America 4th of July Shirt with Free Cut File

Make an "America" shirt (with FREE cut file) for the whole family to wear on the 4th of July!

Making new shirts to wear on the 4th of July has always been a fun tradition. This year, I made this cute "America" design that can actually be used for clothing OR on wood to create some patriotic home decor! So, get your Cricut machine out and make an America shirt (with FREE cut file) for the whole family to wear on the 4th of July! If you want some cute 4th of July accessories to go with your outfit, this Patriotic Bubblegum Jewelry is easy and fun to make!

Free Printable Patriotic Bingo

This Free Printable Patriotic Bingo is the perfect patriotic activity to celebrate our country!

Memorial Day and the 4th of July are just around the corner, so why not play this printable patriotic-themed bingo game together to celebrate? Plus, if you're looking for something to do with the kids at home, bingo is an entertaining activity for kids of all ages! There's very little prep involved, so it's perfect for family or classroom parties to celebrate Memorial Day, Fourth of July/Independence Day, and Veterans Day! It's also great for family game nights, playing with friends via video chats, and more!

Free Printable Firework Flextangle

Make your own fireworks show at home with this Free Printable Firework Flextangle!

This 4th of July, kids can create their own custom fireworks show with this fun and free printable Firework Flextangle! Also called kaleidocycles, flextangles are a fun, hexagonal origami project for kids of all ages to color, assemble, and turn. And turn. And turn! This is a great activity to keep kids busy during the day of the 4th, or for those who have sensitivities to actual fireworks.

4th of July Favor Box

These star-spangled 4th of July Favor Boxes are sure to add some sparkle to your patriotic festivities!

Every 4th of July, we enjoy getting together with family for a barbecue and then watching a spectacular fireworks show with the entire neighborhood. It is always so much fun, and we have made so many special memories from these patriotic parties. This year, I wanted to make something special for all of the party guests to enjoy throughout the evening. These 4th of July Favor Boxes are easy to make, and are sure to be a hit!

Let's Get Lit Shirt with 16 Free Patriotic Cut Files

Download 16 Free Patriotic Cut Files, including the one for this "Let's Get Lit" Shirt!

It's the first Tuesday of the month, which means it's Totally Free SVG day! I've teamed up with some of my favorite bloggers put together a themed collection of free cut files to use with your Cricut or Silhouette machine. This month is all about the 4th of July (and a bit of Canada), so enjoy this collection of 16 FREE Patriotic-themed designs for everyone in the family!

4th of July Backyard Party Ideas

Oriental Trading provided product for this 4th of July Backyard Party. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The 4th of July is a holiday that always brings my family together. Every year we would have dinner, play games, and end the evening by watching a fireworks display. We have been working hard all spring to renovate our backyard, so this year we wanted to celebrate the 4th of July in our new outdoor living space with a little help from Oriental Trading!

Our central display was a 6-foot table that we covered with a blue plastic tablecloth, and a tiered patriotic fringe table skirt. Adding a festive table skirt is a simple and effective way to bring the patriotic party vibe to your party! I also hung up a blue patriotic garland mingled with shimmering tinsel stars for an eye-catching decoration as the backdrop (aka our fence) to coordinate with our sparkly table skirt.

Every tablescape needs a centerpiece, and ours was this easy-to-assemble cupcake stand! Since it's made of white foam, it's simple for you to dress it up to match your decor with ribbons, felt, etc. I kept it simple by leaving the cupcake stand blank. The bottom two layers were filled with patriotic mini cupcakes and sugar cookies. On the top layer, I filled a gift bag with a patriotic pick with shimmery stars, sprigs of tinsel, and flags.

Now that we've got the treats covered, you can't forget drinks! I filled up a mason jar beverage dispenser with a fruit punch, because it's both delicious AND brings that bright red color to our tablescape! Next to the dispenser, I arranged mason jar glasses and patriotic paper straws for my guests to enjoy their beverages in style!

On the left side of the table, I arranged patriotic gift bags to keep the kids busy until the sun goes down. Each gift bag was filled with treats, a mix of fun patriotic toys, flag bracelets, glow sticks, and you can't forget sparklers and bang snaps/poppers!!

While waiting for our food on the grill or just passing the time until the fireworks show, playing patriotic games and activities is fun for the whole family like this Patriotic Backyard Tic-Tac-Toe Game! All you have to do is arrange the nylon strings and decide whether you want to be X or O.

