Inexpensive and festive Fourth of July table displays and party favors are created from household items and easily accessible materials found at your local craft store.

See Gina demonstrate her designs on Let's Talk Live!
News Channel 8 Washington DC

Difficulty - Easy

A Fourth of July themed dessert or appetizer display is accented with hand-crafted decorative stars. These patriotic stars can be used an accent for cupcakes or appetizers or placed around a table to dress up a plain table cloth. Small American flags placed in the center of the display add to the charm.

Materials

• Red and blue cardboard star accents (they can be found at your local party store —they usually come in sets of five)
  
• Red , white and blue cardstock scrapbooking paper
  
• Star craft punch
  
• Craft scissors
  
• Craft Glue
  

Instructions

1. Cut a piece of scrapbooking paper in a star shape about a half inch smaller than the cardboard star accent. Trace the star and use a ruler to draw lines inside the star a half an inch smaller on all sides to make the same shape.
   
   
2. Apply craft glue to wrong side of the scrapbooking paper and attach to the top center of the star. Make sure alternate the large and small colors for contrast.
   
   
3. Punch five star shapes from the white craft paper and glue then evenly around the points of the star.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Patriotic Napkin Rings

Difficulty - Easy

Patriotic napkin rings can be used for a place setting or displayed on the buffet table. They are created from tubes cut from paper towel rolls and covered with ribbon and star buttons. They are accented with a red white and blue flower made from ribbon loops.

Materials

• Paper towel roll
  
• 1 ½ inch wide red, white and blue ribbon
  
• ¼ inch wide red, white and blue ribbon
  
• Star rhinestones or buttons
  
• Craft glue

Instructions

1. Cut a 1 ½ inch piece of the paper towel roll.
   
   
2. Cut a piece of the 1 ½ inch ribbon the length to wrap around the paper towel roll piece plus 1 inch for overlap.
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. On the wrong side of the ribbon, fold over ½ inch of the ribbon end and glue for a finished edge.
   
   
4. Apply craft glue to the back of the ribbon and wrap it around the paper towel tube, overlapping the raw edge of the ribbon with the finished edge.
   
   
5. To make ribbon flowers, cut two 3 ½ inch pieces of blue ribbon and two 3 ½ inch pieces of the red ribbon. Fold the ends to middle, overlapping about 1/8 inch and glue together to form a loop.
   
   
6. Apply glue to the inside center to create two loops.
   
   
   
   
   
   
7. Glue the four of the ribbon loops together, one at a time onto the center of each other to form a flower.
   
   
8. Cut a 1 ½ inch piece of white ribbon. Fold the ends to middle, overlapping about 1/8 inch and glue together to form a loop.
   
   
9. Glue the white ribbon loop on to the center of the ribbon flower.
   
   
   
   
   
   
10. Glue the ribbon flower to napkin ring and attach a star on each side of the flower. Slide the ring over a napkin to finish.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

Popping Fire Crackers

Difficulty - Easy

These safe firecracker favors are made from paper towel rolls and filled with bubble wrap. They are decorated with red, white and blue scrapbooking paper and ribbon. The fuse is made from a silver pipe cleaner and a red star is glued to the end of the fuse to make it look like it has been lit. The bottom of the tube is left open so you can pop the bubble wrap with your fingers to make a firecracker sound.

Materials

• Paper towel roll
  
• Red, white and blue cardstock scrapbooking paper
  
• Silver pipe cleaner
  
• 1 ½ inch wide patriotic ribbon
  
• Red foil stars cut from star garland
  
• Bubble wrap
  
• Gift wrap tape
  
• Craft glue

Instructions

1. Cut a 4 inch piece of the paper towel roll.
   
   
2. Cut a 12 x 4 inch piece of bubble wrap. Roll the short end of the bubble wrap into a tube and insert it into the paper towel tube. Apply pieces of tape on one end to secure. The bubble wrap can be removed and refilled with new bubble wrap once all of the bubbles have been popped.






3. Trace the top of the roll on the wrong side of the blue cardstock and cut slightly larger than the traced circle. Cut slits into the edges of the circle outside the traced circle.
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Cut a 5 inch piece of pipe cleaner. Punch a hole in the center of the blue cardstock circle and feed the pipe cleaner through, looping the ends on both sides. Apply a small amount of craft glue to the wrong side of the blue circle where the pipe cleaner meets to secure.
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Cut a piece of red cardstock the length of the tube and the width to wrap around the entire roll plus 1 inch for overlap.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Cut a piece of red cardstock the length of the tube and the width to wrap around the entire roll plus 1 inch for overlap.
   
