DIY Fourth of July Pt. II

This post marks the 11th post this year--more posts than I've ever posted in one year for the entire multi-year duration of this blog! This is a monumental achievement to be sure, or perhaps it's but a surprisingly consistent exercise in ambivalence and mediocrity--you be the judge! Just kidding, don't judge me!

DIY Fourth of July has come and gone, and I'm making good on my promise of more Fourth of July crafts, however useless they may be on this fifth day of July. You can always bookmark it for next year, like some organized person who plans things a year in advance and then follows through on those plans (a wizard?!).

First off, remember those spray painted jars? I did go ahead and rough them up with sandpaper, to great effect. They looked distressed in a Pinterest-y way, not a distressing way. 

Next I worked on a wreath. I purchased a wooden ring for a Christmas wreath that never got made, so that served as the base. I had a remnant piece of cream canvas which I stained with chicken grease that was perfect for this project, so I cut it into strips and wrapped it around the wooden ring, hot gluing the back as I went along. 

Next I cut out a series of circles in different shades of blue and red, plus cream, and stitched some on top of each other. I hot glued the circles in a kind of overlapping clump on one side of the circle to create a cool mod yet rustic wreath.

Here's a closeup of the circles. 

Additionally, I added to my fake rocket decorations with what I deemed to be a clever idea from Tobi: making a rocket that looked like it had exploded. 

I did this by spray painting a toilet paper tube red, then painting the inside black with a small paintbrush. I made vertical snips into the top with scissors and then curled each tab down to give it that exploded look. Boom! Additionally, I made a huge rocket with an old mailing tube. I spray painted it white and then used red duct tape to attempt a moderately successful chevron pattern on its body. I made a big rocket top from some shiny paper. 

Another simple, classy decor idea is to place little sprays of baby's breath in jars, and colorful straws add some fun to the beverage table. For a nonalcoholic drink, I served water with lime wheels, watermelon chunks and cucumber slices.  

Here's a photo of my sister along with a few of my decor elements in action: triangle flag banners and sparklers!

All in all, this has been another very successful party, and one scientist roughly estimates that my simple, clean and creative decor added 47 percent more festive fun to the atmosphere. This scientist is more of a "scientist of the world" than, like, a research lab scientist. Also, there was no control party to compare with, so you can take this study as you like. Hey, scientific literacy isn't exactly my strong suit--something I share with many of the rest of my fellow Americans. God bless us & happy birthday, USA!