But there’s no fun when accidents happen. Although there are only a few isolated cases that are linked to fireworks, but then it should not be taken for granted. Safety precautions are needed and should be observed at all time.

Safety Tips to Ensure Fireworks Safety this 4th of July Holiday

To ensure fireworks safety this 4^th of July, here are some helpful guidelines:

Only buy fireworks from authorized dealers

Safety starts from where it begins. Always buy from authorized dealers or retailers for your fireworks. These stores know exactly how to use, distribute and preserve the fireworks, Also, these stores ensure that the fireworks you buy are authentic and passed the safety standards. You can be sure that it will fire and work as desired. The National Council of Fireworks has essential fireworks safety tips on their site.

For Fireworks Safety: Know the Type You’re Buying

Fireworks are created in various ways. There are those that fly and fire while others are a fountain of fire. Whatever fireworks you have, it is very important to know exactly how it works. You have guidelines on how to use it on its label. This procedure should comply strictly. If it’s too small for you to read, ask for assistance from the store you are buying it. Here are some backyard fireworks tips to ensure your family stays safe.

Designate a Person in Charge of Fireworks Safety

This person should be a responsible adult who can handle the fireworks very well. He or she must be an experienced individual who knows how to do it. The person-in-charge doesn’t have to be an expert about fireworks but someone who don’t drink and fire. Also, it is important that this person is in-charge of the safety materials like fire extinguishers and water.

Bear in mind that not all areas allow fireworks without asking permission to designated authorities. It’s a sure fun-filled 4^th of July experience that you will definitely remember.

For more 4th of July ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

If you’re not done yet with your menu list, try the grilled lime corn recipe. This healthy grilling recipe It’s a perfect grilled recipe for your Independence Day celebration. You can have it done on the side of your main grilled meat recipe. You will never fail to impress your guest with this tasty grilled lime corn.

Grilled Corn on the Cob with Lime Recipe

Corn on the Grill Ingredients:

8 ears fresh corn, husks removed

Vegetable cooking spray

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

1 small garlic clove, pressed

1 tablespoon lime zest

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro

Garnish: lime zest

Grilled Corn Directions:

1. Preheat grill to 350° to 400° (medium-high) heat. Coat corn lightly with cooking spray. Sprinkle with desired amount of salt and pepper. Grill corn, covered with grill lid, 15 minutes or until golden brown, turning occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, stir together butter and next 5 ingredients. Remove corn from grill, and cut into thirds. Serve corn with butter mixture. Garnish, if desired.

You should be able to serve at least 8 persons with this tasty grilled lime corn recipe. And this can be done in around 30 minutes only. This is not only easy but a quick grilled recipe that you can make. The lime doesn’t only provide a great flavor but an appetizing aroma as well. You definitely have to try this one of a kind grilled corn recipe.

For more summer food recipes on Stagetecture, click here.

Decorating your Home for the Memorial Day Weekend

Bring patriotic color to your outdoor and interior home

Colorful flowers will not only enliven your table, they present a good way to welcome guests and usher in the weekend. Choose flowers that are bright and cheerful but not over the top. Gorgeous table decorations show off your style and creativity, beautify your dining table, and add splendor to your dining room. You can also plant flowers with patriotic colors in flower pots and place them throughout your exterior.

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Serve Food with Patriotic Colors

If you can’t afford to buy artificial decorations, get creative with food. Choose red , blue, and white food and create edible works of art. You can use red strawberries and tomatoes, blue chocolate candy or blueberries, and white creams and breads. Your guests will love looking at the food as well as eating it. In fact, don’t be surprised if they keep on saying “This food looks good enough to eat.” Look through our patriotic desserts:

Patriotic Dessert – Patriotic Popcorn

Try of these 23 Patriotic Desserts:

Bring red, white and blue to your dessert table this summer! Which of these patriotic desserts is your fav?

Enliven Your Drive and Lawn

You can add pizzazz to your drive with patriotic jars. Simply paint mason jars white, blue, and red. Place votive candles and small flags inside the jars for added appeal. Pt for battery-operated votives as they double as flag spotlights.

To capture the attention of your guests, paint stars on your lawn. However, be sure to buy paint that is not harmful to grass. Create a stencil from a cardboard and make the stars. Your home will become the most festive in the entire neighborhood.

