Texas Living

Fun Fourth of July Crafts

By Lisa Martin 7.2.15

Celebrate America’s birthday with some homemade crafts sure to make Uncle Sam smile.

Wreath Rules

Showcase your patriotic pride by hanging a homemade wreath on your front door, garden gate, or above your mantel. Styrofoam, wire, or grapevine can serve as your base. Then let your creativity shine by using anything from tulle, paper cones, and swatches of bandannas to clothespins painted red, white, and blue (with white stars, of course). For instructions and additional inspiration, visit one of your local craft stores or that bastion of all things craft, Pinterest. While you’re there, check out our boards at www.pinterest.com/txfbi.

Table Talk

In her book Tablescapes: Setting the Table with Style (Gibbs Smith), Dallas-based entertainment guru Kimberly Schlegel Whitman nestled a trio of watermelons in a red, galvanized metal bucket and “by cutting the tops off the watermelons, I made a sort of vase out of them and tucked stems of red Gerber daisies right into the moist melons.”

If you’re putting together a kids’ table, drape it in butcher paper and scatter red, white, and blue crayons or markers around as well as assorted sheets of stickers for the kids to decorate their digs during the meal.

Shining Bright

Turn an old can into a luminary that will bring extra sparkle to the night of the fourth. Clean an empty can, then paint red, white, and blue stripes (or any other patriotic theme) on the outside. Take a substantial nail and poke designs into the body of the can. Why not try the letters USA, a flag, or a star? Then sprinkle some sand in the bottom, pop in a votive, and light it up for an especially festive table decoration.

On our nation’s birthday, remember to keep your holiday celebration safe. Check out our Fireworks 101 blog for tips on regulation and safety.