Red, White, and Boom!

I was out shopping yesterday…not the fun kind of shopping but ordinary, necessity type shopping.  But while I was out trudging I spied a really cute idea and the inspiration for a holiday craft was born!  So instead of heading home, I detoured to the craft store to grab a couple inexpensive supplies so I could try and recreate this adorable idea for a patriotic centerpiece!  And you may be wondering what it was that I saw that got me so inspired?…oversized firecrackers!  I thought this fun stick of dynamite might make a festive decoration for our Fourth of July celebration…and I knew I could make one for a fraction of the price tag on the ones in the shop!  I love DIY projects that are easy, inexpensive, and relatively quick to create…especially for those holidays that seem to come and go before you blink an eye!  But patriotic celebrations kick-start all the summer fun and I just can’t help myself from decorating the patio with some red, white, & blue!  So let me share this festive DIY…there’s plenty of time to grab some supplies and have some~

firecracker fun!

the firecrackers from the shop looked like they’d been made from cardboard cylinders that rolled-up artwork might be shipped in.  the ones i saw were manufactured but a similar tube might work to recreate the form.  but before i stopped into the post office i thought i’d take my chances in the craft store in hopes to find something i didn’t have to cut down to size.  not only did i find a container that would work perfectly but endless choices of sparkly embellishments too!

this 14″ cardboard cylinder from Hobby Lobby is just the right size for the giant firecracker!  i eliminated the lid of the container but decided to take advantage of the twine handle…reusing it as the wick to the firecracker!

by simply untying the knot on one side, the twine will hang out the side all ready to be “lit”…

but before it can actually be the wick, it needed to be removed completely so the firecracker could get all gussied up in some patriotic color!  i’ve been infatuated with decoupaging with napkins lately…it’s such an inexpensive AND easy way to quickly cover an ordinary item!  any white glue will do…but my favorite is mod podge in a matte finish.

i had these adorable dinner napkins from last year and thought they’d be adorably festive for my firecracker!  i started by covering the top–which is actually the bottom of the container.  i simply separated the layers of the napkin and traced the shape…

cut…

and glued the thin paper layer to the cardboard.  don’t worry about wrinkles or if the circle doesn’t fit perfectly, carefully smooth out the napkin across the top & over the edges of the cylinder…

i coated the rest of the cylinder with a thin layer of glue and rolled it up in a second napkin!  you could also use an adhesive spray or even a glue stick…just make sure the entire surface is covered with glue!

by flipping the container upside down, it was easy to just tuck the excess into the opening…

i decided not to coat the outside with additional glue as you normally would when decoupaging.  i was worried the wet napkin might rip while brushing on the outer coat so i merely used the back of my fingernail to smooth out as many wrinkles as i could and let it dry!

then i poked the twine “wick” back through the existing hole on the bottom…

now to embellish…

you know how i LOVE to recycle, so i decided to add some more festivity to the shiny floral picks and re-purpose a handful of cupcake toppers leftover from our Memorial Day celebrations!

i carefully pulled off the stars from the toothpick and using the same hole, i reinserted them onto my glittery pick…

some easy printing from the computer and whimsical snipping with the scissors make more fun, firecracker embellishments!  the “flame” on the wick is a portion of the red floral pick simply taped to the twine…super simple!

i also used tape to attach the printed paper to the front…

and pierced a hole in the top of my firecracker so i could tuck in the glittery topper…

and BOOM!  a DIY firecracker is born!

create some red, white & “boom” for your

Fourth of July celebration!