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Patriotic

DIY Ribbon Wands: Glow-in-the-Dark Parade Wands

June 24, 2014 by Bre 1 Comment

DIY ribbon wands are perfect for any Fourth of July parade!

Make your Fourth of July parade or fireworks experience even more special with these glow in the dark ribbon wands or parade wands! Kids love them!

Do you have your Fourth of July plans in place yet?  I do not.  I have no idea what we’re doing except that we will be watching fireworks at some point, somewhere!

I’m always a little nervous about the Fourth of July because my husband wants to set off like a million fireworks, despite the fact that we live in a congested area, and practically on top of our neighbors.  

He also thinks that it’s okay for our little kids (ages 2 and 4) to use sparklers and those things you throw on the ground that snap, crackle and pop (no – not Rice Krispies . . . those weird smoke things).

Anyway, I can barely light a candle without freaking out, so I am not into my kids playing with sparklers and all that jazz.  So . . . I made them some safe ribbon wands (or “firework wands”) that GLOW IN THE DARK!  Perfect for use while watching the fireworks displays!

These patriotic DIY ribbon wands or DIY parade wands are perfect for kids to use during 4th of July parades or while watching the fireworks. They glow in the dark!

These patriotic DIY ribbon wands are also PERFECT for that 4th of July parade (or Memorial Day parade) you may be heading to! Of course any parade will probably be during the day, so you won’t need the glow in the dark feature for that.

DIY Parade Wands Supplies

This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy for more information.

  • Wood dowels
  • Acrylic paint (I used red craft paint and bright blue craft paint)
  • Glow in the Dark craft paint
  • Red, white, and blue ribbon OR scrap fabric
  • Small screw-in eye hooks
  • Foam stars
  • Paintbrush
  • Scissors
  • Hot glue gun

How to Make DIY Ribbon Wands for the 4th of July

These were super easy to make and my kids are really excited about them!  My daughter wants to “share them with all of her friends.”

Paint the Dowels

Start by painting wood dowels the colors of your choice. I went with red and blue because, America.

Once that paint is dry, cover the dowels with the glow in the dark paint. And don’t worry – this glow in the dark craft paint dries clear, so it won’t distort the color of your parade wands!

Attach the Ribbon or Fabric

Next, carefully screw one eye hook into the top of each dowel.

Cut the ribbon or fabric to the desired length (and width, if necessary).

Then, push the ribbon strips or fabric strips through the eye hook, and tie all of the pieces into one knot.

Embellish the Parade Wand

Finally, fire up that hot glue gun and attach a patriotic embellishment to cover the knot in the ribbon or fabric.

I used foam table scatter stars, and they were perfect for making these ribbon wands extra festive!

Learn to make these DIY ribbon wands for an upcoming parade! These patriotic ribbon wands or parade wands glow int he dark!

Aren’t they cute?

I love that I was able to use up leftover fabric for these, but I think they’d be adorable with patriotic ribbon, too.

Learn how to make DIY glow in the dark parade wands! These ribbon wands are fun to use at a parade or while watching the fireworks because they glow in the dark!

Have a safe, happy, and fun Fourth of July!

Filed Under: Holiday, Patriotic

Patriotic Paper Straw Stars: Crafts with Paper Straws

June 10, 2014 by Bre 12 Comments

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Looking for crafts with paper straws? Try these paper straw stars! This paper straw craft idea is easy for all ages.

I love America and all, but I don’t usually decorate for the Fourth of July.  

Paper straw stars are an easy craft for any age! Learn how to make an adorable patriotic decoration with paper straws and scrapbook paper.

This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy for more information.

However, while rummaging through my cabinets the other day, I found some red and white paper straws that I’d purchased for a baby shower two years ago.  I looked at them and had a crazy idea that I could turn them into stars.  

You Might Enjoy These Other Patriotic Craft Project Ideas!

  • Dollar Tree DIY Patriotic Wreath
  • DIY Firecracker Decor
  • DIY Glow-in-the-Dark Ribbon Wands (Parade Wands)

So I cut some paper straws in half, threaded five pieces onto floral wire, and bent them into shape (tying the ends of the wire together and cutting the excess).  

Amazing!  I knew they were the start of something that would show my USA pride.

Learn how to make paper straw stars in this blog post!

Feeling very proud of my paper straw stars, I then decided to play with fire and make a “firework” of sorts.  (OMG. What a terrible joke.)  

I used a large circular hole punch to make two large scrapbook paper circles, and then I glued portions of paper straws to one of the circles.  I then topped those straws with the other circle and some sparkly letter stickers.  BOOM!

Paper straws are a great craft material! Learn how to make paper straw stars and other paper straw crafts in this post.

And finally, I made some crazy curly fireworks by cutting a circle with my circle punch and then cutting the circle into a spiral.  

I glued those paper curls onto paper straws to create these guys.  They bring the party to the arrangement.

This patriotic decor was made entirely with paper!

I stuck all my straws into one of those green floral foam blocks and topped it with some leftover Christmas wrapping paper shreds.

Paper straws are a wonderful craft material! Learn how to make paper straw stars and get other paper straw craft ideas in this post.

SO EASY, but I think Uncle Sam would approve of this Fourth of July decor – how about you?

Filed Under: Holiday, Patriotic

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