Easy DIY Decorations for the Fourth of July

Celebrate the Fourth of July with a colorful banner of stars. Cut out 5-point stars from red and blue tagboard. Coat the stars with crafts glue and sprinkle with glitter; let dry. Attach a grommet to a top point of each star and string onto lengths of ribbon. Hang the garland from nails or hooks.

This simple centerpiece starts with decorating basics -- a glass hurricane and a votive candle. Fill a round glass hurricane with red vase filler (try small beads, pebbles, or sand). Place a white candle inside a smaller votive cup and nestle it in the vase filler. Embellish with a few star cutouts.

This festive banner can be hung anywhere. Type "July" on your computer and enlarge the font to desired size. Print and cut out the letters to use as patterns. Trace and cut out mirror pairs of letters from red, white, and blue patterned paper. Cut out pairs of stars in various sizes, too. Glue each pair with patterned sides facing out. Once dry, punch holes in the cutouts and string on a ribbon.

Make a bold patriotic statement by sprucing up your front door with a ribbon-wrapped star. Loosely tie a ribbon around a metal star and loop the ribbon around a hook or outdoor light fixture; secure with a knot. Make the star the center focus by hanging a wreath behind it.

Take a stroll down the office supply aisle for red, white, and blue rubber bands to decorate candles in a snap. Working from bottom to top, wrap rubber bands in alternating colors around straight-side glass candleholders. Vary widths and colors for interest.

Editor's Tip: Place citronella candles in the cups and use outdoors to keep the bugs away.

Vintage blue bottles reflect the navy in Old Glory. Use the bottles to display a few red flowers or miniature flags. Clear bottles would add variety to the mix.

Show your American pride with these colorful letters. Buy plain wooden letters (available at crafts stores) and get creative with red, white, and blue acrylic paint. Mix and match solid colors with stars and stripes. Coat the letters with polyurethane for durability.

Make your own bunting for the Fourth of July. Buy several yards of patriotic-patterned fabric (determine length based on where the bunting will hang). Starting at one end, gather the fabric about every 24 inches and secure the gathers with red, white, or blue yarn. Use the same color of yarn to attach the fabric where desired.

Turn a plain table into something special for your celebration. Simply apply double-stick tape to the table edge to hold a crepe paper streamer in place. Pleat the streamer by pinching the top of it all around the table. Secure the pleats with tape if necessary.

Dress up your potted plants for the Fourth. Find containers that are slightly larger than your existing pots. Look for red, white, and blue ones, or paint containers to match the patriotic color scheme. Place your potted plants inside the new containers and they're ready for Independence Day. (Shown: red geraniums and blue lobelia.)

Create a patriotic wreath for your Independence Day celebration. Wrap a plastic foam wreath with red ribbon, securing with crafts glue or pins if necessary. Insert mini flags around the wreath. Loop a piece of ribbon through the top of the wreath for hanging, and tie the ribbon ends in a bow. Using crafts glue, adhere a decorative-paper star to the ribbon hanger so it hangs in the center of the wreath.

Oilcloth provides a durable yet fun Fourth of July decoration because it doesn't fray and it resists food splatters. Cut a piece of oilcloth 14 inches wide and long enough for your table, including extra inches for overhang. Cut a scalloped border in a contrasting pattern to match the dimensions of the runner, and sew it to the runner. Punch grommets across the short ends and string paper stars from ribbons.

Mimic the stripes in Old Glory with a layered-sand candle urn. Pour white sand into a clear urn, followed by a thin layer of red sand. Repeat the layers as desired and insert a candle into the center of the sand.

Add some fireworks to your dinner table with this clever centerpiece. Turn a ho-hum blue-and-white tray into a patriotic display by inserting red votive candles in clear holders.

Pay homage to one of our nation's most recognized symbols -- the Statue of Liberty. Download our free pattern and enlarge to desired size. Trace the pattern onto cardstock, cut out, and adhere to a rectangle of cardstock. Punch two holes in the top, weave a ribbon through, and tie onto a chair.

Display the grand old flag as artwork for the Fourth. Start with a small flag and gently remove the cloth from the stick. Center the flag on a mat inside a frame with no glass. Glue only the top edge of the flag to the mat so it appears to be blowing in the breeze.

Editor's Tip: If you're hosting a party, make multiples of these framed flags, and write the party date on the mat. Give one to each guest as a party favor.

Assemble this centerpiece in five minutes or less! Just buy bulk candy in red, white, and blue and display in color-coordinated containers.

You can pull together this patriotic decoration in a jiff. Just fill an open chest or basket with decorative green grass, baseballs, and red and blue croquet balls. Top it off with a few tiny flags.

Set a festive mood with this striking centerpiece. Stack three graduated containers and fill each with florist's foam. Pour water over the foam, allowing it to soak in. Press bright blooms, such as the dahlias shown here, into the foam.

Cut out star shapes from oilcloth and spread around a centerpiece for an extra touch of festivity. Or mimic the look of oilcloth and make shapes water-resistant by cutting stars from quilting fabric or other thin fabric and coating both sides with clear polyurethane. Let dry before placing on the table.

Illuminate the outdoors with these festive porch decorations. Simply glue assorted blue and red ribbon and rick rack on plain white lanterns available at your local home decor store.

Add some patriotism to your porch by putting red, white, blue pinwheels into rustic buckets and watering cans filled with sand.

Give a handful of plain white blooms a patriotic attitude by poking in some stars-and-stripes pinwheels.

Two-tier dessert trays are a fast and easy way to embellish any holiday party. For the 4th of July, place red and blue votive candles on the bottom tier and novelty flags and desserts on the top.

You can instantly whip up custom dishes for your patriotic party by adorning white plates with red and white candied stars fastened on with frosting.

Red, white, and blue striped lanterns can become makeshift centerpieces for your table. Just slip each lantern over a clear glass and tuck a handful of white blooms inside. A solid blue runner across the table will make these decorations pop.

Remember those bracelets we used to slap onto our wrists? Use snap bracelets with an American flag or star pattern to wrap your napkins.