13 Easy DIY Fourth of July Tabletop Decorations

Unique Place Mats

fourth of july themed table spread — Jacob Fox

Trade traditional place mats for festive dish towels. Mix and match an array of bold colors and patterns for a casual dining experience.

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Napkin Ring Stars

patriotic place settings with napkin wrapped silverware — Jacob Fox

Make a place setting shine with napkin-wrapped utensils. Simply wrap a ribbon around a silverware bundle, thread the ends through a hole punched in a paper star, and tie a knot. A star cut from glitter or foil cardstock finishes a napkin tie.

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Firework Treat Cups

homemade paper firework poppers — Jacob Fox

Decorative paper, foil cupcake liners, treat sticks, and tinsel turn plain coffee cups filled with trinkets into party favors. Guests will have a blast popping the lids and swapping the red, white, and blue goodies inside.

Disguise a coffee cup lip with a cone-shaped paper topper.

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Plaid Patterned Vases

red poppies and white flowers in patriotic bouquet — Jacob Fox

This centerpiece comes together in minutes. Apply strips of transparent vinyl tape to the outside of clear glass cylinders in various sizes. Fill them with flowers or pillar candles and parade them down the table. A white vase inside the clear one makes the tape pattern stand out.

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Independence Beverage Display

patriotic drink table with flag banner and flowers — Jacob Fox

Set up a spot where guests can help themselves to beverages. Festive bandannas tied around glass pitchers capture the spirit (and any condensation). Keep decorations low-cost with a star-spangled banner made from paper napkins. Perk up lemonade (or something stronger) with star shapes cut from watermelon slices using cookie cutters.

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Fourth of July Party Crackers

Red white and blue party crackers for fourth of july — Adam Albright

Fill a toilet paper roll with treats, like candy, temporary tattoos, and beaded necklaces. Wrap the roll with tissue paper, taping the two long ends together with double stick tape, and twist the ends. Secure with a twist tie or thin piece of string. Then fringe the ends by cutting many thing slits and add tissue paper pom-poms to resemble a firework display.

Paint strips of white crepe paper with red and blue water color stripes. Wrap the strips around your party crackers and secure with double sided tape where the ends meet. It will amp up the festivity and give another texture to your creation.

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Watermelon Centerpiece

Fourth of july tabletop with watermelon — Eden Passante

Cut up a few small watermelons and display them as your centerpiece. They double as table weights and are easy to prep, which means you can spend more time with your guests. Plus, when it's time to clean up, the centerpiece will be taken care of.

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Dip-Dyed Candles

Melt a white taper candle in a pot that isn't used for food. Once melted, add a red or blue crayon and let it melt completely to color your wax. Dip the bottom portion of larger candles into the colored wax, remove, shaking off any excess wax, and let dry on a piece of wax paper. Scatter them around your table, or line them up in the center. When night falls, the table will come alive with the candlelight glow.

Instead of dip-dyeing, use a paint brush to apply the wax. You can also experiment with adding stripes, stars, or other motifs to your candles.

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Tassel and Star Garland

Red and blue tissue paper garland with silver stars — Megan Welker

Make red and blue tissue paper tassels and cut out stars from metallic cardstock. String them all together with fishing wire to make a fun garland that can be wrapped around the edge of your table, or laid along the center like a table runner.

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Paper Lantern Flower Arrangements

Red white and blue lanterns with floral arrangements — Quentin Bacon

Insert a vase into the bottom of a paper lantern, cutting the opening slightly, if needed. Then add flowers and water for a simple floral centerpiece. We used striped lanterns, but a combo of solid red, white, and blue lanterns would also work well.

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Star Balloon Backdrop

red, white, blue and silver mylar star balloons on a wall — Megan Welker

Create a show stopping table backdrop with just some mylar star balloons and painters tape or damage-free hanging strips. Arrange the balloons in a pattern and stick on a wall, fence, or door. This also works as a photo backdrop for guests to pose in front of and can be replicated with metallic paper in lieu of balloons.

Mylar balloons aren't recyclable, but they are reusable. Untie and deflate the mylar balloons when the party is over so you can store them and refill again next year. If you don't plan on reusing them as balloons, they can also be repurposed as wrapping paper or materials for crafting.

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Paper Stars

Red white and blue stars — Carrie Waller

Cut stars from paper, then score and fold them to add dimensions. Add patterns with colorful paint and string them together to make a garland. Add guests' names to turn these stars into place markers for each plate.

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Blue Vases and Glassware

Blue vases with red flowers — Helen Norman

Blue glassware make the perfect home for red flowers on Fourth of July. All you need to do is round up some blue glasses and pop in red flowers for an instantly festive tabletop display.

Vintage blue vases and glasses are often easy to find at most thrift or antique stores.

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