• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Home Made Modern

| DIY - Cooking - Crafting | Blog

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Home Made Style
    • Budget Decorating
    • Crafts
      • Kid Crafts & Activities
      • Knockoffs
    • DIY
      • Furniture Facelifts
    • Easy Entertaining
    • Gift Giving
    • Home Made Holidays
      • Christmas
      • Fall
      • Halloween
      • July Fourth
      • Spring & Easter
      • Summer
      • Thanksgiving
      • Valentine’s day
      • Winter
    • Home Organization
    • Outdoor Projects
    • Shortcuts & Tips
  • Recipes
    • Baking and Desserts
    • Kid-Friendly Recipes
    • Quick and Easy Cooking
  • Life at Our House
    • Blogging Life
    • Family
    • Home Updates
    • Motherhood
  • Retail Therapy
    • Tightwad Tuesday
  • Contact Me

6 Elements for a Big July 4th Bash

June 11, 2013 by Valerie Ott 2 Comments

Hey guys! We just celebrated our youngest’s 4th birthday yesterday (more on that tomorrow), and now I’m looking ahead to our next celebration: July 4th! When we first moved into this neighborhood four years ago, all of our new neighbors told us we’d have to throw a big Fourth of July party, to which we responded, “Sure, sounds fun.” That first year, we invited about 6 people.

Wellllll…it turns out our house is situated on a street that has THE BEST VIEW of our town’s legendary fireworks display. After that first year, our friends turned to us and said, “You know we’re going to be here every year, whether you invite us or not.” So the next year, we invited 50 people. And last year, we got up to 100. Now, I’m no party planning expert, but there are a few things I’ve learned about throwing a bash this big, and here they are:

  1. Don’t try to make (or even buy) all of the food yourself. I tried that the second year, and was so crazy-busy with food preparation and serving that I couldn’t enjoy our own party. So last year I got smart and asked everyone to bring a side. And I provided:

    Pulled Pork (kept warm in a crock pot…this way my husband isn’t tied to the grill all night)


    Rocket Dogs (Family Fun)


    Ice Cream Sandwiches (Family Fun)


    Cowboy Caviar

  2. Provide Plenty of Fluids

    Water and juice boxes for the kiddos can go in an enamel bucket (Martha Stewart)

    Beer can go in a cooler


    A signature drink could go in this guy (World Market)
  3. Provide comfort.
    Make sure you have lots of sunscreen and/or bug spray on hand. I put ours in a bucket near the back door so every one can spray down in a central spot. Light some citronella candles and consider turning on a fan to keep mosquitoes at bay. And make sure you have lots of water!
  4. Keep the kids in mind.
    Buy sparklers. Lots of ’em. Put out hula hoops, bubbles, and sidewalk chalk.
  5. Don’t have enough tables and chairs? Neither do we! That’s OK, we do have a patio set, a love seat set, a picnic table, and 2 card tables, seating a total of about 25 adults. I also put out a kids’ plastic picnic table and a few quilts on the ground. But the key is to ask everyone to bring a chair for viewing the fireworks, so they can also use it for eating.


    Drink stakes are helpful to have on hand (Positively Splendid)
  6. Make It Festive…
    But don’t go nuts. I didn’t really have much the first year, but I’ve been slowly accruing serving pieces, trays, and red, white and blue stuff.




    Some bandannas, flags and mason jars go a long way. I also tie the plastic silverware into individually-wrapped bundles with a napkin and some gingham ribbon. And I covered some old cans in decorative paper to hold the sprinklers. Just a little effort, and it looks like a party.


    For some more decorating ideas, visit my July 4th Pinterest board.

So that’s it. To make it even easier, here’s the formula I follow:
1 main dish, 1 themed food item, and 1 signature drink
+ 1 or 2 decorative ideas
+ comfort items
+ kid stuff
= A PAR-TAY

Have fun!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Related

Filed Under: Easy Entertaining, Home Made Holidays, Home Made Style, July Fourth

Previous Post: « Craft of the Week: Book Page Bowl
Next Post: Recipe(s) of the Week: Rainbow Cake and Fruit Kabobs »

Reader Interactions

Share

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Explore

Comments

  1. Maria says

    June 17, 2013 at 1:59 am

    These are great ideas! I was going to make the bandanna table cloth but I like the idea of using them in the center of the table instead. Maybe a white tablecloth with a blue and red bandanna in the center. Thanks for the inspiration!
    Maria
    Krafty Cards etc.

    Reply
  2. Alyssa {Oh Sew Crafty Life} says

    June 17, 2013 at 1:59 am

    Thanks for the great ideas! Stopped by from Sundae Scoop 🙂

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Looking for Something?

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Reader Favorites







Footer

Connect With Me

Val is the Home Accessories Expert for About.com and the author of Home Made Modern. Learn More…

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
soap dish
pretzel rods for Valentine's Day class treat
word of the year 2017
yarn pom-pom wreath
Find thousands of craft supplies online!

Copyright © 2021 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress

HMM_Logo

I'm super-happy you're here!

Sign up to be inspired.

Guys, I have too many ideas and not enough time to blog about them.  Sign up and I'll send you exclusive and FREE ideas for making your house a home.

Thank You!
Something went wrong!
Privacy policy

We respect your privacy and will never share your information