When you think of a ruler, you might think that their sole purpose is only to measure things. When I stumbled upon a collection of foldable vintage rulers at a garage sale, a million ideas sprung up on how I could use these for decor! These rulers come in all different shapes, colors, and sizes.
The earliest rulers date back to the 17th century and aided in the standardization of measurement. These folding rulers were handy for carpenters because they were both portable and sturdy. Many rulers that can be found today, also have really neat advertising on them too. This article here has a lot of interesting history about antique rulers.
My initial plan was to use them all in a starry display for Christmas, but that did not transpire this year. Which in reality was OK, because I could use the rulers for stars for patriotic decor! I have to admit every time I walk out to this starry display it puts a smile on my face. There are two ways to fold the stars using the rulers. One is to cross the pieces over onto each other to create a star shape and this is what I have most commonly seen with these rulers.
But when you make the star shape without crossing any lines, it creates these magical patriotic stars. I used all white rulers with red accents just to give it a little red, white, and blue flair. All of these paired together on a contrasting backdrop makes for a beautiful display!
If you are looking for more vintage patriotic decor ideas, check out my post here that offers many fun ways to use vintage decor for all your patriotic holidays! Teddy Roosevelt once said, “Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground.” I think he had the right idea. I will be looking at these cool vintage ruler stars all summer long!
