Make Your Own 4th of July Decor
The Fourth of July is smack dab in the middle of summer and if that's not a reason to celebrate, we don't know what is. This year, save some money and showcase your personal style with these ideas for making your own decorations for your holiday barbecue. (Just remember, as a sign of respect you should only use a flag on a flagpole, not draped over furniture or as a tablecloth.)
Flag Cake
Set the party off on a high note with a homemade – or home-decorated -- flag cake. Either make a sheet cake in your favorite flavor and cover with white frosting, or buy a plain frosted sheet cake to use as a starting point. Lay out strawberries sliced in half for the red stripes of the flag and whole blueberries for the field of stars, leaving space to let the white frosting show through for the stars and remaining stripes.
Paper Lights
When the sun goes down, keep your party bright with pretty, paper-wrapped tealight candleholders. Buy plain glass versions and cover them with scrapbook paper, leftover holiday paper, or your kids’ own drawings of fireworks and stars. You can use a similar technique for daytime centerpieces, too, by wrapping vases and filling them with colorful flowers.
Updated Secondhand Finds
For a great tablescape, find inexpensive thrift store pieces -- cake stands, metal buckets, vases -- and spray paint them different shades of red, blue, silver, and white. You can use them to display your appetizers and desserts, hold flowers or flags, or just as great focal pieces for a patriotic celebration.
Cool Off with Fans
Purchase plain white paper fans -- try a discount or party store -- and decorate them with patriotic references. Look for stencil designs on the web and use paint or markers in patriotic colors to trace and fill in the patterns. Your guests and family will love waving these fans to keep cool while showing their U.S. pride.