Patriotic Cookie Pops (a little late)

I hope everyone had a great Independence Day!! By the way, I tried to get this post up at least three times yesterday with no success. Our internet was in and out all day. Anyways, we had a laid back day of fun at home, grilling burgers and watching our town's fireworks show last night.A fun day to remember our great country, the freedoms we enjoy and those who defend it!

Even though it's a little late to make these cookies for your July 4th celebration, I thought I would post them anyway. You can adapt them for any occasion and they are super easy to make! They would also make a really cute cookie bouquet.

HERE'S HOW I MADE THEM:
I simply used a sugar cookie mix that I had in my pantry(homemade is even better). I mixed that up, rolled the dough into walnut sized balls, then rolled the dough into red, white and blue sprinkles. Place the dough onto your baking sheet and stick a lollipop stick into the dough. Bake according to pkg. directions or your recipe. Cuteness!

4th of July Subway Art --Printable

It's less than a month until the 4th of July so I've started to get out some of my things and make our mantel a little more patriotic. My family loves the 4th! A great time to remember how blessed we are to have our freedoms,that we live in this great country, to teach our children about how we got our independence,and to show them how to be patriotic! Not to mention the parades, bbq's, watermelon and fireworks that go with it! I'm just sayin'!

I thought my mantel could use a little something different this year so I made a piece of 4th of July subway art! I was happy with it! I think it turned out pretty cute! It goes well beside my apothecary jars all decked out for the 4th!

You can print out your own, too! A printable copy is at the end of this post!Just click on the link
"4th of July Subway Art." Enjoy!




4th of July Subway Art

Candy Firecrackers and Fourth Fans

Check out these candy firecrackers and "fourth" fans! I think they are so sweet and festive. They're super easy, too! Both would make cute decorations, but those fans will come in handy, especially on a hot July day in Alabama. Kids will definitely like the firecrackers since it is candy, but these would also make fun party favors! Get the directions below.


To make candy firecrackers, I used packages of Rolo's candy, but Lifesavers would also work. Remove the wrapper, but not the gold foil wrapper. Cut decorative scrapbook paper the same size as the outer wrapper. Wrap the cut scrapbook paper around the Rolo's tightly and glue or use sticky strip. Now, to make it really look like a firecracker, cut about an inch off of a 4th of July garland and stick in the top. You've got a candy firecracker. Much safer and sweeter than the real thing.


Now on to the fans, which are so simple. I started out with a different concept for these, but just couldn't make it work. I stuck with this simplified version that actually works as a fan.
Just take a 12X12 sheet of decorative scrapbook paper and start folding pleats in it. You know, like you did in elementary school. When you've folded the length of the paper, take the two middle pieces, hold them together and staple together in 3 different spots. There's your fan! Enjoy! Have a happy and safe holiday!!!

Pretzel Rod Sparklers

Today's Fourth of July post is all about these cute Pretzel Rod Sparklers! They are a quick and easy treat that the kids could help out with and they will be super cute for the 4th! My oldest daughter helped me make these last night. I dipped them and she took care of the sprinkles. Oh, forgot to mention that these little sparklers taste pretty good, too! They would also make a fun party favor for guests at your barbecue or celebration. Just package a few of them in a cellophane bag and tie on a cute ribbon. Get the recipe below!



Pretzel Rod Sparklers
pretzel rods
vanilla almond bark
red, white and blue sprinkles, jimmies
wax paper or foil

Melt almond bark on low heat until smooth. Dip or spoon on almond bark covering about half the pretzel rod. Sprinkle on jimmies or sprinkles. Lay flat on wax paper or foil and let dry.**I used 1/4 of the block of almond bark and made 10 pretzels, but their was more almond bark left. I could have made about 6 more, but I was just out of time.**

Festive Fourth Centerpiece

I've got a cute centerpiece idea today that would be great for your July 4th table, an outdoor barbecue or just as decoration in your house. I used a metal striped bucket I found at the Target dollar spot and filled it with red and white carnations. Mine are fake or as I like to say, faux.(That makes them sound better.) Real ones would be prettier I'm sure and smell nice,too. Hydrangeas would look very nice, but I didn't have real ones and the faux were quite expensive, so I passed on those. I finished the centerpiece off with a blue ribbon around the top to give it that Independence Day feel. I think I'll take it to our celebration with my family on July 3rd to liven up the table a bit.

Peanut Butter Pie

As you know, July 4th is Sunday, so I wanted to take this week to share some ideas for your 4th!
That's the plan anyway. Hopefully I will get to blog everyday to share these fun things with you.

Today I thought I'd share a peanut butter pie with you that would be great for your 4th of July dessert table. I figure you can always do the traditional apple pie and watermelon, which is yummy. Don't get me wrong, I love both of those. Why not add a rich , peanut butter pie to the mix. Have your glass of water nearby because it is sweet and rich with it's chocolate crust, peanut butter filling and peanut butter cups to top it off. Find the recipe below.



Peanut Butter Pie
1/2 c. smooth peanut butter
4 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 (8 oz.) container Cool Whip, thawed
1 Oreo pie crust
2 regular size Reese's Cups, broken apart

In a mixing bowl, whip peanut butter and cream cheese until creamy and smooth. Place Cool Whip in another bowl and fold peanut butter mixture into it.Spoon mixture into pie shell and top with broken up Reese's Cups. Refrigerate pie until firm.

Make Your Cupcakes Sparkle

Want to make a Fourth of July treat that sparkles? Try some simple cupcakes using a great tip I found in Woman's Day magazine. They will definitely stand out.




Start with your favorite cupcake (I did large and mini) that has been frosted. Next pour some jimmies, sprinkles or decorating sugar into shallow bowls. I opted for patriotic since the Fourth is coming up.



Next, dip the edge of the cupcake in your sprinkles, etc. rolling the edge to coat.



This is one with blue jimmies that turned out super cute. I thought these would work great for any occasion, but a little girl's princess party came to mind. They would be adorable rolled in purple and pink decorating sugar. Those would really sparkle. Give this little tip a try next time you bake cupcakes to give them that bakery touch.

Patriotic Star Sparkler Craft

I'm feeling very patriotic this week as we approach the Fourth of July holiday on Saturday. It just happens to be my husband's favorite holiday, so we try to celebrate all the way. This year we'll be in Louisville,KY visiting two of my sisters-in-law and their families for the fourth. We hope to take part in the city's celebration and catch their fireworks show.

This week I'll be sharing some fun patriotic crafts and treats with you. Today, I want to share a craft that I made last year. These tin stars for $1 each at Michael's got my crafty wheels turning. With a little scrap wood, a dowel, some hot glue and spray paint, I created these " Star Sparklers." It's a fairly simple craft that didn't cost very much either. I display these on our mantel with other festive decor like the pillow in the background. It creates a fun and patriotic display.

Come back and visit tomorrow for more fun, Fourth of July goodies!