The 4th of July is almost here but there’s still time to sneak in a fun craft to use for decoration! You can use these flag luminaries to sit on the porch as you watch the fireworks, line your driveway to advertise a big party, or hang them from the trees to bring light to a small backyard gathering.

Here’s what you’ll need: 

Kid-friendly paint in red, white and blue (tempera works great!)

Paint brushes

Brown paper bags

Glitter or sequins (optional)

Heavy rocks

Scissors or sharp pencils

Glowsticks or battery-operated tea lights

Yarn for hanging (optional)

1) Paint the blue square first, making sure to paint the correct side of the paper bag so that you aren’t painting the bottom of the paper bag.

photo 1

2) Next, paint alternating white and red stripes on the bag, although it may be easier to paint all the red stripes and then fill in with the white stripes. And don’t worry about painting the correct number of stripes on the bag!

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3) Once the blue section is dry, add white paint dots (for stars) using a cotton swab or the end of a paint brush or use sequins or glitter for the stars if you have them on-hand. Again, don’t worry about trying to fit 50 stars or dots into the little space!

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4) Allow your bag to dry completely.

5) Poke holes in the sides of the bag using scissors or a sharpened pencil before adding the heavy objects and glow sticks or tea lights to the inside of the bag.

6) If you want to hang your bag from a tree, poke holes in the top of the bag and string yarn through in order to hang. If doing this step, don’t add heavy objects to the bottom of the bag as it will easily rip when hanging.

Do you have any fun plans for the 4th?

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