   
7. Apply craft glue to the back of the paper and wrap it around the paper towel tube, overlapping the edges.
   
   
8. Cut a piece of the 1 ½ inch ribbon the length to wrap around the paper towel roll piece plus 1 inch for overlap.
   
   
9. On the wrong side of the ribbon, fold over ½ inch of the ribbon end and glue for a finished edge.
   
   
10. Apply craft glue to the back of the ribbon and wrap it around the center of the paper towel tube, overlapping the raw edge of the ribbon with the finished edge.
    
    
11. Glue a red star on both sides of the top of the wick to complete your popping firecracker.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

American Flag Masks

Difficulty - Easy

American flag masks make great favors and are fun to create with your kids. Inexpensive plastic masks can be found at a local craft store. They are painted with acrylic red and blue craft paint. Small stars are cut from scrapbooking cardstock with a star craft punch and glued onto to the blue part of the mask. The blue and red areas are then outlined with glitter glue to add a sparkly look.

Materials

• White plastic masks (available at your local craft store)
  
• Red and blue acrylic craft paint (available at your local craft store)
  
• Red and blue glitter glue (available at your local craft store)
  
• White card stock scrapbooking paper
  
• Star craft punch
  
• Craft glue

Instructions

1. Paint blue and red acrylic paint on the plastic mask creating an abstract American flag motive. You may need two coats to get a deeper color. Let dry.
   
   
2. Punch some white stars from cardstock and glue them on the blue section of the mask with craft glue. Outline the blue and red painted areas with blue and red glitter glue. Let dry.

Fireworks Centerpiece

Difficulty - Easy

A fireworks centerpiece adds a festive touch to the celebration and serves as a great conversation piece. The fireworks are created from BBQ Skewers, star garland, foil tissue and silver duct tape. A flower vase if filled with red, white and blue floral beads to complete the patriot theme.

Materials

• Red, blue and silver wired star garland (available at your local craft or party store)
  
• Red , white and silver foil tissue (available at your local craft or party store in the gift wrapping section)
  
• Wooden BBQ skewers
  
• Silver duct tape
  
• Gift wrap tape
  
• Flower vase
  
• Red, white/clear and blue floral beads
  
• Craft scissors
  
• Craft Glue

Instructions

1. Cut two pieces of foil tissue 5 x 7 inches. Put the two pieces of foil together and cut slits ¼ inch apart on the 7 inch length, leaving about inch uncut at the end.
   
   
2. Snip off the pointed edge of the skewer. Wrap the uncut edge around the top of the skewer and tape with gift wrapping tape to hold.






3. Cut six 8 inch pieces of the star garland the same color as the foil.
   
   
4. Cut a 3 inch piece of silver duct tape and wrap the end around the top of the skewer overlapping the taped end of the foil tissue.
   
   
5. Lay all of the star garland pieces, evenly spaced on the sticky side of the tape. Wrap the tape around the skewer.
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Pull the foil strips down and curl the edges of the strips as you would curl ribbon. Adjust the star garland so it looks like fireworks. Loop the ends of the garland so there are no sharp points.
   
   
7. Layer red white and blue floral beads in a clear glass vase and insert your fireworks display. You can also fill the vase with shredded foil for similar look.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Safe Sparklers

Difficulty - Easy

Sparklers are a fun way to celebrate Fourth of July but these are a safe alternative for your kids. They are created from BBQ Skewers, multi-color star garland and silver duct tape. The white stars are painted with glow in the dark paint so they come alive after dark.

Materials

• Red, white and blue wired star garland (available at your local craft or party store)
  
• Wooden BBQ skewers
  
• Silver duct tape
  
• Craft scissors
  
• Glow in the dark paint
  
• Small paint brush

Instructions

1. Cut five 5 inch pieces and five 7 inch pieces of the star garland.
   
   
2. Snip off the pointed edge of the skewer. Wrap the uncut edge around the top of the skewer and tape with gift wrapping tape to hold.
   
   
3. Cut a 4 inch piece of silver duct tape and wrap the end around the top of the skewer.
   
   
4. Lay all of the star garland pieces, evenly spaced on the sticky side of the tape — alternating the different lengths. Wrap the tape around the skewer.






5. Adjust the star garland so the long pieces hang down and the shorter pieces point upwards. Curve the pieces so it looks like a sparkler. Loop the ends of the garland so there are no sharp points.
   
   
6. Paint the glow in the dark glue on the white stars. Use two coats if necessary to make it really glow.