The Freshman Cook: Red, White and Blue Party Centerpieces!

I don’t think I have ever posted a craft on this blog. After all, we are all about cooking. It kinda says that in the title; The Freshman Cook. But today I wanted to post a tutorial on this centerpiece.  About 20 years ago, my mother in law turned 75, and my husband and I threw her a huge party. There were about 150 guests, and she had a wonderful time. For the tables, which were banquet tables, I made these centerpieces. They were a little different because the candles each had hurricane glasses around them and they were all done in metallic colors of blue, green and purple. After the party, anyone who wanted one took them home. The thing is, they were truly festive! So, I made some for the 4th of July because it deserves to be festive!

  Red, White and Blue Centerpieces

Red, White and Blue Curling Ribbon

E6000 Glue

Dollar Store Clear Candlestick

Dollar Store Candle Plate

Straight Pins with balls at the end

Styrofoam (cut into 1″ squares)

I made 5 of these centerpieces for the 4th of July,

so I needed a lot of ribbon. To speed up the cutting, I 

wound the ribbon around a piece of cardboard about 30 times.

Then I cut the ribbon at the end of the cardboard on one end,

and then cut it at the other end.  I put the ribbon in

a bag with a bottom that stands up. I accessed my

ribbon from the bag easily.

To begin, glue the candlestick on to the bottom of 

the candle plate. Let dry.

Glue the pieces of styrofoam onto the top of the

candle plate, like the picture.

I curled the ribbon and attached it before curling anymore.

There is no wrong way to curl it. Some of mine was loose,

and some very tight.

Attach the curled ribbon by placing the pin in the center

of your curled ribbon, and then sticking the pin into the

styrofoam. I used the pins with the balls in the top

 because the ones without the balls rip through the ribbon

and don’t hold it well. Attach ribbon in the front, 

the sides and the top. Don’t attach the ribbon to the inside

of the styrofoam square. You need to leave room for 

the candle. 

Keep attaching ribbon to fill in each of the squares. 

There is no point of perfection with this project.

At the end, I went back and added ribbon where

I thought it might be a little low in puffiness.

Also, don’t worry about the pins showing. They will 

get covered up by the ribbon.

See how the blue ribbon is long and the red ribbon is short.

It should look that way.

Continue until your foam is full of ribbon!

Add your candle.

There are lots of ways to make this centerpiece.

You could make it less full than I did.

You could also attach a 4th of July sign to it,

or maybe some flags.

The best thing about this design is that you can change it

to match any party decor.

Thanks for joining me on Day 13 of

“15 Days of Red, White and Blue”!

Have fun and Happy 4th! We are partying at the following fun spots:

Tasty Tuesday 

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Noah Baker

Hi! I’m Noah Baker

Noah Baker is a California-born food blogger behind "FreshmanCook," whose culinary journey began in his tiny apartment kitchen experimenting with recipes that blend innovative techniques and personal passion. After leaving his graphic design career, Noah transformed his love for cooking into a vibrant online platform that celebrates accessible, creative cuisine, capturing food lovers' attention with his stunning photography and approachable recipes. When he's not crafting mouthwatering dishes or styling food for his blog, Noah lives in a cozy apartment with his rescue dog, Basil.

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