Welcome back to the weekly Pinwheel Crafts blog. We love having you here and look forward to sharing all sorts of creative ideas to make with the whole family. 

It’s that time of year again! Time to break out the cooler filled with iced beverages, fire up the grill for some brats and burgers, set up the sprinkler in the yard for the kids, and pull out the lawn chairs for a warm night spent outside with friends and family. Yes, dear friends, Fourth of July is upon us once more and we here at Pinwheel Crafts could not be more excited for the upcoming festivities! 

Tradition dictates that the Fourth of July should be an evening of fun, food, and fireworks! Of course, with all the issues surrounding wildfires caused by amateur pyrotechnic displays, we highly encourage everyone to leave the light shows to the experts this year. Instead, we’ve brought you a list of activities that are NOT a fire hazard, but will make the holiday even more fun and festive for you and the kids.

Old Glory Flag Cooler

Nothing says America like an ice-cold canned beverage in a koozie. Except for an ice-cold canned beverage in an American flag koozie, of course. Whether you want to use this nifty little can cooler for a soda while camping or working in the garden, or want to gift it to the household grill master for their adult beverage while they handle the cooking, this craft is a super simple and fun way to celebrate this annual occasion!

What you’ll need:

• Craft foam in red, white, and blue (the bendable kind sold in sheets of varying colors)
• Glue of choice (we used a hot glue gun)
• Can cooler template provided

Directions: 

1. Using the template provided, cut out the cooler base using the white craft foam. You can use double layers if you feel like your foam is too thin.
2. Fold the cut out piece of foam in half so that rectangular portions are flush and the bottom looks like a half circle. 
3. Glue or stitch the edges along the side to create the seams. 
4. Add stripes using long, thin strips of red foam, and add stars by using a small rectangle of blue foam with 5-6 star shapes cut out of it.
5. Attach the red and blue pieces with the glue of your choice. 
6. Allow the glue to dry completely before use (time will vary depending on what adhesive you decide to use). 

Click here to Download the Can Cooler Template PDF

Patriotic Flower Pot

It’s still not too late in the season to get into gardening! Whether you want to use it for flowers, growing vegetables and seedlings, or just to hold your pens and other little tools, a flower pot is an easy and adorable way to decorate your space for the Fourth of July.

The process is very simple for this one and just takes a ceramic flower pot and some acrylic paints. If it is not already, prime the ceramic pot using a matte, white paint, or acrylic gesso. Paint red striped around the base and add blue accents near the top on one side. You can create straighter stripes by using painters tape to mask the red paint, or you can simply paint them without a guide for a more organic look. 

If you don’t have time to run to the craft store to collect the supplies for this particular project, don’t sweat it! Pinwheel Crafts has you covered with our all-in-one Flower Pot kit. This craft kit comes with enough supplies to make three small ceramic pots. This is a great option if you have multiple kids that each want to create their own custom design. Of course, if you don’t feel like sharing, you can simply save the extra supplies for your next holiday craft idea.

Red White and Blue Twine Light Shades

A common feature in many backyards are string lights. This wonderful creation cultivates such a warm and inviting environment to any outdoor space. If you have extra string light laying around from the holidays, or already have them hung up in your yard, we’ve brought you a simple way to make them a bit more patriotic! This easy project takes a bit of prep, but can make a world of difference in setting the mood for your Fourth of July gathering. 

The following steps will walk you through how to create circular string cages to place around your outdoor lights to give them a rustic feel. These decorations do a couple of different things. During the day, they add a nice pop of patriotic colors to the scenery. At night, however, they create a beautiful and interesting lighting effect when the lights cast shadow through the twine and onto the surroundings. 

You will need:

• Yarn or twine in red white and blue
• Package of small balloons
• Glue/paper mache paste

Directions

1. Blow up a lot of balloons to the size you want the light shades to be. Make sure to blow up at least one for each light.
2. Prepare glue/paper mache paste in a container and make sure it has JUST enough water to give it a more fluid consistency. 
3. Submerge your yarn or twine into the runny paste mixture and allow it to soak into the fibers completely. 
4. Wrap the strands around the balloons repeatedly, creating a sort of cage like look. You can decorate each ball however you prefer. You can make each one a single solid color, or perhaps mix red and white on some while using just blue on others, or even use all three colors on each. The choice it entirely up to your preference.
5. Allow the paste ample time to dry. You will likely need to leave them in a dry play for at least 6-8 hours (ideally overnight).
6. Once the glue has dried and the strands have hardened completely, pop the balloon and pull it out through the gaps in the twine spheres. 
7. Attach the light shades around each of your string lights using a twisty tie, string, or even zip ties).

Conclusion 

If you’re still not satisfied, make sure to check out our craft round up from last Independence Day. It’s loaded with even more crafts and patriotic diy decor that will help get you ready for this weekend!

If you have any feedback, or other 4th of July craft ideas you think should be included, make sure to share your thoughts by commenting below. We love to know what you all think and are always happy to see new and exciting craft ideas. 

That’s it for this week. Make sure to be safe this weekend. And, from all of us here at Pinwheel Crafts, happy Fourth of July!