Memorial Day is a great time to kick back and spend time with family and friends. And what better way to commemorate the day than with patriotic décor? Take inspiration from these ideas and make your Memorial Day holiday unforgettable in every way. Your guests will enjoy themselves tremendously.

For more Memorial Day decoration ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Free Labor Day Patriotic Kids Crafts & Activities

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Here are just a few fun and free activities that your young party goers can do:

Patriotic Printables or Coloring Pages:

It looks like this Labor Day is going to be a hot one! So maybe set up a blanket or picnic table under a nice shade tree and turn it into a coloring station. Fill colorful bins with crayons and markers and print out some free coloring pages online. There are numerous sites that offer free or low cost coloring printables that follow the Labor Day theme. For example, Enchanted Learning.com has free printables that allow children to color in images of what kind of job they would like to do when they grow-up ̶ what a perfect theme for Labor Day!

We love these Etsy shops coloring pages for your kids:

Patriotic Printables

These printables are cute for 4th of July or Labor Day activities

Patriotic Kids Crafts: Make a Patriotic Flag:

What better way to celebrate this iconic American Holiday than by waving around the red, white and blue stars and stripes of our flag?

Children can easily make their own flags with construction paper, straws, and tape. Simply have them color a flag on a sturdy piece of construction paper and then tape or staple the straw to the side of their homemade flag. They will be sure to have fun waving their own creation while singing our anthem.

Another, easier option is to download printable flags such as the ones on examiner.com and have the children simply cut them out and glue or tape them to a wooden dowel or straw.

This patriotic banner kit is perfect for little hands to make from Etsy shop Sweet Pea Sprout.

Patriotic Sparklers:

A Labor Day bash is not complete without sparklers! Provide sparklers for all your party goers’ ̶ young and old alike! Just be sure to have Mom or Dad light the sparklers and assign a parent to watch over the kids while using them – the sparklers may be small, but they can get hot!

Have a fun and safe Labor Day weekend!

For more patriotic kids crafts on Stagetecture, click here.

Memorial Day Party Checklist

Image via: She Knows

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Patriotic Preparation

Your guests are the most important part of the party and should be your first priority. Plan your guest list and scrutinize the area where the party will be. All your guests must be comfortable and not compete for space. If you’ll throw the party outdoors, check the weather forecast. As well, send online invites as they are easy and you can easily know who has RSVP’d.

Décor and Supplies

Since you are decorating for Memorial Day, everything must be colorful. Decorate with American flags, floating candles, hanging lights, paper candles, and tiki torches. These set the mood for a party. If you are expecting kids at the party, get piñatas, streamers, and balloons. For centerpieces, use tumblers or bud vases with seasonal flowers. Also use brightly colored napkins, cups, and plates as they are both functional and decorative.

Image via: Home Edit

Food and Drinks

Have plenty of ice on hand as chances are your guests will need lots of it. Stock your beverage station and cooler with many drinks like lemonade, cold water, soda, beer, cocktails and other adult beverages. These will keep your guests refreshed. When choosing food recipes, consider vegetarians. You can serve food like hotdogs, hamburgers, chicken, pork tenderloin, and grilled vegetables. You can also try Crockpot dishes which save a lot of time. Be sure to serve convenient desserts like cupcakes, brownies and cookies. Pay attention to the weather and don’t serve anything that could be spoiled or melted by the heat.

Image via: Pizzazzerie

A Memorial Day party is a great way to remember America’s heroes and to usher in summer. The parades, flags, and the food all make the day one of the best in the year. If you plan to celebrate Memorial Day as you usher in summer with family and friends, look to this party checklist. You can also use the checklist for other parties throughout the year.

Are you throwing a party this memorial day?

Patriotic Crafts: Easy Fourth of July Decorations 

Red, White, and Blue Flower Pots

Image Via: BHG

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Nothing adds interest like beautiful flowers.  Buy red, white, and blue flowers and put them in colored pots. If you can’t get pots in patriotic colors, buy regular ones and paint them. Line the pots on your front stoop to attract all who pass by.

