A DIY flag lantern doubles as a craft + party decor

My son got a DIY lantern kit for his birthday last year and loved making it. After we did it, I realized it was made up mostly of things we had around the house! So, recreating it for different holidays/themes is a great and easy craft that the kids love! The bonus is that they come out really pretty to use as party decor. All you need is a glass jar, wax paper, glue (Modge Podge works best), some festive ribbon and battery-operated fairy lights. If you don’t have/can’t find the fairy lights, a battery-operated tea light works too! Don’t they look so cute?

Make your own snow cones

A good old-fashioned snow cone just screams Americana. How much fun is it to make your own? Use some cherry and blue raspberry syrup and you have yourself a perfect on-theme dessert. We love our snow cone maker and will be using it to celebrate the 4th! There are tons of options available for overnight shipping via Amazon or in-store at big box retailers like Target and Wal-Mart. And if you want to DIY it, that’s an option too! Just put some ice in a double layer of freezer bags and pound with a mallet. For the syrup, you can get creative with blended fruit or make a simple syrup and add food coloring.

What you have on hand will get you far

If you’re throwing a last minute get together, don’t sleep on repurposing decor from around your house. You’d be surprised what you find looking around for things that are red, white and blue! I do this every time I throw a party, but red is a particularly easy color because you likely have solid red items you may use for Christmas or Valentine’s Day. I pulled out some red vases and I’m putting hydrangeas in them instead of holly! The same goes for stars. A star-shaped cookie cutter is your best friend for festive food. I’ll be using mine to cut out cheese and watermelon for our spread.

Shop the Segment:

For more entertaining ideas, check out my Top 5 Tips for Easier Entertaining and for more of my summer product picks, shop my Amazon storefront.