My mother-in-law is a patriotic gal.

So when I noticed that she didn’t have a decoration on her independent living apartment door, all it took was a trip to Michael’s to remedy the situation.

The nice lady there helped me find just the right flat-backed basket. Only one problem. It already had an arrangement stuffed into the bird’s nest fibers, and they were yucky brown.  What to do? Rip them out.

With a pair of pliers and a little tugging, we soon had an empty basket, ready to be filled with red, white and blue flowers to celebrate the Fourth of July.

I bought two different sizes of flowers, some small and delicate, and some perky zinnias, plus an over-the-door metal hanger, a miniature American flag, and a packet of little wooden picks with floral wire.

Back at her apartment, I spread out on the kitchen table. First I cut back the flower stems to between two and three inches, and then attached the picks to the stems with the wire. One by one I inserted the flowers into the basket, making an eye-pleasing arrangement. I filled in with greenery she already had at home.

Everyday my mother-in-law gets compliments on that basket, which hangs facing the hallway on the outside of her door. And that makes me happy! FFG