks. And I love the sweet, clean, sophisticated colors and patterns from hue too--no cutesy cartoon animals or obnoxious patterns here!

3.  favorite totally American thing to wear on the 4th of July: DIY Bandana Shirt from Gypsie Sister
What's more American than wearing red, white, and blue on Independence Day? Wearing a cute red, white, and blue country-inspired cowgirl shirt! This adorable little project makes me want a 10-gallon hat and some sassy cowboy boots.

4.  favorite way to dry off after a summer swim: Striped Cotton Turkish Towel from bathstyle on Etsy
So, I think turkish towels are the hot thing right now! I've spotted them all over the blogosphere and in print magazines, and with their happy colors and preppy stripes, I can see why they're all the rage. Who needs boring old terry cloth?!

5.  favorite starry bling: Midnight Sunstone Gold Necklace from FriedaSophie on Etsy
Every piece in Friedasophie's shop is a beautiful, handmade treasure, but this Midnight Sunstone necklace is magical! It looks like the entire night sky is captured in a midnight blue nugget nestled in 14K gold. It's on my wishlist, but if anybody out there wants to buy it for me, we'll be bff's. Promise.

6.  favorite embellishment for pretty much anything: Maraschino bakers' twine from The Twinery
If I had to pick my #1 craft staple, it would be baker's twine, hands down. Giving cookies to neighbors? Tie the package up with baker's twine! Sending someone a thank you note? Add a little baker's twine bow to the front! Making some miniature flags for the top of a cake? Hang 'em from baker's twine! I seriously use baker's twine more than any other supply in my stash, and The Twinery is my favorite place to stock up. Their twine is thick, sturdy, and soft, and comes in 18 super-saturated colors.

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The give-away this month will knock your crafty little socks right off: the winner gets to choose any digital paper set from hue too and two spools of twine in their choice of colors from The Twinery! I'm already jealous! Big, big thanks to Cody of hue too and Nicole of The Twinery for donating prizes this month; they were a dream to work with!

To enter this month's give-away simply leave a comment on this post. Make sure you leave me an email address so I can contact you if you win. I'm serious about this, people: if I can't notify you that you won, I'll choose a new winner! The give-away will be open for one week, and I'll choose a lucky winner next Monday.  Best of luck, and have a safe and happy 4th of July!