Red, White, and Fun: Fourth of July Party Decorations

Betsy Ross would delight in this entryway festooned with her signature work. Simply stick mini flag toothpicks into a Styrofoam wreath until the wreath looks full. Top it off with a garland of flags clothes-pinned onto twine.

For safer-than-sparklers favors, fill a pail full of cheery DIY scrapbook-paper pinwheels mounted on slim wooden dowels.

Run paper lanterns up backyard boughs: The inexpensive white orbs turn any tree into a national monument — especially when they're belted with red-, white-, and blue-striped ribbon; affix with double-sided tape.

Soften outdoor chairs with no-sew pillow covers crafted from contrasting bandannas. Sandwich one cushion between two scarves, then join each corner together with a rubber band and hide bands with thin ribbon, as shown.

All-white flowers like hydrangeas seem instantly all-American presented in a vase that evokes the stars and stripes. Measure the vase's circumference, then cut lengths of patriotic ribbon to size. Attach with double-sided tape to cover the vase.

This crepe paper runner is made in minutes: Cover a table with a white paper tablecloth; snip lengths of blue and red crepe paper to the lengths of the cloth. Weave the colors, as shown; affix at table's edges with double-sided tape.

Set off culinary fireworks with updated cookout classics: ribs tickled with Kansas City-style sauce, red and white potato chips, red cabbage and jicama slaw, and corn on the cob with spicy butter.

Serve thirsty guests strawberry tea garnished with frozen tea cubes and skewered blueberries. To make the platter, remove a decorative flag from its dowel, double-stick-tape it to the tray, and trim with ribbon.

A tower of potted plants marks a tread-on-me path. Gather three pots and saucers. Fill each pot with soil; stack with saucers in between. Tuck in-palette impatiens into the soil; pop in a pair of flags.

Navigating the backyard buffet is a breeze for plate-balancing guests when you station grab-and-go silverware in glass canning jars. Trim a trio of jars with ribbon remnants, and fill with eco-friendly reusable flatware.