Fourth of July Crafts Sure to Please!

1. Firework Art

Start with a blank sheet of paper and grab the crayons. Create swirls of color shooting in every direction until there's no white left! These kinds of fireworks can last on the fridge long after Fourth of July. If you want to get extra fancy, paste on some glitter. The sky's the limit!

2. Fourth of July Jewelry and Keychains

Pick up some red, white and blue beads, plus wire or landyard strings at a local supply store, like . Make a simple bracelet, necklace, anklet, or, for the manly little guys, a keychain for his favorite Mama's keys! Mix up the colors, or try making one white bracelet, one red bracelet, and one blue bracelet. This craft is where fashion and patriotism can come together!

3. Red, White and Blue Cupcakes

Head over to Vons for some confetti cupcake mix and red, white and blue frosting, plus some sugar crystal sprinkles! Follow the simple directions of the box to make your cupcakes. Let them cool, and add your frosting in the color of your choice; now here's what's going to make them special. The babysitter's trick of the trade sprinkle adding goes something like this: first, frost generously. And then pour your sprinkles on a plate or sheet of paper, again, generously. Now, take your frosted cupcake and gently roll it atop the sprinkles until every last lick of frosting is covered. Voila! With the sugar crystal sprinkles overwhelming the cupcakes, you will have a truly beautiful creation, almost too pretty to eat!

4. Toothpick Flags

Full disclosure: this idea comes from Martha Stewart. Head over to Google and pick out a cute flag picture. Shrink it down to copy and paste 'til you get several on a page (center them so there's room on the left). Print out the images, and the cut them into rectangles. Stick a toothpick in the middle, fold over to double-stick tape the flag securely. You now have a miniature flag; they're the perfect topper the cupcakes above! Check out Martha's version here.

5. Construction Paper Flag

With all the fireworks fuss, don't forget the meaning behind the holiday: the fact that we're an amazing, independent country! Make a flag with your kids; all you need is red, white and blue construction paper. If your kids are little, help them cut the construction paper into red and white strips, and of course you'll need a blue square for the upper lefthand corner. Make glue dots lined across the blue square, and cover them in white, sparkly glitter (everything's better with glitter) and you've got a flag to proudly display!