Bowling is a another party activity that provides hours of family fun! This Glow-in-the-Dark Bowling Set is a great after-dark outdoor game that's perfect for barbecues, 4th of July parties, birthday parties, and more! The set comes with 10 pins, 10 red glow sticks, and two bowling balls.

While this set glows in the dark, that doesn't mean you have to wait for the sun to go down to have some fun! You can set up the pins and roll the balls across the lawn to knock pins down throughout the day.

To make the pins "glow" you'll need to activate the glow sticks by bending at the center until you hear it crack. Shake the glow stick to disperse the "glow" and place it inside the bottom of the bowling pins. Kids love helping with this part!! The holes in the bottom of the pins are a little bigger than a dime, so the glow sticks are easy to remove and replace.

The glow sticks are a one-time use, but they stay lit up for hours!! We had a ton of fun bowling the night away, and it was nice to have some yard games that families of all ages enjoyed playing. Since it's made of lightweight plastic, you can even play indoors! My daughter has been bowling down our hallway for the past few days - hooray for summer break entertainment!!

We are so excited to host our 4th of July celebration in our freshly renovated backyard with family and friends. Grab some patriotic decorations from Oriental Trading to get more party for your money, and have a safe holiday!!

How do you celebrate the 4th of July?

4th of July Firework Tank Top

Create a 4th of July tank top with vinyl and lyrics from Katy Perry's Firework!

Ever since my daughter first heard Katy Perry's song, Firework, it has been one of her favorite songs and sings it non-stop. With the 4th of July on the way, I decided to combine her love of that song with red, white and blue vinyl from Expressions Vinyl and came up with this 4th of July Firework Tank Top!

I've teamed up with 14 other bloggers to create 15 awesome red, white and blue projects using vinyl. Check out these patriotic tutorials for 4th of July inspiration:

1. Patriotic Shirt by Pitter and Glink
2. Treat Boxes from a Kailo Chic Life
3. Wall Art from Sweet Rose Studio
4. Easy DIY Shirt from A Crafted Sparrow
5. Star Vinyl Sign from Crafting in the Rain
6. America Pillow from Kiki & Company
7. Land that I Love from 733 Blog
8. 4th of July S'mores Kit from A Pumpkin and a Princess
9. Firework Tank from Artsy-Fartsy Mama
10. Festive Popsicle Bucket from Doodlecraft
11. Polka Dot Mason Jar from MM Scrap Shoppe
12. Little Sparkler Shirt from Made to be a Momma
13. Star Confetti Balloons from Sugar Bee Crafts
14. Embroidery Hoop America from A Girl and a Glue Gun
15. Suspender Onesie from Silhouette School

Without further ado, here's how to make a 4th of July Firework Tank Top:

First, you need a blank shirt. You really can't beat $3 tanks at Walmart for projects like this! If you don't want to buy a new shirt, you can certainly use one you already have. Heat transfer vinyl is a great way to cover up stains!!

I typed in "Baby you're a firework" in Cricut Design Space. To help me remember what color vinyl I wanted each line to be, I changed the colors of the words. When I cut the vinyl, I will be prompted to change the vinyl to the right colors.

When cutting iron-on vinyl with your Cricut Explore, be sure to keep these tips in mind:

• Mirror your image before cutting. The vinyl will be placed with the clear carrier sheet/liner side down. So if you don't mirror your image before cutting, it will be backwards after it's cut.
• HTV, or iron-on vinyl, can be cut using the Iron-On setting on the dial.

For this tank, I used EasyWeed Heat Transfer Vinyl in royal blue and red. Like the name implies, it really is easy to weed the vinyl. For smaller areas (like inside letters), I highly recommend using a weeder/hook tool. It is a lifesaver!

Now that both layers have been weeded, they are ready to be ironed on. The "Firework" line is going to be the bottom layer, so it needs to be ironed on first. Center it on the shirt and press down. The carrier sheet is tacky, so your design will stay in place while you prepare to iron it on.

