Fourth of July is a fun time to have friends and family over to celebrate, cook out and watch fireworks! Need last minute decorations or a last minute dessert to take to a potluck? Our Hello Productions Intern, Kristine, has the answer for both!
DIY Fourth of July Banner
It’s almost that time, Fourth of July and many parties! I know for me each year I always try to think of different decorations I could make or contribute to a friend’s party. Here is an easy craft that won’t take too much time and won’t cost you a lot to make. It is a Rosette Banner and once you complete all the steps it will look great hung up around your other decorations.
Make sure to have the following:
– Paper: Newspaper adds a great old-fashioned look with the colors. You will also need crepe paper.
– Pipe cleaners: Try using metallic versions in silver, gold, and red. This will help the banner flow together.
– Ribbon: Red, White, and Blue
– Glue: Use a glue stick or 3M transfer tape.
– Printables: Use any typeface you want to have the letters have. Print or photocopy onto heavy paper.
Steps:
1. Take the blue crepe paper and cut a strip 8 inches wide and 20 inches long.
2. Grab the newspaper and cut a narrower strip of paper then glue it on the center of the blue strip. Repeat this step but cut an even narrower strip of red crepe paper then glue it in place.
3. Fan-fold across the narrow width of the strip and fold in half lengthwise as well.
4. Open either side of the center fold you just made to create a circle and glue. Print “Happy Fourth” and cut out around the letters in a circle with pinking shears then glue onto rosettes.
5. Take the 8-inch pipe cleaners and cut them in half. Then use one of them to form a loop and slip through another to form another loop, and so on.
6. Once the chain is made, glue one of the pipe cleaners loop to the back of each rosette by first going through a chain loop and then gluing.
Once all those steps are completed, you have accomplished making your very own Fourth of July banner! It helps to look back at the picture while you are doing it so you can get a visual of what the final product will look like. I used this at the last Fourth of July party I attended and it was a hit! It doesn’t take much time out of your day and it feels good to find a cost effective decoration yourself.
Source: www.countryliving.com
Perfect Fourth of July Flag Cake
Having a Fourth of July party and not sure what to make? This flag cake will look just as good as it tastes. All you have to do is put aside an hour and fifteen minutes of your day to make this fan favorite holiday treat.
Cake Ingredients:
18 tablespoons (2 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
3 cups of sugar
6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 cup sour cream at room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 half-pints of blueberries
3 half-pints of raspberries
Icing Ingredients:
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 ½ pounds cream cheese at room temperature
1 pound confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Butter and flour an 18 by 13 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.
3. Add the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. Then add the eggs, two at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Stir until smooth.
4. Stir together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined then pour into the pan.
5. Bake in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and afterwards cool to room temperature.
6. For the icing, combine the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl until smooth. The pictures below show how to ice the sheet cake.
This is a fun and easy cake to make that will look great along with your decorations. You can serve it right from the pan or you can place it on a different plate. The flag cake is a go to for people who love to bake and are in need of a dessert to please everyone. Now get going and start making this patriotic cake for the party!
If you would like to read more about this recipe click the following link. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/flag-cake-recipe.html.
Kristen Elgin
Hello Productions Intern, 2014
Kristine Elgin was born and raised in Portland, Oregon and relocated to Pittsburgh last August. She attended Oregon State University and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in New Media Communications.
She has always loved working events and is excited to continue learning under Colleen Geletko as her summer intern. Her favorite part about working events is seeing all the details come together and how happy everyone is with the outcome.
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event planning during her time as an event server for a local event planning company. Watching all the little details come together to create one spectacular event is one of the main reasons she loves this industry! The memories that are made at these events inspire her to make each client’s experience a truly unforgettable one.
Hello Productions 