Patriotic Paper Rockets

You can make these with the younger members of your family. Create a rocket by rolling scrapbooking paper into a tube and securing it with glue. Make the nose cone by cutting a paper circle, making a slit to its centre, overlapping the ends, and sticking them together with glue. Afterwards, make a fuse by gluing a strip of ribbon inside the rocket. Support the rocket by gluing a long dowel to its tube then fill a bucket with sand and put all the rockets inside.

Image Via: BHG

Paper Lanterns

Image Via: Pier1

Paper lanterns make a wonderful focal point over a dining table. Get red, white, and blue lanterns and attach them to a long and strong piece of string. Fold the string in half when hanging to create a beautiful, layered look.

Beautiful Stars

If you’re throwing a Fourth of July party, give your grass star-spangled treatment. Create stars near your yard’s entrance to give your visitors a dramatic welcome. Make a star cut-out from a cardboard, lay it on the lawn, and sprinkle the grass inside it with water. Leave the cut-out in place and fill it with flour using a flour sifter then remove it and repeat the whole process again.

Image Via: BHG

The Fourth of July is a great time to celebrate being American and show off your patriotism. The day is filled with fireworks, parties, and parades. Enhance the fun of the day with the above Fourth of July decorations and make your home the envy of the neighborhood.

For more Fourth of July ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Fourth of July Outdoor Decoration: Fun Lawn Decoration Ideas

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Add Festivity to the Outdoor Table

The outdoor table where you enjoy breakfast or lunch on a holiday, or just relax with your family at a lazy evening should be decorated. At first, paint the chairs in red or blue color, or a combination of both. Then, decorate the table with napkins, runner, and other accessories. Make a runner of trimly pressed bandanas. Use the colors blue, white, and red to keep the look fresh and the table in theme.

Shiny Mini-Tables

Instead of setting up a big table, you can set up a number of small tables in your lawn or backyard. Give them a festive twist by placing battery-operated camping lantern or garden stake lights under the tablecloths (use full-length tablecloths in this case). Use colorful cloth or taffeta as tablecloths for extra shine. When the lights will be lit at night, the mini tables will look like a bunch of colorful hot-air balloons about to take off the ground.

Image via: Savvy Sugar

Cheer with Pinwheels

Pinwheels may sound childish but the Fourth of July is about fun too, right? Make pinwheels with red, white, and blue papers that will reflect the theme of the Independence Day and mimic the fireworks you will see later on. Put them on tall vessels and line them along with your sideways. You can also garnish your outdoor table with pinwheels. Fill four to five slim vases with cheery paper pinwheels and place them on the table, giving it a festive look.

Décor with Colorful Potted Plants

Mark the edges of your lawn with colorful potted plants. A tower of potted plants marking a tread-on-me path can distinguish your lawn from that of your neighbors. Gather three potted plants of different sizes and stack them on one another with saucers in between. Make two or four such showpieces and put them in pair at the opening of the lawn path. Finally, pop in a pair of flags on the pot that is on the top. The pots can be painted in red, white, and blue. You can also fill painted pots with red, white, and blue blooms, and line them up along your driveway, on your front stoop, or deck.

Image via: Pinterest

Cheery Chinese Lanterns

Another inexpensive but fun lawn décor idea is to run paper lanterns up the branches of plants and trees. Use bright-colored orbs or belt white orbs with red-, white-, and blue-striped ribbons. Their colorful glow will enhance your outdoor and add to the curb appeal of the home.

Image via: May Arts

Hope these Fourth of July lawn decoration ideas will help you enjoying the holiday with a full festive mood. This 4th of July instead of just getting patriotic decorations from your local convenience store, try these fun decor ideas for your outdoor home!

For more DIY ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Easy Memorial Day Centerpiece Ideas

Memorial Day Centerpiece Ideas

Photos centerpiece ideas

Memorial Day is all about honoring the one who has passed, so decorate the dinner table with photographs from his life. If possible, get photos enlarged from every decade, and frame each one to create a centerpiece. Incorporate photos from various holidays and vacations as well as smiling pictures that capture the loved one’s personality.

Uncle Sam hat

This Memorial Day centerpiece idea is just as easy and simple but much more delicious. Buy an American flag hat, better known as an Uncle Sam hat and flip it upside down. Make a liner using linen napkins or paper and fill it with jelly beans or individually wrapped candies for your guests to munch on.

