The Fourth of July is a true highlight of summer in Colorado. The weather is at its peak, the ice pops are cold, and the night sky is bursting with fireworks. The memories from the day burn bright in our minds for years to come, even though the day seems to always go by in a flash. 

As we go into this Independence Day, remember that it doesn’t need to be full of grand events and big adventures to be memorable—the magic is often found in the little details. Here you will find ordinary ingredients and supplies that you can turn into something festive and special to make your Fourth of July shine even brighter.

Firecracker Windsock

You Will Need:

• Brown craft roll (or a recycled paper towel core)
• Red, white, and blue crepe paper
• Craft glue
• Red cardstock
• Gold pipe cleaners
• String
• Scissors

Instructions:

1. Cut a circle of the red card stock to cover the top of the brown craft roll and use craft glue to attach the circle to the top of the roll. 
2. Once the glue is dry begin wrapping the red crepe paper around the roll until covered, also using the craft glue to secure the crepe paper.
3. While waiting for the glue to dry, cut long strips of the red, white, and blue crepe paper to create the tail of the windsock. Glue the strips to the inside of the bottom of the craft roll so they hang freely.
4. Cut a gold piper cleaner in four equal pieces, hold all the pieces together and twist their bottoms together to create a spark. 
5. Using scissors, poke a hole in the center of the red card stock, push the bottom of the sparkler through the hole so it holds in place.
6. To hang, place holes on each side of the top of the sparkler and put a string through.

Firecracker Yard Stakes

You Will Need:

• Red, white, and blue craft paper
• Glue stick or hot glue
• Craft stake
• Shape template (linked here)
• Gold pipe cleaners
• Scissors

Instructions:

1. Print out this template and use scissors to cut out the various shapes.
2. Trace the patterns on to the red, white, and blue craft paper and use the scissors to cut the colorful shapes out.
3. Use a glue stick to glue stars and stripe shapes to the sparkler shape.
4. Cut a gold pipe cleaner into several pieces, hold all the pieces together and twist their bottoms together to create the look of a spark.
5. Use a hot glue gun to secure the bottom of the spark to the back/top of the sparkler shape, leaving the spark exposed.
6. Continue using the hot glue gun to secure the craft stake to the back of the sparkler shape. 

Hot Dog Sparklers

You Will Need:

• Package of hot dogs
• Refrigerated crescent rolls
• Block of Mozzarella Cheese
• Star cookie cutter (small)
• Package of long skewers (about 12 inches)
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. 
2. Push a skewer through a hot dog and let about 2 inches of the skewer be exposed on one end (this will be the top).
3. Take a strip of crescent dough and start at the bottom of the hot dog and wrap in a spiral pattern leaving gaps of hotdog showing. Repeat on remaining hot dogs.
4. Arrange the wrapped hot dog skewers on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 9-10 minutes or until the dough is golden.
5. While the hot dogs are baking, cut 1-inch slices off of the block of mozzarella cheese.
6. Use a small star cookie cutter to make cheese stars.
7. After the skewers have cooled for a few minutes, push the mozzarella star into the top of the skewer. 
8. Lay the finished product on a platter or into a tall cylinder so they can stand up.

Tip: To prevent the wooden skewer from scorching, soak in water for about ten minutes prior to making.

Nutella Stars

You Will Need:

• Jar of Nutella
• Package of pie crust
• Egg whites
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Star cookie cutters
• Cooling rack
• Fork

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
2. Dust the counter with flour and lay pie dough down flat. 
3. Use a star cookie cutter to cut out the shapes.
4. Work with one shape at a time and fill the center with Nutella, being careful to not overfill. 
5. Dampen your fingertips with water and run them along the outside of the star and place another star piece of dough on top.
6. Press the edges down and crimp them together with the tines of a fork. Repeat with the remaining stars. 
7. Arrange the filled stars on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and use a knife to slice a few vents (this will allow some steam to release while baking).
8. Whisk the egg whites and brush the surface of each star.
9. Bake the pies until golden brown (around 11 to 14 minutes).
10. Place the stars on a cooling rack and let cool. For an added touch drizzle leftover Nutella on stars.

Festive Skewers

You Will Need:

• Short skewers
• Watermelon
• Square of feta cheese
• Blackberries

Instructions:

1. Clean the blackberries and cut watermelon and feta into similar sized squares.
2. Push blackberry, feta cheese, and watermelon onto the skewer for a simple but effective red, white, and blue snack.