4th of July Decorations: Show Your Red, White, and Blue

By Alexandra Churchill of Martha Stewart Living

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Oh, say, can you see... a patriotic color scheme? If you're hosting 4th of July festivities this year, brighten your home with American colors, stars, and stripes.

Photography: Aaron Dyer

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Oh, say, can you see... a patriotic color scheme? If you're hosting 4th of July festivities this year, the red, white, and blue palette is already a given. But how will you display these true colors? Brighten your home with colorful fringe, stars, and stripes.

4th of July Florals

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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Patriotic Door Medallion

Declare your national pride by greeting your guests at the door with a fresh spin on this star-spangled icon.

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Festive Window Swag

Similarly, your windows can be decked out in this bold drapery: Just join two pieces of fabric side by side, and then pleat the bottom.

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Photography: Charles Schiller

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Patriotic Fans

Wave away the summer heat with these handheld paper fans. They also make great party favors.

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Flag-Patterned Fence Swag

Why greet your guests with one flag when you can display several? Here, we used bunting to dress up a plain white picket fence.

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Photography: Johnny Miller

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Paper Lanterns

Fireworks aren't the only display to admire overhead. Hang a cluster of these paper lanterns, each one bedecked in a cascading star pattern.

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Stick-On Stars

Use our templates to make these adhesive stars and stick them on everything! Here, they immediately upgrade a basic enamel bucket into a picnic beverage station.

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Photography: Johnny Miller

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Tissue Paper Fan Decorations

Suspended from the corners, these tissue paper fans are opened halfway and layered to make a breezy addition to a porch or a gazebo.

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Star Medallions

These fabric star medallions brighten up the party like fireworks. Using standard cotton prints for this project, and spraying starch helps the creases keep their shape.

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Starry Tabletop Runner

Time to set the table for the barbecue! This red, white, and blue tabletop runner should do the trick. To complete the theme, make matching napkin ties that can double as place cards.

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Patriotic Napkin Rings

Do mind the details -- they complete the theme! Here, grossgrain ribbon is gathered into accordion folds to produce small, circular napkin rings.

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Patriotic Clip-Art Paper Cones

Serving up snacks? Our clip-art templates produce easy-to-make containers that guests can grab on the move. Bonus points if you fill them with a mix of beet and blue-potato chips as we've done here.

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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 patterned wrapping paper is perfect for a box of sparklers.

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