For safer-than-sparklers favors, try these festive Fourth of July pinwheels. To save time, make them purely decorative or, if you'd like yours to spin, see our directions for that as well.
- Scrapbook paper (preferably with double-sided pattern)
- Wooden dowels
- Hot glue gun and hot glue
- Double-sided tape
- Star stickers
- Spray adhesive (if necessary)
- To create dual-sided pinwheels, gather double-sided scrapbooking papers in patriotic hues, or if you can't find pages in palette, create your own. Find pages in contrasting patterns, and use the spray adhesive to adhere them together.
- Cut paper into square shapes we made 8-inch and 6-inch squares to create pinwheels of varying sizes.
- Fold squares in half diagonally to create a triangle. Crease.
- Open the triangle and fold diagonally the opposite way. Crease.
- Open up the triangle and flatten out the square.
- Cut along each diagonal fold three-quarters of the way to the center.
- Pull the tip of every other corner toward the center. Use double-sided tape or white craft glue to adhere the first tip to the center, then each folded-in tip on top of each other. When you finish, you'll have the pinwheel shape.
- If you want your pinwheel to spin, skip to step 10. If not, simply hot glue the pinwheel to your wooden dowel. Skip cutting down wooden dowels from the hardware or craft store and use inexpensive flag dowels (removing the flags, of course).
- Finish your pinwheel with a decorative star sticker in the center.
- If you want your pinwheel to spin, you'll need to push a pin through the center (a straight pin works), then a bead beneath the pinwheel. You'll drive the pin into your dowel with a hammer. If needed, fold over (or cut and then fold over) any part of the pin that sticks through to the back to prevent injuries.
The Best of the Big Easy's Big Flavors
9 Real-Life Ways to Banish Paper Clutter
3 Yoga Moves That Help Flatten Your Tummy
10 Skin Problems You Can Solve Overnight
Teacher Makes a Big Sacrifice for a Student in Need
11 Ways to Dress Up Your Front Door for St. Paddy's Day
The Robotic Vacuums Worth Your Money