Fun Summer Patriotic paper craft decoration

Fun and simple craft to use for your 4th of July party or any fun patriotic celebration. Nice enough to show off to your guests - easy enough to make just for the family dinner!

Kids love to make them. Simple directions below:

Supplies:

• 2 pieces of 12 x 12 patterned paper 
• coordinating paper 
• hot glue gun 
• small hole punch or tape for hanging 
• scissors or paper cutter  

Instructions: 

• cut patterned paper in 1/2 = 4 strips of 6x12 
• tiny pencil marks every 1/2 inch (or score them) 
• fold accordion style (fan) back and forth 
• lay them face down and glue end pieces together forming long strip of accordion fan
• glue end to end in circle holding tight in middle 
• glue in middle to hold in circular pattern - hold til set 
• add top circle or small version to layer 
• glue to stick (kabob or lolly pop stick) or hang from ceiling 

Another 4th of July craft: Homemade napkin holders here

In case you are looking- we use these for crafts, decor, lapbooks & other homeschool projects. If you haven't invested in scrapbook paper for crafting and homeschool, let me tell you - it is one of my favorite things! I used to actually have time to scrapbook - but now I am happy to do these fun projects with the boys. . . and . . . it's educational!

linking with: creativebloghop mixitupmon tweakittues MonKidCorner inspiredSunday


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 Good deals on Scrapbook paper: 

$13.99 Echo Park - Hello Summer                                 $8.05 Echo Park - 4th of July 

                                  

$16.99 K& Americana Specialty                                          $18.86 BoBunny - Anthem 

   

                                    

Frugal Family: Homemade 4th of July craft - painted clay napkin rings, lessons, bible verse

In an effort to save money this year,  I'm joining my friend Marcy +Ben and Me  as well as Sam +Sam's Noggin  to bring you this weekly  link up full of tips for becoming a more Frugal Family. We will be sharing ideas to help you save money on groceries and meals, homeschool, crafts, and plenty of frugal DIY posts. We've made many sacrifices so that I can stay at home to teach the boys, and I've become pretty frugal in order to help make that possible and to keep it that way. It's become a challenge I truly enjoy, and one I enjoy sharing with you!

*affiliate links may be present in this post - see disclosure page

N is for . . . National Holiday:

The birth of our Nation 

One Nation Under God 

Patriotic clay napkin rings for 4th of July!  

This is a super easy craft project that can be customized to suite any decor, for any occasion. These were made for the 4th of July with the traditional red, white, and blue theme.

Using any craft clay that will harden when baked (Polyform Sculpey Original Polymer Clay 1-3/4 Lbs: White) just kneed the clay until it's workable and pliable in your hands. Then, roll out  each of  the rings by hand, measuring them against napkin rings you have, if possible. Otherwise, roll your napkin as you will be serving it and fit the clay band around it to measure for the appropriate length. 

Use that one as a guide to finish the rest. 

The important thing is that the napkins you plan to use will fit properly. You also will want to  try to make each ring as uniform as possible. 

We aren't shooting for perfection here folks- that might take all the fun out of it, especially when working with kids. They will be cute in their imperfection.  The kids will be proud to show off their handiwork and you will have a treasured keepsake to use for years to come. 

Use a pastry roller to roll out clay in about 1/4 inch thickness and use cookie cutters to cut out themed shape, such as stars for the 4th of July. 


Bake rings and shapes according to the clay directions before attaching them together. Wait until they are completely cooled 

Paint rings and pieces- then use hot glue gun to attach. 

tip 1: Have the kids paint one color at a time and let them dry in between to keep colors from running together. Consider letting them use a Q-tip to paint stripes or polka-dots.

tip 2: Once paint has dried completely, put a napkin in place so you can get a feel for where to place the star shapes before gluing.


No matter what the holiday . . . . . .
It's a frugal fun way to prepare for a special celebration with the family! 

Book to read for the 4th of July: 
The Adventures of Munford: The American Revolution

Free printable: Pray for our Nation
Bible Verse printable 2 Chronicles 7:14- print and cursive 

Link up your own tips for saving money on our Frugal Family link up for January

Please grab the button to use or link via text - Visit others to encourage each other and

share great information! The group Pinterest board is here - I'm pinning away!

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