Decorating the Table for 4th of July

[Updated June 23, 2020] Are you decorating the table for a 4th of July party? I’ve created a fabulous July 4th tablescape, all decked out in red, white, and blue, with a Patriotic centerpiece that mimics fireworks with stars and stripes galore! Even if you don’t go whole hog on your table decorations, this July 4th tablescape has plenty of ideas for any Independence Day celebration!

First off, this particular place setting has a white plate on top of a red charger. That’s because this table is set for ten, and I only had eight dark blue dinner plates. So, I put white dinner plates at each end of the table (this post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.).

July 4th Tablescape Centerpiece

Let’s start with the centerpiece! I already had a small collection of blue bottles that I got at Michael’s. If you’ve seen my earlier tablescapes, you’ll know that I also have a collection of silver-plate trays and bowls that I’ve inherited from my grandmother, mother, and aunt.

So, I chose one of their rectangular silver-plate trays and placed the blue bottles within. On either side, I added a set of faux fireworks, again from Michael’s, tied in a red, white, and blue striped ribbon. Each faux firework rocks a silver tinsel top. I also bought quite a few floral picks from Michael’s – some red, white, and blue glitter stars and some red, white, and blue glitter curls with glittered 3-D stars and sequined curls.

Here’s a close-up of a recycled water bottle (which are spaced out down the table and not on the silver tray) decked out with a small American flag and the Patriotic floral picks.

These floral picks are already tied together with red and blue ribbons, so I didn’t have to do any work – just stick them in the bottles!

Here’s another view of my grand centerpiece! It took me, maybe, 5 minutes.

These little American flags came in a pack of 4. Here’s my tip of the day as respects small American flags that come rolled-up in a package: don’t iron them!

I had my iron and ironing board out because I ironed the white tablecloth that anchors the table. When I took the American flags out of their package, they were curled up and wouldn’t hang the way I wanted them to hang in the blue bottles. So, I ironed one with the iron and practically melted it! So, either make sure your iron is on a “cool” setting OR flatten your little flags under a pile of books! Luckily, I had two packages of four American flags, so I had enough for this tablescape without running back to the store!

I love these red, white, and blue sparkly glitter star floral picks from Michael’s because they make me think of the fireworks that light up the night sky! Each star within the star is “independent,” so they can be opened to become 3-dimensional. In the photo above, some are (opened) and some aren’t. I didn’t tweak them too much! I was in a hurry to get my 5-minute centerpiece done!

Here’s a view as you look down the table from one end to the other.

July 4th Table Decorations List

White tablecloth

Red table runner

Patriotic garland

Patriotic signs

Blue glass bottles

Small American flags

Patriotic floral picks

Red chargers

Blue dinner plates

4th of July paper napkins

Red goblets

Royal blue goblets

Patriotic ribbon

The America the Beautiful tin sign above and The Stars and Stripes one below, light up. They are battery operated and I got them at Michael’s, too. However, while they do stand up, they are meant to hang up – like on a wall! But, I wanted them on the table.

So I bought 4: two America the Beautiful and two The Stars and Stripes and stood them on the table, back-to-back, so that you wouldn’t see the backs. But, they teetered precariously and there was a “gap” between them and you could still see the black backing of each of these signs. So, I bought red, white, and blue glittery starred 2 1/2-inch ribbon and tied them together, back-to-back. Problem solved and they look beautiful! I haven’t (yet) tried to turn the lights on, but my theory is that I can turn them on by moving the ribbon a little, sliding one side out ever-so-slightly revealing the light switch, turn them on and put them back in line together and return the ribbon to its rightful place.

Here is another view of one of the blue recycled water bottles with a small American flag and the Patriotic floral picks.

An overhead view of yet another!

And, a close-up of the Celebrate America sign, which I got at Hobby Lobby and the Patriotic grapevine garland, also from Hobby Lobby.

4th of July Place Settings

I didn’t spend any money on the place settings for my July 4th tablescape. I already had a collection of red charger plates, the dark blue dinner plates (from Princess House), my good flatware (also from Princess House), and red balloon stemware (from JC Penney) and royal blue goblets (from Pier One).

But, I did buy the Patriotic American flag paper napkins. It’s hard to see from these photos, but the paper napkins have cursive writing on the white stripes in golden brown, meant to look aged. I believe the words are part of the Declaration of Independence, but it’s hard to tell. I liked them and chose them for this table! I think I got them at Hobby Lobby, but it’s hard to know for sure! Because, when I see something I like, for example, a package of 16 or 20 napkins, I’ll buy it and we’ll use 8 or 10 or 12, and I’ll have leftovers! So, year-to-year, I have leftovers that I try to use, too.

In this photo, you’ll notice that the runner is dark navy blue with white stars instead of red with white stars. That’s because my “runner” isn’t, technically, a runner at all! It’s two pieces of a burlap-type fabric and the ends are finished. They are slightly larger than a doormat, and I think they are doormats. I bought them at Hobby Lobby, and they didn’t have a tag on them that said what they were! I thought they’d work fine as a table runner laid end-to-end over the white tablecloth.

I just used Patriotic ribbon to tie bows on the goblets – just to make them a little more festive!

Here’s one side to the table…

Here’s the other side of the table! In both, you can see where the two table runners, aka doormats, join each other.

4th of July Table Accessories

I kind of went crazy on the rest of the table decorations for my July 4th tablescape! I couldn’t decide which ones to use, so I pretty much used them all! Might seem overkill to some, but I like the wild mix of things. This is the first time I’ve decorated my table for the 4th of July in 9 years (since the fire). Maybe next year I’ll tone it down {grin}.

This cute little Patriotic bird came from Hobby Lobby. They have two different styles – with different vests. But, I accidentally dropped one and broke it {sad face}. I just love him; he’s so adorable!

I got this cute little striped, star-shaped bowl at a roadside fruit and vegetable stand! The red, white, and blue striped candy mints came from World Market.

These are stickers. You know, the kind you use for scrapbooking and to decorate cards, etc.? I got a set from Hobby Lobby and another from Michael’s. I just scattered them down the table randomly. I don’t remove the paper, because I don’t want them to stick to the tablecloth. That way, I can use them year-after-year!

This cute little round faux firecracker bomb came from Pier One. It purposely lays on its side.

The little tin pail came from Hobby Lobby and the round ball with red, white, and blue wooden roses attached to it came from Pier One. I just stuffed tissue paper in the pail to elevate the rose ball. It’s called an Americana Wood Curl Sphere.

This is another round faux firecracker bomb, also from Pier One.

This red “Happiness” star came from Hobby Lobby.

As did this white “Freedom” star…

and this blue “Liberty” star.

The caramel corn mix in the bowl came from World Market.

This red striped bowl and the blue one with the white stars came from the roadside fruit and vegetable stand.

Lastly (finally – whew!), I just had to have this adorable pillow from World Marke because it had “Sweet” on it! Love the “Sweet Land”! Maybe I need to change the title of my Sweet Spot category (which is my designated area for posts about travel, nature, and adventures) to Sweet Land!