Fourth of July Crafts and Decorations That Show Your Red, White, and Blue Spirit

By Alexandra Churchill

Digital Editor

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Oh, say, can you see... a patriotic color scheme? If you're hosting Fourth of July festivities this year, brighten your home with American colors, stars, and stripes.

Photography: Raymond Hom

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Who's ready for the Fourth of July? It starts with a pledge of allegiance to our flag and ends in a spectacular firework display across the country. Whether you plan to fire up the grill and have a barbecue, go see the fireworks, or join a parade—it's time to party like it's 1776. So, if you're hosting Fourth of July festivities this year, now is the time to brighten your home with American colors, stars, and stripes.

Dress up your front yard with decorations like flag garlands, bunting, medallions, and motifs like bald eagles, Uncle Sam, and the American flag in all of its glory. Box-pleated bunting adds a crowning touch to your outdoor gazebo and miniature flags can be sewn into a garland for the street-facing fence. Stick-on stars become the go-to embellishment for table runners, doormats, and hanging displays. Our printable templates and clip-art can be used for serving snacks like potato chips, cupcakes, and ice cream cones. Handmade candles and party favor sparklers will light up the night as the day winds down and darkness falls, while your guests wait in anticipation for the booming fireworks. The Fourth of July offers plenty of kid-friendly activities as well: Pop a balloon bursting with confetti, snack from candy containers that looks like Uncle Sam's top hat, or make pom-poms to wave while watching as the Fourth of July parade meanders downtown.

Find inspiration in our star-spangled banners, stripes, sparklers, and a patriotic color palette of red, white, and blue—it's all befitting a birthday party for America.
Photography: The Morrisons

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Patriotic Table Settings

You don't need to do a stitch of work to strike up a star-spangled banner of Fourth of July decorations. With grosgrain ribbons, heat-bond adhesive, and an iron, you can give your table some patriotic panache in minutes. First, embellish a length of linen to make a runner: Just cut ribbon and a rip of adhesive to the length you need, put the adhesive under the ribbon at the edge of the fabric, and press with an iron to attach it. To complete the scene, add bands to plain napkins, or wave the flag in red blooms. To make mini flags for arrangements (or drinks), fold wide ribbon in half over skewer, secure the fabric together with double-sided tape, and trim the ends.

Mood Designer Fabrics #104537 (left), $3 yd., 212-730-5003. Ribbon Factory Red, White, Royal Blue Ribbon (#GRWB; right), 1", $6 for 20 yd., ribbonfactory.com.
Photography: The Morrisons

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Ribbon Chandelier

Channel fireworks by floating a "chandelier" at your party. Two metal wreath forms (one big, one small) and wire make a simple frame for two layers of ribbons trimmed to different lengths.

Get the July Fourth Ribbon Chandelier How-To
Photography: Johnny Miller

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Liberty Lanterns

Hang lanterns in two styles. Paper ribbons inscribed with the words "America the Beautiful" dress up accordion-style lanterns and tucked with LED tea lights inside for a safe glow. Meanwhile, upside-down honeycomb bells become bodies for bald eagles, and looped wings and a drawn head give this flier a little patriotic flourish.

Get the Bald-Eagle Tissue Paper Lanterns How-To
Photography: Aaron Dyer

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Red, White, and Blue Flowers

Get your flowers into the patriotic spirit, too. We love this robust bunch with fiery anemones, deep-blue alliums, and white phlox, because they say, "America the beautiful"—and they hold up in the heat (especially when you place them in cool water).

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Photography: The Morrisons

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Fringed Tote Bags

This fun ribbon flashes charm and good cheer. Use heat-bond adhesive to iron it onto plain canvas tote or clutch, and show your independent streak.

Mood Designer Fabrics Italian Cotton Grosgrain in Fringe, 50mm, in Navy/Natural/Red, $10 yd., 212-730-5003. Imagin8 Natural Canvas Tote Bag, 3 for $12; and Pouch, $6, michaels.com.
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Patriotic Door Medallion

Declare your national pride by greeting guests at the door with a fresh spin on this star-spangled icon. Piecing and trimming the bunting yields a bull's-eye pattern. To make it, measure and cut two 39-inch-long pieces of bunting, join the pieces together (ensuring that the stars align), and adhere using fusible webbing or by stitching the 1/2-inch overlap together.
Photography: Johnny Miller

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Tissue Fan Fireworks with Clip-Art Medallions

