Fourth of July Centerpiece

Fourth of July is a great holiday to decorate the house. Make this quick and easy patriotic centerpiece. With fabric, glitter and star pics you can have this decorative piece for every year.

Materials:

• STYROFOAM* Brand Products:
  • 1 sheet, 2" x 12" x 36"
• Star pics:
• 4 blue; 3 red; 2 red, white and 1 blue yards Blue or Pink Jumbo Loopy Chenille (FloraCraft)
• 1 Blue and white star print fabric, 6 1/2" x 9"
• 1 Red and white stripe cotton fabric, 6" x 19"
• 1 cup lead fishing weights
• Star cookie cutter, 3 1/2"
• 1 Red felt, 2" x 7"
• 1 Silver metallic basket and bag filler
• Silver glitter spray (optional)
• Serrated knife
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Melon baller or sharp spoon
• Pencil
• Wire cutters
• Thick white craft glue and/or low temperature glue gun and glue

Steps:

1. Using the serrated knife, cut a 5" x 7" x 2" rectangle from the foam sheet. (Hint: For smoother cuts, wax the knife blade with an old candle.)
    
2. Using the melon baller or a sharp spoon, carefully scoop out a cavity in the vase bottom large enough to hold the lead weights and leaving a 1/2" wall intact around the cavity.
    
3. Center and glue the red and white stripe fabric around the rectangle, turning under the end. Fold over and glue excess fabric to top and bottom of vase.
    
4. Using the cookie cutter as a pattern, cut out two star shapes from the blue fabric. Glue to the upper left-hand corner on each side of the vase.
    
5. Glue weights into the cavity at the bottom of the vase. Glue scraps of 1" foam around and over weights to hold them in place. Glue felt to bottom of vase,
   trimming edges if necessary.
    
6. For added sparkle, spray vase with glitter spray (optional).
    
7. Using scissors blade, curl selected streamers on several of the pics.
    
8. With wire cutters, trim 3 1/2" from stem of each pic. Arrange pics in center top of vase.
    
9. Glue basket filler to top of vase.

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