People have been asking me lately why I think that crafting for July 4th has become so popular. I think there are a few things working here…

1. All kids are out of school, so there’s a collective need for something to do!
2. It’s the ultimate celebration of summer since the season officially begins just about 2 weeks before.
3. There’s no decision-making about the color scheme. Its red, white, and blue or bust. There something nice about crafting with a universal color palette.

We made this last year for my FamilyFun magazine blog, Everyday Fun, and I love it so much that I had to repost it! (Plus I’m so nostalgic over my daughter Sommer’s mini-cuteness!)

What you’ll need:

• Template printed onto card stock
• Pencil
• Cardboard
• Tacky glue
• Paper straws
• Fishing line
• Glue stick

4. Cut a 1-inch piece of straw and thread a long length of fishing line through that piece and knot the ends. Glue that small straw piece into the center of the cardboard circle with tacky glue.

5. Apply a generous amount of glue on top of the straws and then cover with the second cardboard circle.

6. With a glue stick, attach the card stock center.

7. Trim the straws to different lengths (I chose to trim my red ones only).

Celebrate the first official holiday of summer with this super fun July 4th craft project!

It’s holidays like July 4th for which I am grateful when it comes to crafts. Out of every holiday…I’m talking Valentine’s Day, Christmas, Halloween…it’s the only one whose color scheme NEVER wavers. EVER! Maybe you mix up a few shades of azul every now and then, but you never veer from the trust red, white and blue.

And I must say, sometimes, that’s quite comforting. No color palettes, no mood boards…just good ole’ Americana.

This craft is a riff off of one of my faves from my book, Project Kid, and it’s a great one for both novice and seasoned crafter. Also, you can leave off the tape leaves and they just look like fireworks on a stick (then boys don’t get all anti-flower craft).

Head over to our crafts page for the how-to!

When it comes to craft materials, everything is fair game in my house: cardboard tubes, catalogs, single-use coffee pod cups (K-cups), and even the little tabs that you pull out of the spout of a carton of milk. I just can’t bring myself to throw any of those away! And then there’s cardboard…the workhorse material of the upcycled craft world. Cardboard can be anything, and thus, your pizza box can be too! Here are 4 knock-outs that are made from (preferably clean) pizza boxes.

I mean come on! How cute is this and how much would any kid love to have a little hippy tent for her stuffed animals? I love how this one is styled in the harlequin look, but you could also go rustic and pull in a nature vibe. (This is actually sized for an actual kid, made from a moving box, but when I saw it I immediately transformed it miniature as a pizza box.) Once again, Handmade Charlotte gets it right.

Those smarty-pants over at Makedo have really figured out how to turn cardboard into just about anything! And here’s the crazy thing…this record player actually works! (A little vinyl education might be in order before embarking on this craft with your kiddos.)

One of my fave parts about this pizza box turned parking garage is that Mommo Design kept the two flaps in tact when building it. Play value here is enormous!

With minimal effort, this project is totally doable for any level crafter. Use the underneath area to store extra supplies. And then once the easel gets a little too messy, just order a large pie for dinner! Your kids will thank you, no doubt there! Via Scholastic Instructor.

No matter if my shades cost $5 or $500 (in my dreams), I always want a place to put them. There is nothing worse than having to squint through sunglasses that are all scratched up and scuffed.

Here’s a super-easy project that I made for HGTV magazine that you can whip up before the sun rises! (You can buy a bunch of blank canvas cases here…stock up for a great DIY gift!)