Bright red and blue pennants create a fun theme for Fourth of July celebrations. With only a few supplies—scissors, pinking shears, fabric glue, and ribbons or jute roping—and a little time and effort, anyone can create these colorful pennants of all sizes. Drape larger pennants over and around doorways, windows, dessert bars, tables, and lakeside piers. They make such a festive statement!
Alert guests of the picnic party time and place with an invitation using fun fonts printed on your computer. Launch the pennant theme by adding a loop of stitching across the top of the invitation with a needle and thread or a sewing machine; then stick small red and blue washi tape (available at craft stores) pennant shapes randomly along the stitched loop. Be sure to seal the envelope with a few washi tape pennants.
Continue the theme with smaller red and blue pennants draped on a simple grapevine wreath at the entrance. Cross the threshold, and find pennant garlands everywhere—inside and outside!And pennants made from coordinating craft paper on toothpicks make fun toppers for stacked mini cupcakes in push-pop containers or other individual desserts!
So grab a few supplies, and let the fun begin and the pennants fly to celebrate our nation’s special day!
PENNANTS
For large pennant garlands, cut each triangular pennant from doubled fabric with the top fold edge 8 inches across with 12-inch sides to the points. Make as many pennants as needed for desired length. Fold each pennant over jute or ribbon and glue together with fabric glue. Be sure to leave long ends of jute or ribbon for hanging. For small pennant garlands for the wreath, cut each triangular pennant from doubled fabric with the top fold edge 2½ inches across with 3-inch sides to the point. Make as many pennants as needed for desired length. Fold each pennant over jute or ribbon and glue together with fabric glue. Be sure to leave long ends of jute or ribbon for hanging.
PUSHPOPS
Bake red velvet mini cupcakes without liners from red velvet cake mix following package directions. Bake blue mini cupcakes without liners from white cake mix following package directions and adding blue food coloring. When cupcakes are cool, frost with (12-ounce) container cream cheese frosting using a piping bag and a large star tip. Freeze iced cupcakes before stacking in red and blue patterns in pushpop containers (available at craft stores in baking supplies). Top each pushpop with a red or blue pennant.
