4th of July T-shirts and Family

As I am preparing this weekend for family's get together I found these fun posts from last year to share:

These easy no-sew 4th of July tees (View Post) are a frugal and cute way to add a little fun to the holiday. 

Our family reunion centers around the 4th complete with barbecues and sparklers. My weekend will look a bit like the photo above.  In this post: The Family Reunion I put together some of my tips on planning a reunion.

4th of July: STARS and STRIPES Punch

A fun punch that will have your guests talking!



I started with star and line ice cube trays. They both came from wal-mart, though I have seen the star trays in the dollar store as well.

I filled the line tray with blueberries and water.

And added pomegranate juice to the star ice cube trays.

Once frozen, tipped out the ice cubes, 

and added some of each to the glasses.

This punch can be made in a punch bowl or by the glass as shown here.

Fill with ginger ale and as the ice melts you have a beautiful blueberry pomegranate punch that is sure to please! 

Happy Holidays!

4th of July Outdoor Tablescape

A simple, inexpensive red white and blue tablescape to celebrate the 4th!

I created this table for my family of 5 as a test run for the table I will be setting for our upcoming family reunion.

I began with inexpensive flags and mix and matched plates. 

The bows came from the dollar store in packs of two.

 Flame-less (battery operated) candles in the centerpiece.

Inexpensive star bowls which are great for a number of holidays.

For our littlest kiddo I put together a slightly different scape using plastic plates. I loved this look and am thinking of doing a whole table in this way next year.

And a mason jar for his cup.

I originally bought the bows for the ends of the table, but liked them better on the chairs, I may have to go back and get more so I can put them on all the chairs.

Water goblets and wine glasses.

Holiday treats on the menu:

 4th of July: STARS and STRIPES Punch

4th of July cupcake w/ free printable wrappers

*I have added this post to Tablescape Thursday at:
Between Naps On The Porch 
Visit to see amazing tablescapes!*

::The Holiday Challenge::
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4th of July cupcake w/ free printable wrappers

Blueberry cupcakes for the 4th of July!

I started with a regular yellow cake mix and added a handful of blueberries to bake into each.

I made up 4th of July cupcake wrappers and added them once the cupcakes cooled.

Frosted with buttercream from 1 part butter, and 4 parts powdered sugar, thinned with a little water, and  'cornflower blue' wiltons gel food coloring. (I highly recommend using gel food coloring for frostings). I used a large star tip to apply the frosting.

I found these little star marshmallows at Wal-mart.

To print the cupcake wrapper/surrounds: Click on the photo below to expand it, and then right click print or select 'file' and 'print'. To avoid moisture from the cupcake seeping through you will want to print these on card stock or other thicker paper. (Personal use).



4th of July Blog Party!

* Welcome to the party! *

Add your 4th of July ideas at the end of this post and they will show up on my side bar till the 4th too!

Some of my recent 4th of July posts: 

(Click links under photos to view post)

4th of July planning - my notes.

Free printable Flags - these can be used a lot of different ways.

A simple 4th of July dessert

 4th of July Tablescape 

And so far the most popular 4th of July post: Blueberry cupcakes w/ free printable wrappers

 And there is still more to come over then next week!


Now it is your turn, share your wonderful ideas:

*4th of July crafts, decor, recipes, etc are welcomed. 

*Multiple posts are ok. 

*Please link directly to your 4th of July post. 

*Link back to aHolidayHaven.com within your post, or use the party button in the sidebar. 

*As these are ongoing parties, please drop back from time to time and visit some of the newer entries.

*And, please share this party on Facebook, twitter, tell your cousin (or whatever), not required, just appreciated. 

Want to take the party to your site? Get the code here.

4th of July PaRTaY! {Reminder}

**Just a little reminder..**

**Holiday Haven is having a**4th of July blog bash**starting this Saturday!!**

** Bring your stars, bring your stripes,**any 4th of July post is welcome! **

**Come early, stay late...**Holiday Haven parties are open all the way to the upcoming holiday. :)**

::The Holiday Challenge::
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Summer is Here! {Some Activities}

My Children are home! So poking around some of my posts from last year I came up with a couple of ideas to share:

Click link under photos to view:

Fairy gardens are so much fun! I made this one last year, and think I will give the kiddos some fun little trinkets to make their own this summer.

Printable screen time certificates - 10, 15, and 20 minute screen time certificates. We used these last summer and they were SO helpful in helping my boys learn to manage their time well.

Ice cream cake - I made this cake for my (now 11 year old) son's tenth birthday, but as I sit here in 90 degree weather, I realize this would make for a wonderful summer treat as well.

Treasure box -treasure boxes are a fun way to remember the summer and all the fun activities!

What fun do you have planned for summer?

::The Holiday Challenge::
Holiday Haven's home page.

Free Printable Father's Day Card and Matching Wrapping Paper

A fun little free printable for dad!

To print: Click on image below, click again to fully expand. Select 'file' and 'print' from your browsers menu or right click on the image and select print options. If you have any trouble try saving the photo to your computer and printing through the paint program.

Some matching wrapping paper for small gifts. This will print on an 8.5x11 sheet of paper. Tip: set margins to zero and select full page options to print without a white margin around the image.

Happy Holiday!

::The Holiday Challenge::
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4th of July Dessert -Simple

Red, White, and Blueberry!

A take on an old favorite, this low sugar dessert is easy to make and sure to be a hit at your 4th of July celebrations!

Pillsbury biscuits (grands), strawberries, blueberries and whipping cream with just a little granulated sugar mixed in after it is whipped. I found this ideas at Pillsbury's website (pillsbury.com).

The biscuits add such a wonderful buttery flavor to the mix! After trying this I do not think I will ever go back to sponge cakes for strawberry short cakes again. It is seriously that good.

Recipe & Directions: One small pack of blueberries, small carton of whipping cream, 2lbs of strawberries, package of 8 biscuits split apart is enough to make 16 of these wonderful treats. The biscuits take about 15 minutes to cook and I whipped up the cream and sliced the strawberries in that time, served warm.

And oh yeah, we will be having these again!!

The little flag came from my printable collection (here).

This post was inspired by Happier Than A Pig In Mud's celebrity cook-along. This month's theme: Cooking along with the Phillsbury Doughboy (how cute is that!). Visit the cook-along to see more wonderful Pillsbury posts!

::The Holiday Challenge::
Holiday Haven's home page.

Father's Day Breakfast Tray

A fun black and white breakfast tray for Father's day with a cute shirt and tie napkin fold.

We start with a shot of espresso, which is always a must when waking dad up early.

Added some flowers from the garden.

A photo of our kiddos in their 'we love dad' shirts from last father's day.

A goblet for orange juice.

The breakfast food we will bring in and set up on a separate wooden tv tray next to the bed.

And a fun fathers day shirt and tie napkin fold:

To fold this napkin:

See this youtube vid. from Better Homes and Gardens: http://youtu.be/hNOuC7BwWmg

~or~

 If videos are NOT your thing this site has wonderful step by step instructions:

CookFromTheHeart

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