Seasons > American Independence Day > Home Decorations > Foyer and Hall

Buntings are a quick way to decorate large areas for  4th of July festivities. They can be hung over doors, above or below windows, or along porch railings. They can be made out of vinyl or fabric, bought, or hand made. For making them yourself, sew or glue fabric or plastic in 3 strips--one red, one white, and one blue. gather one side, and secure in the middle. This one has metal grommets with a metal ring holding them together in the middle.

The welcome sign is embellished with wooden stars, a flag made from modeling compound flag cut with a cookie cutter, then painted with acrylics, and mini buntings made from tri-colored ribbon.

Big flags can decorate large areas. If you don’t feel comfortable flaunting the American flag outdoors, use it to decorate indoors. I hang this one in our stair well, and embellish with star garlands, and large stars made from origami paper. Check out the Family Fun website for how to make them.

This hat was purchased at a hundred yen store, believe it or not.   I originally bought it to wear, but decided to use it for decorations until it was time to put it on. I added a star garland for more pop. The garland makes a fun “crown” to wear on the 4th, too.

Wearing this top hat with a white beard and red, white and blue clothing, someone can be a lovable Uncle Sam mascot for the day. But if your kids are a bit older, and wouldn’t be caught dead wearing the thing, you can make a game of it--they have to wear the hat if they say the predetermined words (such as red, white, blue, fourth, independence, etc.) It becomes a hilarious game to try to trick each other into having to wear the hat, or making up strange sentences to try to avoid using those words. If all conversation ceases, mom or dad should take a turn wearing the hat for awhile, or come up with a different game.

If you like the hat, but can’t find one sold nearby, you can make one out of poster board or EVA foam. Cut an oval for the top, cut a larger oval doughnut for the brim, and roll a cylinder for the stovepipe. Tape or glue together. If you sew, you can make it out of fabric instead. For a companion lady liberty costume, check out the Family Fun website.

The decorative “fire crackers” were made from paper towel tubes and toilet paper tubes, embellished with ribbon, stars, and mylar “sparkles.”

Here is another variation of decorating with hats and flags. The flags are standing in small glass bottles. The shelf holds smaller items, such a fire cracker pin purchased at a craft store, and a liberty bell purchased at the Smithsonian souvenir shop. You can make your own liberty bell out of a Pringle’s potato chip can.