7 Patriotic DIYs for the Fourth of July

1. Patriotic Glitter Candles 

Via A Pumpkin & a Princess

What you'll need:

• Candles
• Clear crystal glitter
• Mod Podge
• Foam brush
• Twine
• Custom Fourth of July tags

Steps:

1. Remove labels from candle jars and coat with a thin layer of Mod Podge.
2. Pour glitter into a tray and roll jars in glitter to coat. Allow to dry for a few hours.
3. Tie twine and custom tags around the mouth of the jar.

2. Fourth of July Table Runner

Via The Shabby Creek Cottage

What you'll need:

• Burlap table runner
• At least 3 star-shaped stamps or foam (click here for pattern)
• Wax paper
• Disposable plates
• Red, white and blue paint
• Iron
• Sharpie
• Scissors

Steps:

1. If you're making your foam stars yourself, trace the star pattern onto the foam with a Sharpie and cut out the stamp using scissors.
2. Place a sheet of wax paper underneath the burlap table runner to protect the surface you are working on. 
3. Pour a small amount of each color paint onto a sturdy disposable plate and press your star stamp into one of the colors and then onto the burlap table runner.
4. Add as many stars as you would like in red, white and blue and let dry for several hours.
5. Once dry, place wax paper over the stars and iron over the wax paper to seal the paint down.

3. USA Letters

Via Better Homes and Gardens

What You'll Need:

• Wooden letters (available at craft stores)
• Foam paint brushes
• Red, white and blue acrylic paint
• Polyurethane

Steps:

1. Paint the wooden letters with the red, white and blue paint -- get creative!
2. If you want to reuse your letters, coat them with polyurethane to keep them from fading or chipping.

4. Red, White & Blue Mason Jars 

Via It All Started With Paint

What You'll Need:

• 3 mason jars
• Red, white and blue acrylic paint
• Washi tape
• Wine cork
• Foam stars
• Glue
• Sandpaper
• Small paintbrush (optional)
• Clear enamel spray paint (optional)

Steps:

1. Paint two of the mason jars with the white acrylic paint and one with the blue, being sure to cover the entire jar.
2. Using Washi tape, tape off the stripes on the two white jars and use the red acrylic paint to create stripes. If needed, touch up with a small paintbrush after removing the tape.
3. Glue a few of the foam stars (available at craft stores) together and then glue the stack to the wine cork to create a stamp. Dip the stamp into the white acrylic paint and add stars to the blue mason jar.
4. Once completely dry, go over the jars with sandpaper to give them a distressed and vintage feel. Add a coat of clear enamel spray paint to keep the jars from chipping.

5. Star Medallions

Via Martha Stewart

What You'll Need:

• Cottin fabric (about 2 1/2 feet per medallion)
• Heavy spray starch
• Iron
• Sewing machine
• Scissors
• Fusible webbing, 1/2 inch by 20 yards
• Strong double-sided tape
• 1/4-inch-wide ribbon

Steps:

1. Cut a length of fabric keeping in mind that the width will be the diameter of the medallion and the length should be 1.6 times the width (break out your calculators!).
2. Fold fabric accordion-style in 1 1/2-inch sections (see link for image). After each fold, spray with starch and iron. Continue up length of fabric, making sure that your first and last folds are going in the same direction. 
3. Stitch along the middle of the folded rectangle to create a pivot point (see link for image).
4. Trim both ends of the pleated rectangle at a 45-degree angle, so the angles slope towards the raw edge of the fabric, creating the starlike points.
5. Connect the sides of the rectangle by fanning out fabric from center stitch and adhering with fusible wedding; iron. Sandwich a piece of ribbon (long enough to hang the medallion!) between the fusible webbing and the fabric.
6. Connect the remaining sides with fusible webbing, or tape for easy disassembly and storage. Stitch monofilament through the fused edge in the back and hang.

6. Ombré Party Tub

Via Mad in Crafts

What You'll Need:

• Galvanized steel utility tub
• Sandpaper
• Red, white and blue aerosol paint

Steps:

1. Use sandpaper to roughen up the tub and give the paint something to adhere to. Wipe down with a damp cloth to remove any debris.
2. Holding the can of red aerosol paint about 5-6 inches from the tub, spray the red paint around the top 1/3 of the tub until you are happy with the opaqueness. Let dry completely before moving on. 
3. Spray a band of white aerosol paint under the red band and let dry before finishing off with a band of blue aerosol paint around the base of the tub.

7. Fourth of July Crayon Stars

Via Match Made on Hudson

What You'll Need:

• Crayons in varying shades of blue
• Crayon sharpener (mechanical works best)
• Wax paper
• Packaging paper
• Iron
• Star-shaped cookie cutters
• Sharpie
• Scissors
• Red thread
• Blue-and-white striped straws

Steps:

1. Remove the crayons from their paper wrappings and use a mechanical crayon sharpener to create wax shavings from the blue crayons. Spread these shavings onto a sheet of wax paper.
2. Fold the other half of the wax paper over the shavings and fold up the open sides to create an envelope of sorts.
3. Place a piece of packaging paper on the ironing board, followed by the wax paper with crayon shavings, followed by another piece of packaging paper. 
4. Iron the stack on medium heat until the shavings are completely melted.
5. Once cool, trace stars onto the wax paper using star-shaped cookie cutters and cut out with scissors.
6. Poked a hole at the top of each star and use red thread to attach stars to the striped straws and hang.

We'll definitely be trying out these adorable Fourth of July DIYs for a festive Independence Day. Which ones will you try, collegiettes? Let us know in the comments section!