1. Set your iron to the cotton/linen setting with the steam OFF.
2. Lightly preheat the area with the iron for 10-15 seconds. This really does help!
3. Place your image, liner side UP onto the area. If you don't place the liner side up, the vinyl will stick to your press cloth or iron. No one has time for that!
4. Carefully lay a scrap piece of fabric over the design, OR you can iron directly on the carrier sheet.
5. Apply medium pressure with the iron for 25-30 seconds. If you are ironing directly on the carrier sheet, iron for about 15 seconds.
6. Flip the shirt over and apply medium pressure with the iron to the back for an additional 25-30 seconds.
7. If you have any parts that didn't stick for some reason or if edges are flipping up, re-iron the pieces or loose edges for 10 seconds.
8. Let cool slightly and remove the liner. If you try to remove the liner before it cools, you risk burning your fingers or peeling the vinyl up.

Next, place the "Baby you're a" layer over the "Firework" layer. Follow the same steps for ironing  the previous layer, but this time you HAVE to use a piece of scrap fabric or something similar to protect the "Firework" layer. If the iron touches vinyl without a carrier sheet, it will just melt to your iron and ruin your project.

Peel off the liner and your shirt is ready to wear! If you haven't worked with iron-on vinyl before, it's really simple to use and is a lot of fun to create custom projects. It also washes really well, which is important when it comes to kids clothes!

If you want some cute 4th of July accessories to go with your outfit, this Patriotic Bubblegum Jewelry is easy and fun to make!

My daughter is so excited to wear her new 4th of July ensemble in just a few weeks! She loves how the shirt turned out, and I'm glad that she can wear it even after the holiday since she's always singing those lyrics anyway.

What 4th of July project would you make with vinyl?

While you think about it, enter to win $100 Expressions Vinyl gift card

using the Rafflecopter form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Patriotic Necklace and Pinwheel Hair Clip

Fizzy Pops provided me with the materials used in this post. All opinions are my own.

The 4th of July is on its way, which means lots of bright red, white, and blue decor, fireworks, and a full day of celebrating our country. To get my daughter all ready for the big day, I've teamed up with Fizzy Pops to create some unique accessories to wear in celebration of our country's birthday.

Be sure to read to the end of the post so you can win supplies to make your own patriotic necklace and pinwheel hair clips with patriotic bottle cap embellishments!

At Fizzy Pops, you can find beads in practically every size, shape, and color. I chose a variety of reds, whites, and blues, including flowers and striped beads to create a fun, patriotic bubblegum neckalce. Making necklaces with these fun beads really is easy. The hardest part is laying them out and rearranging them until you finally get a pattern you love!!

At one end of the beading wire, add the lobster clasp and a crimp bead. Thread the wire through the lobster clasp then back through the crimp bead and crimp it closed. Start threading your beads onto the wire. When you get to the end, add the small chain and crimp bead and crimp it closed. Now your necklace is finished and ready for wear!

I had some extra beads, so I put together an adorable patriotic bracelet. Simply thread the beads onto some Stretch Magic elastic thread. Once the beads have been added, tie the ends together multiple times. Pull the knot tight and add a drop of super glue over the knot. Simple as that!!

Now that the jewelry is done, I'm excited to show you how to make some adorable patriotic pinwheel hair clips! I got my red, white, and blue felt from Busy Little Bird. You'll need to cut two 3" by 3" squares of felt for each pinwheel. I'm making two pinwheels - one red & white, and the other blue & white.

Stack the two squares of felt and cut into each corner about 1 1/2 inches. I measured in from each corner and marked a dot with a marker, but you could easily eyeball it and it will still look great! Just be sure not to cut all the way through the center of the felt!

This step is totally optional, but I just love the look of sewing the edges. Start at one of the corners, and sew a triangular "figure 8" about 1/8" away from the edges. You can sew with your sewing machine or by hand in the thread color of your choice. Then, turn the square and sew another "figure 8" to finish the other two sides. Don't worry if your sewed lines aren't perfectly straight (see the blue square above??) - you won't even be able to tell once the pinwheels are done!!

To assemble your pinwheels, start with one corner and fold it down to the center. Repeat for every other corner until you have four corners folded into the center. You can sew all the corners down in the center with a little thread and a needle, or use some glue. Hot glue, fabric glue, and super glue have all worked great for me! Once all the corner edges have been tacked down, you can fluff up the pinwheel a little to get the look you want.

To make the pinwheels a bit more patriotic, I put together some cute bottle caps with a design from My Computer is My Canvas. To make these bottle caps, you'll need the design printed on photo paper, glue (I really prefer Gorilla Super Glue), a 1" circle punch, epoxy stickers and bottle cap blanks from Fizzy Pops.

