4th of July is just around the corner and we can't wait! Every year we host a 4th of July party with friends, family and neighbors, and this year is sure to be a BLAST! (Pun totally intended!) ;-)
Summer is always a busy time around here, but no party can go without proper decorations! These fun star-themed paper decorations are easy to whip up in just a few hours and will leave your guests feeling fun and patriotic!
To get started, you will need three Cardstock Warehouse Cardstock Papers 12x12 sheets of each one of the following colors in 80lb: Pure White, Electric Red, and Nightshift Blue.
Using a Cricut or other die cutting machine, cut out 2 sheets of stars for each color.
You can access the 12x12 stars cut file we designed on Cricut Design Space here! If you are using another die cutting machine, you can import this .png to create your own cutting file. (Mat size is 12x12)
There are 4 sizes of stars, which we will refer to as large, medium, small and extra small.
If you make sure the star pattern is centered on the 12x12 page and you peel carefully, you can save the 12x12 leftover page to use as a super cute placemat!
Once you have your stars peeled off your mat, it's time to make some stripes to go with them!
To make your paper stripes, cut one of each color of 12x12 paper down to two 6x12 sheets, then cut those down to create 1/4 inch by 6 inch strips. Continue cutting until you have a full sheet of red, blue and white cut. This should leave you with 96 stripes of each color! Easy peasy, right?
Once you have your stars and stripes created, let's put them to good use!
To make your cupcake toppers, you will need the following supplies:
- Paper stars: 6 medium red, 6 medium blue, 12 small white, 6 extra small blue and 6 extra small red
- toothpicks
- glue pen
- hot glue gun + glue sticks
Cupcake Star Toppers
- Using a glue pen, glue one extra small, small and medium star together to create a layered red white and blue star. We alternated colors to create two different styles.
- Use a toothpick and create a slight fold in a medium star of the opposite color to serve as a back piece.
- Glue the toothpick between the front and back layer using a hot glue gun.
When you are done, your toppers should look like this!
To make fruit skewers, you will follow the same process for the cupcake toppers, only using larger stars. For the fruit skewers, glue together one large, one medium and one small star, then glue them to a shish kabob stick instead of a toothpick. Just that easy!! You can pair these with strawberries, raspberries, blue berries, cheese, pickles... the list is endless!
There is just something so fancy about a nice napkin ring holder! Using three paper stripes and three stars, create these adorable napkin rings to give your table a pop!
- Glue together one large, one medium and one small star to create a layered star.
- Cut two small strips of paper and adhere one of each color stripe in between. Let dry for a few minutes.
- Put glue dots on one of the end strips, and curve it around to join it to the other strip.
- Glue your star on top and place on a napkin!
The star placemat is the perfect compliment to the napkin ring!
Now that you have your table accessories ready, lets move on to room decorations! This multi-stripe paper chain is a fun "grown up" version of the ones we made as kids in school.
The only supplies you need are the paper stripes we made earlier and a glue pen, or some other kind of liquid glue. Using a liquid glue will create a stronger bond and fuse your papers together to prevent your chain from falling apart. DO NOT use glue dots to attach your stripes or your chain will fall apart. Don't ask us how we know... ;-)
Instead of connecting one circle of paper to the next like a standard chain, you are going to use three stripes to create one loop and then link them to the next three. Look at all these chains!
Once you have your cupcake toppers, fruit skewers and napkin rings done, you can use your remaining stars to create a paper star garland. I made 12 each of the toppers, skewers and rings, and had enough stars left to make a 15ft garland!
To make your star garland, you will need:
- paper stars
- glue pen
- glue dots
- fishing line
- Layer and glue together different sized and colored stars at random.
- Place a glue dot on one set of stars, press the fishing line into the glue dot, then layer another star or set of stars on top to sandwich the fishing line in between.
- Continue placing stars 1-3 inches apart until your garland is the desired length.
- Glue dots are strong, so don't worry too much about your garland getting tangled. You can give it a few tugs while untangling it without damaging it!
To see the paper star garland process in action, check out the video tutorial below!
Look how great the paper chain and paper garland look together on the mantle!
If you have extra garland or paper chain, you can use it to embellish your table!
We hope these ideas will help inspire you to create your own party magic. Use your imagination to incorporate these elements to create additional items such as table centerpieces and more. Although the designs and craftsmanship are simple, these paper goods are sure to leave a lasting impression on your 4th of July party guests!
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Happy crafting!