Gamecock Banner

Let me be clear from the beginning. I went to a Division II school called Angelo State University which just so happens to be in my hometown of San Angelo, Texas. I received a full-ride scholarship upon my high school graduation & thought that I would be a dummy to not accept it. I had a wonderful 4 years there & wouldn't trade my college experience for anything. It was perfect for me. I know how deep college colors run in the students that attend them and it's great to have pride & hope in your school & athletic departments.

With that said, there are a couple of things, voluntary or involuntary, that happen naturally upon getting married. One of these things is the expectation to adopt endless amounts of support & excitement over all things football & college mascot. My husband went to school at the University of South Carolina. Their mascot is the Gamecock, & if you aren't quite sure what a gamecock is, it is a fighting rooster that is usually shortened to 'fighting cock'.

Now, as most men do, my husband loves to deck himself out in Gamecock gear when at all possible. I thought he only owned collegiate t-shirts/hoodies & had nothing else in his closet when we first started dating. His habit of wearing such clothing almost caused my best friend to tell me 'heck no, he's not the one' just because during her first impression of him, he was wearing a shirt & backwards hat that said COCKS across the front. She gave him the benefit of the doubt and later asked me concernedly, "why is he wearing a shirt with that on it?!". I giggled and told her it was his mascot and she was dumbfounded at why a college would choose such a thing to represent them. My answer, "it's just as good as any I guess & if you think about it, the inappropriate t-shirt & bumper sticker slogans are endless. " Ha.

Since we started dating, we have seen several home games in South Carolina & have been there to cheer them on through the good and the bad. The baseball team is so talented that they have won the College World Series two years in a row. That's a feat, for sure! Once again, we were right there glued to our t.v. through every pitch. It's fun to have faith in a team & I'm glad we've had the opportunity to see these teams in action.

Over the past 5.5 years, I have become a big USC Gamecock fan. I have purchased several pieces of Gamecock paraphernalia for my closet now too. We look forward to the fall with anticipation as the football season kicks off & this year I wanted to do something special to decorate and pep us up. I saw this super cute mantel banner on My Blessed Life last spring & thought it would be fun to attempt for my sporty mantel. I also made this before my hubby returned from his training in AR so he would be surprised and happy about it when he got home.This is how it turned out:

I really like how the different prints on the papers turned out. 

The flag in the middle is a scrap from one of Chad's something-or-others that 

he cut the emblem off of, so I found it a new home. 

The football paper makes me happy. I underestimated how long this process would take for 11 letters. It took a full naptime for the little lady (about 3 hours), lots of patience, about 17 glue sticks, & a small scissor blister from having to cut the letters out by hand (because I don't have a Silhouette or Cricut machine and YES, I am jealous of you who do...birthday gift from someone??...

it's coming up in October so ya might wanna start saving, ha). 

A picture of our family at last year's game, our Gamecock garden gnome & Kennady's Carolina teddy bear she got from Uncle Chris for Christmas last year adorn the rest of the mantel.

The hubby was super pumped about my decor & is soooo excited that this weekend kicks off the season! Let's go Gamecocks!! :)

I want to know, which team/school do you support & how do you prep for the football season?!