DIY decorating projects for the Fourth of July

Are you planning on hosting a get-together for Independence Day? I know I am – it’s the perfect excuse to get together with friends and celebrate. I’ve sent out party invitations and set the menu – the only problem is, I don’t really have any Fourth of July-themed decor lying around my home. That’s when I decided to make my own! Channel your inner Martha Stewart and get crafty with any of these patriotic DIY ideas:

Dress up your front door
It’s important to set the tone for the event, and the way to do that is by enhancing your home’s front door. Head to the craft store and pick up a simple Styrofoam wreath and lots of mini American flags (or make your own using paper and toothpicks). All you have to do is stick the flags into the Styrofoam wreath until the entire surface is covered with red, white and blue.

Embellish paper lanterns
Paper lanterns are such an easy and beautiful way to light up your yard for when you have late-night guests. Instead of hanging plain white paper lanterns, add some patriotic stars and stripes. The process is easy – just follow these simple steps:

1. Cut out star shapes in red or blue tissue paper using a craft hole punch (which you can find at any local craft store). It’s best to punch through several layers at once – this will save you time and prevent individual sheets of tissue paper from tearing.
2. Brush a mixture of 1 part glue with 1 part water onto the lantern, and gently press on the tissue paper stars. Cover the stars with another layer of the glue mixture to set them in place.
3. Once they’ve dried, hang the lanterns in bunches above your dinner table or on trees for a dramatic impact.

Bring color to your table
Don’t have a Fourth of July-themed tablecloth? No problem. Lay out red, white and blue bandanas across the surface for a simple and patriotic table runner. Set vases of freshly cut flowers on top of the bandanas to keep them in place. You can also set out American-inspired napkins by stamping blue and white fabric squares with stars and stripes.

Hang Americana garland
Paper is such a versatile decorating tool – it can be used to create colorful garland for your outdoor party. All you need to create on-theme garland is tissue paper, string, glue and scissors. Here’s how to complete the project:

1. Separate the tissue paper into two sheets and cut out 18-by-18-inch rectangles (choose patriotic colors like red, white and blue, but feel free to add in other fresh hues, like pink and purple). Repeat this step with all of the tissue paper colors.
2. Unfold the rectangle and draw a line of glue across the center, placing a string across the glue, and folding the tissue paper over it. Continue this process until you have the perfect length of garland for your get-together.
3. Let it dry overnight, then stack a few rectangles on top of one another and slice the ends to produce a fringe effect.