Seasons > American Independence Day > Home Decorations > Paper 4th of July Decorations
Fold napkins like a patriotic bunting.
1. Unfold a red paper napkin so that it forms a rectangle. Lay a white napkin on top, but fold it in half so it is narrower than the red napkin.
2. Fold both napkins together about a half inch. Keep folding accordion folds until just past the center.
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3.Fold it in half (indicated by the dotted line) so that the folds are on the outside. If folds are on the inside, it will not be able to fan out.
Note: the white should show in the front. If it does not, fold one more accordion fold before folding in half.
4. Fold the back half of the napkin at an angle so that at an inch or two hangs down past the rest of the napkin.
5. Tuck the bottom inch or two under the rest of the folded napkin.
Put it on a plate, and let go--It should fan out into a bunting shape. Make adjustments if needed. If the fan part does not open, go back to step 3, and make sure that when you fold the accordion folds in half, the accordion folds are on the outside of the fold, and NOT on the inside.
Simple paper stars can add pizzaz all over the house. Look around for places where you could add some festive color--over a small table in the foyer, across a kitchen wall, or even over a dresser in your kids’ bedrooms. Even though the stars are relatively small, grouping them together, or around balloons or candles give them more impact. It looks like a party going on!
Cut stars out of colored paper in different sizes. Layer them to add interest--white on red, red on blue, etc. The bottom layer should contrast with the wall--for example, if you make the biggest star out of white, and put it on a white wall, that layer will disappear against the wall. Don’t throw the stars away after you take them down--put them in a file folder and use them again next year. Fasten the stars to the wall with “Fun-tack” mounting putty or masking tape. If you use other materials, make sure it is safe for painted walls, so you don’t pull patches of paint off the wall when the holiday is over!! Other options might be to decorate a bulletin board with stars, or fasten them to your refrigerator with magnets.
To make a balloon bouquet, buy sticks that are sold at most party good stores and discount stores. Use an empty plastic bottle (such as a Coke bottle) as a “vase.” Fill it about a third full with water to make it heavy so the balloons don’t tip the “vase” over when someone walks by. It’s not very pretty as is, so cover it with paper--poster board works well, or you could use wrapping paper. Cut strips of red or blue paper and tape them around the paper sleeve. Add some small stars in a contrasting color. If you can still see the neck of the bottle above the paper sleeve, add a bit of tissue paper, like you would fill the top of a gift bag.
view step by step instructions for making a balloon bouquet
Cut out red or blue letters that say “Happy 4th” for a cheap Independence Day decoration. Add different sizes and colors of paper stars, and it looks quite festive. Don’t throw them away afterwards--keep them in a file folder and save them for next year. Be sure to use mounting putty or loops of masking tape so you don’t pull patches of paint off the wall when you are done. Print out the letters on your computer, or download my pattern and print it out.
The “4” is 4 strips of paper arranged in the “4” shape--2 form the vertical line, one for the horizontal line, and one running from the vertical to the horizontal.
NOTE: Print in color, and cut out the red letters. Alternatively, print in gray scale to use as a pattern to cut out red or blue paper, which is cheaper, since printer ink is expensive!
Download “H” letter pattern (Note: cut out 2 “H’s”)
Download “P” letter pattern (Note: cut out 2 “P’s”)
Fold paper napkins to look like bunting on the plate. Unfold a red paper napkin into a rectangle. Starting with the short end, fold in 1/2 inch pleats, or accordion folds the full length of the napkin. Use thread or twist-ties to fasten the napkin in the middle, then fan the pleats into a circle. Place a small paper star in the middle. You could write names on the stars to use as place cards, if you like.
Use red, white and blue balloons to make a cheap centerpiece. Most party good stores sell sticks for mounting balloons--no helium necessary. If you have a red white and blue gift bag, use that for a “vase. If not, cover an empty cereal box with colored paper or wrapping paper. If you happen to have red and white striped Christmas paper, it would be perfect for this. You may need to put something heavy in the bag/box to keep it from tipping over, such as an unopened can of food, or a rock, etc.
You may have all kinds of red, white and blue decorations in your house already, but don’t realize it. Raid your Christmas or Valentine decorations to decorate for the 4th of July, too. You might have red or white candles and candle stands, or even star shaped Christmas ornaments or candles. Look around your house for objects that are red, white, or blue. The red candle stands in the photo on the left are actually ice cream or dessert cups--turned upside down to use as candle stands. The stars decorating them are cut out of a plastic milk jug, but card stock would work, too. You may have a red tablecloth or runner that you use for Christmas, and have not thought to use for Independence Day. Adding navy blue accents makes it instantly recognizable as decorations for Independence Day. The navy blue table runner shown here is actually a scarf. If you don’t have a table runner or scarf, use several sheets of blue or red paper for a runner. Just test a scrap of the paper to see if the paper bleeds when it gets wet--you don’t want a spill to stain your white tablecloth. To test, lay the paper on a folded paper towel, and pour a bit of water on the colored paper. After an hour, if the paper towel does not turn color, the colored paper should be fine as a runner. If you don’t have a white tablecloth, use a flat bed sheet--no one will notice that it’s a sheet! In the photo on the right, the red square of fabric under the square plate with candles is actually a cushion cover (without the cushion, of course!) It’s from the dollar store. Red and white napkins can be folded to look like tiny buntings. See instructions below.
View how to make more paper decorations for the 4th of July, such as using unopened cans of food for candle stands, or paper stars that stand up for a centerpiece, or even stars on the wall that are 3-D (in photo on left.) Metal ones cost a pretty penny...but guests won’t guess yours are made of paper, unless you tell them!