An array of circular tissue fans, cut to different sizes, creates a fireworks effect. On some of these pendants, the center is snipped flat, making room for a clip-art medallion. (Choose from a large medallion in liberty, eagle, or "4th" or a small medallion in liberty, eagle, or "4th"). If adding a medallion, snip the closed fan along one edge of cardboard, cutting off one staple, and this will create a flat center. Pinch together the loose tissue paper and secure it with a dollop of hot glue; then attach the medallion.
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Festive Window Swag

Similarly, your windows can be decked out in this bold drapery. This project is easier than it looks: Just join two pieces of fabric side by side, and then pleat the bottom into a half-moon by making 1 1/2-inch accordion folds. When sewing, machine-stitch slowly, using a heavy needle, or hand-stitch. Attach a rectangular dowel in the crease with fusible webbing, iron fabric side up, and then display with pride.
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Flag-Patterned Fence Swag

Have the most patriotic home in the neighborhood with this festive swag made of flags. Here, we used 8-inch-wide bunting to dress up a plain white picket fence. Start by measuring the desired length of your swag and cut 1 3/4 times this length of bunting. Then, pleat the fabric: First, lay the fabric down, wrong side up. To make a single box pleat, crease both edges of a block of blue, and fold both creases so they meet in the middle, covering the blue; the red and white stripes will line up. It's a good idea to spray with starch and iron the folds as you go; sewing along the top using a straight stitch.
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Photography: Charles Schiller

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Patriotic Fans

Wave away the heat, and proclaim your allegiance, with these red, white, and blue decorations. With wooden garden markers as handles, our fans make great party favors. Print out one of our two templates—stars & stripes template or patriotic fan template—and follow the directions to create the fan.
Photography: Johnny Miller

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Paper Lanterns

Give paper lanterns a Fourth of July makeover. Accordion-fold tissue paper several layers high and punch with a star punch. Decoupage them onto the lantern using a storebought medium or a homemade mixture—combining 1 part white glue with 1 part water. To create a cascading star pattern, as shown here, cluster stars close together at the top of the lantern and paste stars farther apart toward the bottom. Hang the lanterns in a group for maximum impact.
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Star Medallions

Fabric star medallions will brighten up your party like daytime fireworks. Standard cotton prints work best for this project and spraying starch helps the creases to keep their shape. To make one, start by cutting a length of fabric: The width will be the diameter of the medallion; the length should be 1.6 times the width (for example, for a 15 1/2-inch medallion, cut about 25 inches of fabric). Fold the fabric accordion-style in 1 1/2-inch sections, spraying with starch and ironing after each fold. Connect the sides of the rectangle by fanning out fabric from center stitch and adhering together with fusible webbing.
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Stars-and-Stripes Gazebo Trim

Box-pleated bunting adds a crowning touch to a gazebo or other outdoor structure. We trimmed the traditional flag design to highlight the blue-and-white part of the pattern. For crisper folds, iron the pleats as you make them. To make it, measure a 12-inch-high roll of flag-pattern bunting that's about two times the desired length and cut. To make a single box pleat, crease both edges of a red-and-white block (where the stripes meet the blue block), and then fold both creases so they meet in the middle, covering the stripes; essentially, you're matching blocks of blue to blocks of blue.
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Paper Wind Streamers

With little more than an empty container and colored paper, you can create a festive decoration that's perfect for any patriotic occasion. For younger children, it also provides a science lesson, illustrating the wind's direction and how quickly it can change. To make one, use double-sided tape to affix blue kraft paper to fit inside and outside the container. Use paper punches to create decorative stars and four holes at the north, south, east, and west points of the container's top. Thread a piece of waxed twine through one hole and its opposite hole, and tie it in place (repeating for all remaining holes). Red and white ribbons are glued at the bottom edge as streamers.
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Patriotic Clip-Art Paper Cones

Serving up snacks? Filled with a mix of beet and blue-potato chips, this easy-to-make container is something to cheer for. To make these paper cones: print clip-art image (red or blue) and trim. Score along dotted line, and fold back to create a tab. Wrap to form cone, and attach sides with glue stick or double-sided tape. To prevent grease marks, line the inside of the cone with waxed paper if desired.
Photography: Pernille Loof

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Beeswax Star Candles

Brighten your table with a centerpiece inspired by two highlights of summer: fireworks and our star-spangled banner. Trim out star shapes with cookie cutters. (Tip: If the wax is hard to handle, soften it using hair dryer on low.) Then craft this celestial centerpiece by pressing two beeswax sheets together, overlapping a skewered wick.

