The
4th of July is one of those special holidays where you’re feeling
patriotic and celebratory, so why not throw in creative as well? There is still time to pull off a get
together before next weekend with flair, pizzazz, and plenty of 4th
of July festiveness.
This
is the one day in which red, white, and blue shines even more brightly than the
others. The tri-color grouping is an
easy theme to play off of in what you decorate with and what you eat for an
evening party for family and friends.
Party and craft stores have aisles designated just for them this time of
year: flags, paper lanterns and fans, banners, streamers, and the like are
quick picks. If you want to add some DIY
projects in the mix, take three large mason jars and spray paint the insides in
each of the three shades. Use them to
hold your utensils in rolled napkins for your buffet line. Fill just the bottom of some clear glass
vases with Red Hots® candy or blue rock candy
or jellybeans, place a votive candle in each, and use the set as a staggered
centerpiece on your table. Mix sets of
red, white, blue, and US flag paper plates, napkins, cups, and striped drinking
straws for easy serving and cleanup.
To
go along with your all-American hotdogs, hamburgers, or barbeque, show your
true colors with the sweets. Mix crispy
rice cereal, peanuts, and red and blue M&Ms® with melted and drizzled
white chocolate and serve in cute Chinese takeout containers. For a pretty fruit tray, dip strawberries 2/3
of the way into melted white chocolate, and then immediately dip the lower 1/3
into blue cupcake sprinkles. Make a
layered cake or even cupcakes with batter you tint with food coloring and
alternate the three colors, and stick (safe and adult-monitored) sparklers in
place of candles you light before serving.
If ice cream is going to be your hot weather go-to, dip the tops of
sugar cones in melted white chocolate and then into assorted red and blue
sprinkles or decorative sugar and let them dry before scooping. For a fancy blue punch, mix equal parts
Sprite® and white cranberry juice with packets of blue Kool-Aid®
until you have the shade of blue you want.
Serve in mason jars over ice with paper straws.
Make your family’s 4th of July red,
white, and beautiful with a little creativity and a lot of patriotic love for
the independence we celebrate. Happy 4th
of July!
DesignInMind column; appeared in the Valley Morning Star June 30th.
