Looking for some pretty ways to show your patriotism this Independence Day? Well, thank your lucky stars and stripes, because Elfster has a handful of helpful hints. This weekend, we’re celebrating the land of the free by rounding-up a few complimentary party-planning ideas to help make your Fourth of July sparkle.

Take a look at these great tips and tutorials from our favorite holiday events bloggers, and feel free to join the blog party by adding your own ideas and links!

Pretty Printables- Sparkler Holders

Porch Decoration- Patriotic Bunting

Party Favors – Let Freedom “Ring”

3D Cookie Cupcakes- Tutorial

Berry Lemon Napoleon- Dessert Recipe

Polka Dot Tablescape

Star Medallion- Tutorial

Pennant Banner Printables

Pie Decoration and Party Ideas

Tee-Shirt Pom-Poms- Tutorial

Strawberry Shortcake Popsicles

Red, White and Blue Kabobs

Confetti Popper Rockets- Tutorial

Photo credits: Lisa Storms , Simply Creative Insanity

We love how PubliQue Living transforms plain sheets of recycled paper into charming table pieces for every occasion. (Check out the products on their website.) But in the Pilgrim spirit of “making do,” this Thanksgiving, we just had to try the idea ourselves… DIY-style!

We armed Intern Steph with some Bristol Paper and an X-Acto knife, and told her to re-create the Mayflower for our Thanksgiving table… After a good cry, she got right to work and this was the result!

Say what you will of her historical accuracy (or the judiciousness of giving an intern a knife), we think Stephanie did the pilgrims proud on this one, and here’s how you can create your own!

Materials:

• Large sheet of bristol paper or poster board
• X-acto knife
• Pencil
• Silhouette drawing or clip-art

Instructions:

First, draw or trace a simple line rendering onto your canvas, using your imagination or clip-art. Position the image somewhere around the corner of the page, an inch or two from each edge.

When creating your image, be sure to account for “negative space” by drawing closed, polygonal shapes within the overall outline.

Next, carefully use your X-acto to cut out these interior shapes, little by little, with a cutting board underneath.

After the interior shapes have all been removed, trace the overall outline with your X-acto, leaving the image’s bottom horizontal line uncut.

Finally, fold the image upward (along the bottom horizontal line) to bring your pop-up to life!

Materials:

• Empty aluminum soda cans
• Self-adhesive magnets (or double-sided tape)
• A strong pair of scissors
• A mechanical pencil

Start by carefully cutting the tops and bottoms off of the soda cans and flattening out the remaining aluminum.

Next, draw an autumn leaf pattern onto the material with your mechanical pencil. This can be done free-hand, or by tracing actual leaves you’ve collected from the neighbor’s yard. (Only kidding!)

Now, cut out the pattern and engrave your leaves with life-like veins by retracting the lead in your mechanical pencil. Using the point to draw lines from the tips of the edges to the base of the leaf, you can achieve a deeper grove if you place a towel under the aluminum while carving.

Finally, stick a self-adhesive magnet, or some double-sided tape, onto the back of your leaf. Make as many magnets as you’d like, arranging them in a whimsical wind-swept pattern across your fridge.

Now you’ve got yourself a sustainable fall fridge-scape, made faster than you can say “cranberry sauce”!

Well snap out of it! Halloween is no time to neglect your friends, or your crafting either. You’ve got no time to waste going to the store to buy more candy and party supplies, so you’ll have to make do with the bare essentials…

Don’t just stand there! Grab that old pad of construction paper, and find some scissors and tape, pronto! Today we’re making decorative fun-sized candy bags. Even though you still have a tummy ache, and your tongue has yet to return to its original color, with these cute little favors, your guests might just overlook your stinginesss with the sweets!

Directions:

1.  Cut a standard sheet of construction paper in half, lengthwise.

2.  Fold the longer two sides inward to meet at the middle of the page.

3.  Make a fold (inward) at about 4.5 inches from the edge of the page, on each end.

4.  Cut the paper on the four creases created in the middle, stopping at the edge of the folds.

5.  Glue or tape the outer edges of each side together.

There you have it. You now have your very own miniature party favor bag, in any festive color that you want! Think of it as a blank canvas. Now, using more construction paper, you can customize the bag to look like just about any Halloween character imaginable.

For our motley crew, we created an owl, a mummy, a bat and, of course, Frankenstein. But the possibilities are endless. This Halloween, if you want to save your guests a trip to the dentist, give them these bite-sized party bags. (And enjoy the extra treats ’til Turkey Day!)

• Boniatos make beefy bodies for these little imps. With their irregular shape, and natural divots and dimples, it isn’t hard to picture these potato-like roots as tiny trolls!

• A Yellow Squash might not look appetizing with a case of the warts that would make a toad blush, but that very quality makes it all the better for Halloween decor. Just turn the squash upside down, and voila! A knobby stalk becomes a crooked nose. Half of the work is done for you!