Get the Beeswax Star Candles How-To
Photography: Pernille Loof

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Raffia Pom-Pom Napkin Rings

Bundle utensils in blue-and-white linen with red pom-pom napkin rings. The palette is patriotic, and the style factor is sky-high. To make them, cinch the raffia at the center on one side with floral wire; slide it off and cut the loop in half. Fluff the ends. Fashion the wire into a circle, and twist it closed.

Get the Raffia Pom-Pom Napkin Rings How-To
Photography: Aaron Dyer

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Brass Star Ornaments

A casual backyard barbecue becomes a star-studded event with these oversized ornaments twirling around. Simply bend and glue inexpensive brass strips from the hardware store (such as K&S Precision Metals Brass Strips, each 1/2 inch wide and 36 inches long) to form celestial shapes. To make one, start by marking seven 5-inch-long sections on one brass strip and use pliers to bend the strip at each mark, forming the top part points of the star. Cut another 17-inch-long strip, narking at 1 inch, then three 5-inch intervals, and then another 1-inch interval; bend at each mark. To complete the star, glue the two strips together using a strong adhesive (such as E6000 Clear Adhesive). Let it dry 24 hours, then hang them from a porch ceiling or even a tree limb. They will withstand the elements and catch the light as they spin in the breeze.
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Flag Cake-Stand Monument

Pledge allegiance to this festive flag stand. We put it on top of a two-tiered cake stand to create a mini cupcake monument. To make it, start by priming and painting a wooden finial and plaque. Mark three spots on the base of a wooden plaque, and drill holes the diameter of the flag dowels into the base. Attach the finial to the wooden base and insert flag dowels into the drilled holes to snugly fit.
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Patriotic Doormat

An easy-to-make addition to the front door, this festive doormat is perfect for last-minute Fourth of July decorating. The technique calls for little more than a basic doormat, paint, tape, and a stenciling template that you can prepare yourself by tracing onto a manila folder or lightweight cardboard, and cutting out three star shapes. For best results, use a sturdy, coir doormat (available at hardware stores), which will withstand the elements and a lot of foot traffic, so it can be used year after year.
Photography: Johnny Miller

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Honeycomb Tissue Garland Globes

When a honeycomb garland is cut in half, the flat side will sit flush against a serving piece. One long garland yields several bands. Cut each flattened garland on both sides of the center hole, as shown; discard center. Divide garland into lengths that wrap around your serving dishes by peeling apart paper layers. If garland pieces are taller than your serving dishes, trim top and bottom points. Use double-sided tape to secure garland ends.
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Flag Streamers

Nothing pulls a party together like a motif and a vibrant palette. Set the tone in advance with a summertime lobster bake using claw-shaped invitations, lobster-red and sail-white hues on place cards and these festive flag streamers. To make them, draw our printable template to size on plain paper, and cut out. Trace onto scrapbook or other decorative paper, and cut out the flags. Cut a length of twine as long as you want streamers to be. Apply glue stick to top of a flag, on back. Wrap the glued edge around the twine, folding the resulting flaps forward and securing them on the front of flag.
Photography: Johnny Miller

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Tissue Paper Fan Decorations

Opened halfway and layered, these tissue-paper fans make a breezy addition to a porch or a gazebo. Create fans in different sizes by trimming diagonally along the closed fans' unstapled ends. Open each fan halfway; peel off several layers from one side, leaving the staples in place. Use painters' tape to hang the fans.
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Firework Place Cards

As daylight fades and twilight descends, it's time for extra sparkle! To end the party on a light note, this fireworks pattern makes this an ideal wrapping paper for a box of sparklers. Write guest names in the label space provided. The wrapped boxes can serve as place cards as well as party favors.
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Patriotic Ice Cream Cone Wrappers

These stars-and-stripes paper wrappers make storebought ice cream look extra special. To make them, simply print the clip-art (in blue or red) and wrap around the cone, fastening with a glue stick or double-sided tape.
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Patriotic Dog Bow Tie

With this festive red, white, and blue bow tie, your pooch will be the star of your Fourth of July celebrations. To make one, start by cutting 1 strip of 2 flags from a roll of American flag bunting; repeat this so you have two 2-flag strips. Fold each strip in half, positioning them so that the open ends are facing each other, overlapping 1/2 inch to 1 inch. Pinch the middle where the two flags meet and apply a dab of hot glue to secure the fold. Cut a 3-inch length of the red-and-white-striped ribbon. Place the bow tie on a dog collar, and then place the ribbon so that you can create a loop around the middle of the bow tie and the collar. When fitting your dog, adjust the position of the bow tie by sliding it.

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