Ready to get your sparkle on? Here are a few ideas to make your July 4th celebration (or any outdoor time) a little more magical. And the best part is, these are far more affordable than buying yard furnishings. Kaboom! I like these fireworks! I shared these projects on today's Studio 5 segment, which you can watch here.
PALLET TABLES
For Maggie’s birthday, we had some 30 little people coming to a yard that usually houses two children. This meant some serious overhauls were needed, but I can’t afford to buy three+ $200 picnic tables. Pallets to the rescue!
To create these, find pallets that are in good shape. I asked my local greenhouse for extras. If you can’t find any, you can always build some with scrap lumber in the as-is section of your hardware store (or your own garage, if you’re like us).
The most expensive part of this project was the spray paint. It took about two cans per pallet. The wood is dry and porous, which drank the paint.
My Poppy helped me cut 12” feet for the tables (four per table) from 2x4 boards. We used a drill and screws to attach them. This gives the table some extra lift for the kids’ legs to fit beneath.
The large ribbon works as a table runner down the center, while the stringed decor overhead further unifies the space.
For the Fourth, you can easily go this same route but paint your tables red, white, and blue. That’s the great thing about this craft. It can be customized to fit any party theme or need. It’s SO versatile!
LEMONADE STAND AND/OR DRINK STAND
Wood to the rescue again. This time, I created a kids’ drink stand and lemonade stand using four wooden crates, which I bought at the craft store.
I painted them to look like a flag and used a star stencil for the stars. I used basic acrylic paint on this one.
Last year, we had this stand at our cabin in Colorado, and my daughter was actually featured in the local paper. How fun! It definitely gets noticed and helps sell that lemonade. :)
SPARKLING CENTER PIECES
Take your centerpiece from day to night with this idea. Create shaker sparklers using the Star Spangled Shaker Kit from Queen & Company.
I love the trend of felt flowers on floral wire to create flower bouquets. This is the cousin to that. In place of floral wire, use sparklers to spear your felt shapes.
For added flavor, attach some shaking fun. First, stitch a background using crepe paper.
Next, attach a shaker following the kit instructions. With the shaker made, either spear the sharper end of the sparkler through or tape the shaker to the sparkler.
Enjoy the shaker from the parade route in the morning, and take the shaking device to create sparkling fun at night.
What wood you do on the DIY to make celebrating fun and affordable? I’d love to hear your ideas. I’m always thinking about the next celebration. :)
Cheers!