4th of July MiniSeries PART 1: EASY (AND CHEAP) DIY DECOR

Welcome to my craft corner! After failing to find 4th of July party inspiration on Pinterest (what the heck, Pinterest?!), I decided to head to the Dollar Tree to see if I could come up with something cute and original. I was so not disappointed. A few minutes and a couple dollars later, I walked out with bags full of red, white, and blue perfection. I was originally going to post about this on the actual 4th but 1) it's too good not to share already and 2) it would've been too late for you to try it for yourself!

Some of you may be thinking that you're not really craftily inclined and this isn't for you but, girrrl (or boy), I didn't even use glue! This little project was seriously so easy and it only took me a few minutes to whip up.

If you didn't guess already, the 4th of July festivities are at my house this year! This will be the first holiday we host so, extra excitement! I'm obviously planning on decorating excessively, but I have one major goal in mind: no flag overkill. I'm proud to be an American and all that, but I think we can agree that all-flag-everything is a tad tacky. This little project is a great example of something that fits the theme but in a tasteful, trendy way. 

Anyway, enough with the chit chat - keep on scrolling to get to the good part!

[Super Cute] 4th of July Centerpieces

What you'll need:

-red, white, and blue faux flower bunches

-burlap ribbon (there are two rolls in the pics below but I only needed one)

-tin flower pots

-floral foam (make sure its the right size for the tin pot)

-mason jar(s)

-clothes pins

-scissors

-wire cutters 

-small piece of tape or rubber band

I got everything on this list from the Dollar Tree except the scissors, mason jar, clothes pins, and wire cutters. They do sell mason jars, clothes pins, and scissors, though - I just happened to have these things at home already. As for the wire cutters, I grabbed those from hubby's toolkit - dollar tree flowers have these crazy tough wire stems that even the strongest of kitchen scissors can not get through (learned the hard way, as usual). Anywho, moving on..

How to make 'em:

1) Using the wire cutters, cut all the flowers so that they are individual instead of in attached bunches.  I cut them so that the stems were about 5-6 inches long. Set the flowers aside. It would probably be best to separate the flowers by color (red pile, blue pile, etc.) so that you can keep track of how many of each color you have left as you go using them.

2) Measure out a piece of burlap ribbon long enough to be tied around a tin flower pot. Make sure there is enough length to tie a bow. The Dollar Tree burlap ribbon (at least the one I found) is little too thick for this particular project so grab your scissors and cut it in half length-wise - not only does this make it half as thin, but it'll give you double the ribbon! WARNING: this ribbon makes a stinkin' MESS when you cut it. Get ready to sweep/vacuum/lint roll your leggings (also learned this the hard way..).

3) Tie the ribbon around the tin pot with a bow. These pots are narrower at the base so the ribbon will slide down. I wanted to be able to use these little pots for other projects in the future so instead of sticking the ribbon on with hot glue (which probably would've been a hot mess), I used clothes pins to hold the ribbon up. I'm gonna pat myself on the back for this cute (and mess-free) alternative. [P.S.- you can't see the clothes pins in the pics below because they're hiding underneath the flowers.. sorry about that!]

4) Place the floral foam in the pot and start sticking your flowers in it! I tried my best to give the arrangement a rounded look by placing the flowers at an angle. Play with the patterns, this is the fun part.

5) Repeat with the second tin and other half of the messy burlap ribbon you cut earlier.

6) Cut a smaller piece of burlap ribbon and tie it in a knot around the neck of a mason jar.

7) Gather the remaining flowers into a small bouquet and secure them together where the stems meet with a piece of tape or rubber band. Place the bouquet into the mason jar and admire your handiwork. Side note: my stems were too short and didn't reach the bottom of the jar which looked kind of funny so I placed some of the leftover leaves from the flower bunches at the bottom of the jar to disguise the situation.

Voi-la! I promise this project is as easy as can be. It only looks like a lot because I don't know how to explain things in less than a million words. I've posted a few pics below to help guide your experience and/or for your entertainment. If you try this project for yourself, I would LOVE to see it! 

Coming up next in the 4th of July miniseries: outfit ideas! Stay tuned. :)