01

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Unique Place Mats

Jacob Fox

Trade traditional placemats for festive dish towels. Mix and match an array of bold colors and patterns for a casual dining experience.

02

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Napkin Ring Stars

Jacob Fox

Make a place setting shine with napkin-wrapped utensils. Simply wrap a ribbon around a silverware bundle, thread the ends through a hole punched in a paper star, and tie a knot. A star cut from glitter or foil cardstock finishes a napkin tie.

03

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Firework Treat Cups

Jacob Fox

Decorative paper, foil cupcake liners, treat sticks, and tinsel turn plain coffee cups filled with trinkets into party favors. Guests will have a blast popping the lids and swapping the red, white, and blue goodies inside. Disguise the coffee cup lip with a DIY cone-shaped paper topper.

04

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Plaid Patterned Vases

Jacob Fox

This centerpiece comes together in minutes. Apply strips of transparent vinyl tape to the outside of clear glass cylinders in various sizes. Fill them with flowers or pillar candles and parade them down the table. A white vase inside the clear one makes the tape pattern stand out.

05

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Independence Beverage Display

Jacob Fox

Set up a spot where guests can help themselves to beverages. Festive bandannas tied around glass pitchers capture the spirit (and any condensation). Keep decorations low-cost with a star-spangled banner made from paper napkins. Perk up lemonade (or something stronger) with star shapes cut from watermelon slices using cookie cutters.

06

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Fourth of July Party Crackers

Adam Albright

Fill a toilet paper roll with treats, like candy, temporary tattoos, and beaded necklaces. Paint strips of white crepe paper with red and blue watercolor stripes and wrap the strips around your party crackers. Secure with double-sided tape where the two long ends meet, and twist the ends. Secure with a twist tie or thin piece of string. Then fringe the ends by cutting many thin slits and add tissue paper pom-poms to resemble a firework display.

07

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Watermelon Centerpiece

Eden Passante

Cut up a few small watermelons and display them as your centerpiece. They double as table weights and are easy to prep, which means you can spend more time with your guests. Plus, when it's time to clean up, the centerpiece will be taken care of.

08

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Dip-Dyed Candles

Adam Albright

Melt a white taper candle in a pot that isn't used for food. Once melted, add a red or blue crayon and let it melt completely to color your wax. Dip the bottom portion of larger candles into the colored wax, remove, shake off any excess wax, and let dry on a piece of wax paper. Scatter them around your table, or line them up in the center. When night falls, the table will come alive with the candlelight glow.

Instead of dip-dyeing, use a paint brush to apply the wax. You can also experiment with adding stripes, stars, or other motifs to your candles.

09

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Tassel and Star Garland

Megan Welker

Make red and blue tissue paper tassels and cut out stars from metallic cardstock. String them all together with fishing wire to make a fun garland that can be wrapped around the edge of your table or laid along the center like a table runner.

10

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Paper Lantern Flower Arrangements

Quentin Bacon

Insert a vase into the bottom of a paper lantern, cutting the opening slightly, if needed. Then add flowers and water for a simple floral centerpiece. We used striped lanterns, but a combo of solid red, white, and blue lanterns would also work well.

11

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Star Balloon Backdrop

Megan Welker

Create a show-stopping table backdrop with just some mylar star balloons and painter's tape or damage-free hanging strips. Arrange the balloons in a pattern and stick them on a wall, fence, or door. This also works as a photo backdrop for guests to pose in front of and can be replicated with metallic paper in place of balloons.

Mylar balloons aren't recyclable, but they are reusable. Untie and deflate the mylar balloons when the party is over so you can store them and refill again next year. If you don't plan on reusing them as balloons, they can also be repurposed as wrapping paper or materials for crafting.

12

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Paper Stars

Carrie Waller

Cut stars from paper, then score and fold them to add dimensions. Add patterns with colorful paint and string them together to make a garland. Add guests' names to turn these stars into place markers for each plate.

13

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Blue Vases and Glassware

Helen Norman

Blue glassware makes the perfect home for red flowers on the Fourth of July. All you need to do is round up some blue glasses and pop in red flowers (you might even have red flowers growing in your yard) for an instantly festive tabletop display. Vintage blue vases and glasses are often easy to find at most thrift or antique stores.