Floral centerpiece ideas

There are many red, blue, and white flowers that can make attractive centerpieces. Pick large amount of inexpensive blooms and place them in a clear glass vase in the center of the table. You can also pick a large bouquet of flowers and then tuck in couple of American flags throughout the bouquet. Or, simply arrange single blooms in smaller vases and separate them on the table.

Candle centerpiece ideas

Put red and blue candles on a clear tray and paste white stickers on the sides of the candles. Fill the space in between the candles with colorful candies. Let your guests know that the small colorful pieces are edible candies they can snack on. If you are planning an outdoor entertainment, consider citronella candles that will also help to keep the bugs away.

Use these ideas to create a Memorial Day centerpiece or come up with your own creative ideas and share with us!

Memorial Day Picnic:  Salmon Crab Cakes Recipe

Image via: Fine Cooking-Tom Douglas

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Total Time: 30 min.
Serves: 46

Ingredients

½ cup of Miracle Whip or Mayo with Olive oil
1 ½ cup of Club Crackers (Crushed)
½ cup of Green Onion, finely chopped
1 Egg
1 pkg (12-ounce) of Imitation Crab Meat
1 can of Salmon
2 tbsp of Vegetable or Olive Oil

Optional: 1 tbsp of Crushed Red Pepper, for spice

Image via: Savoring Time in the Kitchen

Directions

1. First take the Mayo, 1 cup of crackers, onion, egg, crab meat, the Salmon and mix it well in a bowl. Then let the mixture sit in the fridge for 30 min.
2. Then heat the oil in a skillet, throw a pinch of the mixture in the pan to see if the oil is hot enough. If the oil sizzles after the pinch is in then the oil is hot enough.
3. Take the cake mixture and begin forming patties the size of your palm. You can use your hand or a spoon to help scoop out portions of the mixture.

Image via: Kalamazoo Gourmet

• Roll the scooped out portion in your hand then press down with your palm to create a burger pattie shape and place some of the remaining crackers on each side of the patties.
• Once you have made the pattie place it in the skillet, cooking 4 minutes on each side or until the patties turn brown. Repeat the process until the entire mixture has been created into patties and cooked.
• When removing them from the skillet place them on a paper towel covered pan to help soak up the excess oil from the patties.
  • If you prefer not to have the salmon, then just use more crab meat instead. Also with the crab, place it on a paper towel and dab to help drain the excess juice, so the mixture won’t be so messy or fall apart.

For more Memorial Day picnic recipes on Stagetecture, click here.

How to Create the Perfect Memorial Day Picnic

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How to Create the Perfect Memorial Day Picnic

Plan Ahead

In order to not get overwhelmed the last minute, planning ahead is essential. Make a list with the menu, the necessary utensils and a few things to entertain the kids with. Buy the items that don’t get spoiled at least a week before Memorial Day, like all eating and drinking utensils and tablecloths or blankets. Also think about the decorations and make sure you have everything you will need. While choosing the decoration, keep in mind the cause of the celebration and decorate accordingly. Decide early on whether you want to have an all patriotic decoration or a more discreet Memorial Day décor.  Stars, the colors blue, white and red, flags and banners are all great to be used at such an occasion.

Prepare the menu

The menu should consist mainly from finger food and other easy to eat meals, like sandwiches, kebabs and salads that can be eaten cold as well. In addition, fruits are always a great idea, like strawberries, blueberries and watermelons. As for dessert, cupcakes and cookies are just ideal for picnics. Make sure to make some clever food combinations in order to have some blue-red-white snacks. For example, fill jars with layers of yoghurt, strawberries and blueberries to create a great visual effect, along with a healthy snack! Don’t forget about drinks and refreshments. Always pack some extra bottles in case something gets spilled.

Image via: Pinterest

Packing for Memorial Day Weekend

After making all those preparations, it would be a shame if anything would be left behind. The best thing is to make themed checklists with all the items that will be needed. Involve all family members by assigning one list to everyone; one can take care of drinks and cups, another of tablecloths, utensils and blankets and so on. This way it will be easier to keep things organized and involve everybody to build up expectation for the celebrations.

Image via: Alexan Events

Keep in mind that this whole picnic has one purpose only: having family quality time and paying tribute. Don’t let minor things like a runny sandwich or a misshaped brownie disappoint you or spoil your good mood!

For more Memorial Day ideas on Stagetecture, click here.