The 4th of July is a perfect time to stock up on star punches for your crafting stash! Stars are not only the perfect embellishment for Independence Day, they are a versatile design for almost any occasion.

The 4th of July is a perfect time to stock up on star punches for your crafting stash! Stars are not only the perfect embellishment for Independence Day, they are a versatile design for almost any occasion.

I will start with Fiskars' smallest star option, the 1/4 inch star hand punch. This little guy gets a lot of use around my craft room. It punches through cardstock, craft foam, and chipboard ... and paper plates here. I turned a very inexpensive plain paper plate into themed partyware by simply punching a border evenly around the perimeter. It pulls double duty adding craft foam stars to a blue fork. I punched into white self-adhesive craft foam (punch from the back to avoid stars sticking together in the collection chamber) so they were ready to stick. With stars, I needed stripes. I used Fiskars non-stick scissors to cut strips of white craft foam to line up along a red spoon and trimmed off excess.

And one final craft foam star jazzes up a simple cardstock flag for a fun favor for the kids.

To round out the patriotic place setting, I added a simple XL star to the straw by cutting an "X" into the center with a craft knife on a craft mat. The 1/4 inch circle hand punch is often the perfect size to feed on straw embellishments instead. Tip: I used inexpensive maps of the United States (I found at the dollar store) to line the table for an alternate splash of color.

The next party decoration is not only fun to display, but fun to make! Making sun prints can be an activity for the whole family. I punched assorted stars from Post-it Notes for removable masks and spread out onto the clear cover that came with my Solar Print Kit. Alternatively you could use a transparency or clear packaging you might have around.

Following the directions, I developed several sheets of sun print stars and cut them in half to create pennants for a banner once dry. Use a 1/16 inch (or larger depending on string size) hand punch to add holes in each top corner to thread twine for hanging.

Take cupcake toppers to the extreme by adhering assorted layered star punches onto bamboo skewers for a dramatic centerpiece. Cut the skewers into assorted sizes for interest. These mimic fireworks and sparklers and add huge impact so simply.

One of my favorite 4th of July decorations has always been patriotic bunting. I wish I had a wrap-around front porch I could hang it from all the way around my house. But since I do not, I can at least wrap it around a cake stand to anchor my cupcake centerpiece! To create this look, stamp the layered circle from the Shapes N’ Such cling stamp set in both red and blue. Punch with circle punch and cut in half. Adhere onto a long strip of cardstock and adhere approximately every other scallop with a mini glue dot onto glass or ceramic stand (spot test first to be sure it is an appropriate surface for easy removal).

For a patriotic floral arrangement, I added ruffled party streamers in stripes down an empty oatmeal container. Cut down each side of streamer with scalloped or pinking edgers. Add a stripe of glue runner around container and press streamer down in sections to ruffle. Continue for each stripe until filled. Add a glass or jar of water hidden inside container to add fresh flowers.

Speaking of streamers, give them a patriotic theme by punching randomly with a 1/4 inch star punch.

A fun way to add patriotic décor outside is with sidewalk chalk. Use the stars shape template for perfect stars every time. Inside or outside, get crafty adding festive stars to your 4th of July celebration.