• Baby Sweet Potatoes also make excellent schnozzles for these grubby grumps. And for lips that say “Boo!”, just cut a round sliver or two.

• Pearl Onions are truly nature’s “googly eyes” and should be used as such whenever possible. The roots look like natural pupils, but to enhance the surprised look, simply glue a black paper hole-punch in the middle.

• Mini Indian Corn Cobs, though hardly substantial enough to eat, sure make great teeth for these garden goblins. The husks can also be used to portray mischievous mustaches and eyebrows!

• Ginger Root really reaches out and grabs you when used as a pair of calloused “monster hands”. It will also make your gnomes look like they’ve dug themselves up from the grave!

• Finally, match sticks bring the whole project together. If you’re like us and can’t bear to bring a knife to your adorable creations, just use these tiny dowels to attach the parts.  (They also add a spark of whimsy to your little buddy’s custom-made propeller hat!)

This Halloween, for guilt-free decorating, take our advice.  Try your hand at no-knife crafting… And no one gets hurt!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

makes 12 muffins

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees and lining a muffin pan with liners. In a large bowl, mix together the almond milk, vegetable oil, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract until smooth. In a different bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix to combine, and add in the chocolate chips. Add the dry ingredients to the large bowl with the wet ingredients. Mix together until combined, but don’t over work it! Spoon the batter into the muffin pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

Photo and recipe: Another One Bites the Crust

Photos courtesy of uccellocurioso

Ever want to tell your sweetie just how much you love him or her, but can’t find the right words? Consider a different approach with these hand-painted cards that will be sure to get your point across! If you’ve ever gone weak at the knees for the perfect avocado or fish tacos, you know what we’re talking about. We suggest pairing these cute and appetizing cards with their favorite food, for best results.

Photo and instructions courtesy of Design Sponge

It’s not yet Spring but this project sure gets us excited! We’ve recently fallen head over heels for these gorgeous headpieces, brought to you by the madly creative team at Design*Sponge! Also known as fascinators, these are detailed, handmade accessories that clip or tie to your head and can truly hypnotize anyone who catches a glimpse! They are all simple enough for even the most clumsy of craftsters to make, and range from understated to show-stopping. Many incorporate live plants, and are sure to give your hairdo that wow factor by bringing a piece of nature into your everyday attire. Here are two of our favorites!

The Headband is the easiest to master, but one of the most lovely, in our opinion. You could wear it with nearly any outfit to any occasion, and it will make you smell like you’ve just rolled in a field of flowers!

Materials

• A small bunch of hyacinths
• Floral wire
• Ribbon

Directions

1. Use floral wire to string each flower, nesting one flower inside the next so no wire is revealed.
2. When you reach a good length, loop the wire at both ends and attach some ribbon color-coordinated to your outfit. Hyacinths have a long life on dry land, so this headband won’t be wilting for a long time. After two days, ours still looked fresh as a daisy.

And we can’t forget the pièce de résistance: the Nest! The little details like the robin and egg make this fascinator hard to ignore. The best part is, you can tailor every detail to fit your aesthetic and make completely unique versions!

Materials

• nest, feathers, birds and eggs (available at craft stores)
• small comb
• thread

Directions

hand stitch the comb to the back of the nest and feathers and glue on your details, like newly hatched babies, little feathers and a proud mama to top it off. The comb holds the whole family perfectly, so place it in your hair at a jaunty angle and wait for the compliments (and questions) to start flying.

We can’t wait to see all of the creative artists and DIY crafts ideas today at Fort Mason for the Renegade Craft Show, SF. Hope to see you, we will be there with bells on (and curly toed shoes)!

“Over 200 artists are traveling from all over the country and abroad to participate and sell their handmade goods at Renegade Craft Fair – San Francisco. From clothing and accessories, to stationary and concert posters, with everything from bath products and ceramics in between – there’s surely something for everyone! Be sure to check out our artist page to start working on your wish list.”

Country Soup in a Jar

Recipe = 1 Quart Jar

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup barley
1/2 Cup dried split peas
1/2 Cup uncooked white rice
1/2 Cup dry lentils
1 Cup Twist macaroni
1/2 cup Bowtie Pasta
2 tablespoons dried minced onion
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
2 tablespoons beef bouillon granules

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a wide mouth 1 quart jar, layer the barley, peas, rice and lentils. Then layer around the edges the onion, parsley, salt, lemon pepper, bouillon and the alphabet pasta. Fill the rest of the jar with the twist macaroni.
2. Seal and attach a gift card. The gift card should read: Add contents of jar to 3 quarts of water, 2 stalks of chopped celery, 2 sliced carrots, 1 cup of shredded cabbage (optional) and 2 cups diced tomatoes. Over medium low heat, cover and simmer about 1 hour, or until vegetables are tender.
3. Place in a brown paper lunch bag and tie up with string for an easy homemade packaging look.