Punch the patriotic design out with the circle punch. Then, carefully place the epoxy sticker over the design and scrape the back of the design gently to remove any air bubbles. Next, drop a couple drops of glue onto the bottle cap blank and press the image/epoxy sticker on the bottle cap blank with the design facing up. Let the bottle cap dry and then it's ready to use!

To attach the bottle caps to the pinwheels, simply add a large drop of hot glue or super glue to the center of the pinwheel and press the bottle cap down and hold until the glue is dry.

Add a 1/4" strip of felt to the top of an alligator clip with hot glue. Then, attach the alligator clip felt side down to the back of the pinwheel. Once the glue has set, the pinwheel hair clip is done and ready to wear to show your USA pride!

My daughter is so excited to wear her new patriotic accessories this summer. And thanks to  Fizzy Pops, My Computer is My Canvas, and Busy Little Bird one of YOU will get to win all the supplies to make a patriotic necklace and felt pinwheel hair clips, too!!

The giveaway will end on June 16th. Enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

24 DIY Patriotic Wreaths

Summer is here, and that means the 4th of July is on it's way! I love this holiday, especially decorating my home in red, white, and blue. Today I'm sharing 24 creative DIY patriotic wreaths that are perfect for the 4th of July!

1. Ruffly Patriotic Wreath by Capital B
2. 4th of July Bottle Cap Wreath by Our Family Attic
3. Patriotic Wreath by Grits & Giggles
4. 4th of July Coffee Filter Wreath by Canvas Corp
5. “Red Hots and Blue” Fourth of July Rocket Wreath  by Tatertots & Jello
6. Red, White, and Blue Tennis Racket Wreath by Virginia Sweet Pea
7. 4th of July Tulle Wreath by Artsy-Fartsy Mama
8. 4th of July Burlap Wreath by The Freckled Optimist
9. Freedom Flag Wreath by The Pike Fam
10. 4th of July Burlap Wreath by Gallamore West
11. Striped Straw Patriotic Wreath by Sarah Dawn Designs
12. 4th of July Wreath by Whimsical Perspective
13. Patriotic Rag Wreath by A Diamond in the Stuff
14. Patriotic Bandanna Wreath by Life in Wonderland
15. Fourth of July Licorice Wreath by Fit, Crafty, Stylish & Happy
16. 4th of July Wreath by Moments with the Montaños
17. 4th of July Wreath by Being Creative (to Keep My Sanity)
18. Burlap & Denim Ruffled Patriotic Wreath by The Scrap Shoppe
19. 4th of July Napkin Wreath by Catch My Party
20. Monogrammed Letter/Flag Door Decoration by We Three Smiths
21. Patriotic Wreath by Handmade Homebody
22. 20 Minute 4th of July Wreath by Landee See, Landee Do
23. DIY 4th of July Wreath by The Real Thing with the Coake Family
24. Rustic Americana Wreath by Fast Daze

4th of July Wreath

I'm so excited to share how I made my 4th of July Wreath!

It's so easy to make, and you don't have to spend a lot at all.

It took about 30 minutes - 1 hour to put together and I love how it turned out!!

What You'll Need:

1 Wreath Form {mine is 14 inches}

2 Rolls Red Tulle {12 yards each}

2 Rolls White Tulle {12 yards each}

2 Rolls Blue Tulle {12 yards each}

You can use any kind of tulle. The kind I chose was glittered.

1 Accent Piece {I chose a glittered white star ornament}

Cut all the tulle to 16-17 inches long.

Start tying the tulle to the wreath form! I recommend tying a tight double knot to prevent them from coming undone or loosening. I started with a whole roll of blue before starting to add the red. I ended up using about a roll and a half of the blue.

After the blue is done, add 6 strips of red, then 6 strips of white until you finish the wreath. You can adjust the amount of strips if you want bigger or smaller stripes. I ended up using the entire rolls of both the red and white tulle. Be warned that if you use the glittered tulle that you will have it everywhere when you're done - but I love the look!!

Last, I pinned the loop of the ornament to the back of the wreath and

glued another small loop of tulle on the back to use as a hanger.

Love it!!

Lately it has been pretty windy outside.

So it's a good thing it looks great inside on the wall, too!!

Linking to these parties!

4th of July Clothesline Art

Are you ready for my 4th of July version of the clothesline art?